As of early 2025, eleven states offer no legal sports betting of any kind: Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. If you live in one of those states, every licensed US sportsbook — DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365 — is geofenced out of your reach, and that includes every golf market from Masters outrights to first-round leader bets. No offshore workaround changes that legal reality, and depositing on an unlicensed site means zero regulatory protection if something goes wrong.
Two states that sometimes appear on "legal" lists deserve a separate note. Mississippi allows app-based sports betting only while you are physically located on casino property — the moment you leave the building, geolocation checks will block your wagers, so statewide mobile golf betting does not exist there in any practical sense. Montana permits betting exclusively through lottery terminals and an authorized state app at approved retail locations, which is a far narrower access point than the fully mobile markets available in states like New Jersey or Colorado.
Why do these states still have no legal golf betting?
PASPA was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2018, handing each state the authority to legalize sports betting on its own timeline. As of end-2024, 38 states plus Washington, D.C. have acted on that authority in some form. The holdouts — California and Texas being the two largest by population — have faced a combination of tribal gaming compacts, competing ballot-measure campaigns, and legislative gridlock that has blocked progress for multiple sessions. Georgia and Minnesota have come close in recent years but have not yet passed workable bills. Until a state's own legislature or voters act, no amount of demand changes access.
What are your options if you live in a state without legal betting?
The short answer: wait, or travel. If you cross into a legal state — say, a Nevada or Arizona trip — you can download a licensed sportsbook app, create a verified account, and place wagers while you are physically present within that state's borders. Your account and any winnings remain yours when you return home, though you cannot place additional bets from an unlicensed jurisdiction. For a full breakdown of which states are currently open, see Golf Betting Legality by State: Where You Can Bet in 2026. Once you are in a legal state, you will want to know which platforms offer the deepest golf markets — Which US Sportsbooks Offer the Best Golf Betting Markets? covers that in detail.
How should you prepare now so you're ready when your state legalizes?
Legislation in large holdout states can move faster than most bettors expect — North Carolina went from bill passage to live betting on March 11, 2024 in a matter of months. Familiarizing yourself with bet mechanics now means you will not be learning under pressure during a major. Start with How to Place Your First Golf Bet: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough, then work through Every Golf Bet Type Explained for US Bettors so you understand outrights, matchups, each-way wagers, and dead-heat rules before your first deposit.
State legality and bonus availability change frequently; always verify the current status through your state's official gaming regulator or a tracker like BettorSafe.org before attempting to sign up with any operator. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.