Legal US Sportsbooks vs Illegal Offshore Sportsbooks - How To Tell An Online Sportsbook Is Legal In The US?
Updated May 8, 2026
Updated May 8, 2026
It is hard for sports fans to go onto sports websites or watch a sporting event without seeing some sort of promotion of an online sportsbook. But it can also be hard to tell which online sportsbooks are legal and which are not. Here, we break down how to tell which sportsbooks are legal and illegal in the United States and provide a list of some of the major sportsbooks that fall into each category.
There are a few major ways for bettors to tell which sportsbooks are legal and which are not, even if they are unfamiliar with the legal status of each sportsbook going in. Continue reading to find out which three pieces of information bettors should look for when determining whether or not a sportsbook is legal.
The first piece of information bettors should look for is where a sportsbook is regulated. State laws across America require sportsbooks to be regulated through the regulatory bodies in each state where they operate. For example, a sportsbook has to be regulated in New York to operate in New York. Therefore, sportsbooks that are not regulated in the United States are not legal in America.
Most offshore sportsbooks are regulated somewhere like Curacao, Costa Rica, or Panama. Before doing anything else, bettors should find where a sportsbook they want to use is licensed to determine its legal status.
Another thing that bettors can check to find the legal status of a sportsbook is what payment options that site takes. Legal sportsbooks allow bettors to make deposits and withdrawals using methods such as debit cards, PayPal, and even online bank transfers. But offshore sportsbooks do not have access to similar options, requiring bettors to buy bitcoin or go through other less scrupulous means instead.
There are sportsbook ads just about everywhere these days, but where those ads are can go a long way toward telling bettors whether or not a sportsbook is legal. For example, sites that are advertised by professional sports teams are always going to be legal, as pro sports teams can’t advertise illegal products such as offshore sportsbooks.
There are a great many legal sportsbook options to choose from in the United States, eliminating the need to use illegal offshore sportsbooks. While different states have different laws and different rules regarding which sportsbooks are legal, the following US sportsbooks are legal in much of America.
Now that you know which US sportsbooks are legal, here is a list of the illegal offshore sportsbooks that are popular in the United States. These sites can be accessed by Americans (or Canadians in some cases), but not legally, as they are not licensed in any US state.
Some bettors may be wondering why they should use a legal online sportsbook as opposed to the offshore sportsbooks listed above. There are a few very compelling reasons to go with regulated operators, such as these options below.
One huge reason to go with a regulated sportsbook is the fact that sportsbooks that are licensed in America are required to adhere to the state laws where they operate. Those laws are designed to protect the players in each state, which compares favorably to offshore sportsbooks that do not offer those same protections.
Another huge reason to use legal sportsbooks is that they offer mobile apps that offshore sportsbooks can’t provide. App marketplaces like the Google Play and App Stores don’t allow illegal sportsbook operators to offer apps to American consumers. But legal sportsbooks are allowed to offer their apps to American players, making it easier and more convenient to place bets on the go.
Most importantly, the reason to use legal sportsbook apps is the fact that they are legal, while offshore sportsbooks are not! It is quite literally against the law to use an offshore sportsbook, as players can and should use regulated sportsbooks instead.