Montana Betting Sites

The Treasure State’s relationship with online betting is complex. Despite being one of the most gambling-friendly states, Montana’s laws prevent online operators from rolling out independent services. As you’ll see in our guide, lawmakers have created a space where popular betting sites aren’t allowed to flourish. Instead, every iota of sports betting is owned and run by the state.

Here, we’ll discuss Montana’s online betting laws in more detail, breaking down the various sports you can bet on as well as some of the most popular payment methods among bettors. 

Is Online Betting Legal in Montana?

The answer is somewhere between yes and no. 

When PASPA — the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act — was overturned in 2018, Montana was among the first states to incorporate sports betting. The state approved sports betting under the condition that wagering can only take place on the premises of a state lottery vendor. This includes stores, bars, restaurants, casinos, and anywhere else you can buy lottery tickets. As such, traditional sportsbooks like DraftKings and BetMGM can’t set up shops in the state. However, lottery operators began taking bets on the NFL, NHL, NBA and more in 2020 — much to the delight of bettors living in the area.

There remains some level of mystique surrounding online sports betting, though. The law states that internet gambling is banned — thus blocking online casinos from setting up platforms — but numerous sportsbooks are available.

This is because the state’s lawmakers created a special gap for virtual sports betting. Rather than welcoming a deluge of private sportsbooks, the state set up its own betting platform in the shape of Sports Bet Montana. Through geo-fencing technology, bettors can only use the app while visiting a lottery ticket provider, preventing customers who open the platform outside a licensed vendor from placing bets. Thankfully, Montana’s gambling laws permits users access to their personal betting account, allowing them to add selections to the betslip, upload documents, deposit funds and edit betting limits at all times. Basically, bettors can do everything but place the actual bets from their homes. 

The minimum age for all online and retail betting in MT is 18 — three years younger than the national average. This applies to lottery tickets, in-person casino games, horse racing, retail sports wagering, and online betting. If online casinos are legalized, the minimum age to sign up will likely be 18, too. However, virtual casinos are prohibited.

Popular Sports to Bet on in Montana

Montana’s passion for sports cannot be overstated, despite the fact it’s one of a handful of states without a professional sports team. Instead of wallowing in the misery of not boasting a high-level side, residents cheer on local minor outfits across a variety of sports. 

Let’s take a look at some of the sports betting options in Montana.

NFL

None of Montana’s four neighboring states has an NFL team. The nearest team to the west — the Seattle Seahawks — resides in Washington, while the closest eastward franchise is the Minnesota Vikings. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, proximity to a professional team means very little when it comes to supporting a side and placing bets.  

Through the state’s lottery-backed sports betting service —Sports Bet Montana —users can wager on all the biggest NFL games and markets. 

NBA

Visitors to Montana would be hard-pressed to name a basketball team from the area. With no NBA team to follow and a few amateur squads scattered around the state, very little is known of Montana’s preferences when it comes to basketball teams. Geographically speaking, the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, and the Minnesota Timberwolves represent the three closest NBA teams.

In addition to the NBA, the Sports Bet Montana app supplies markets on NCAA basketball. There, you can bet on the Montana Grizzlies — a Division 1 team that competes in the Big Sky Conference.  

MLB

Baseball is another sport that has struggled to take a foothold in Montana. The Billings Mustangs represent the state in the Pioneer League — a division partnered with the MLB — but that’s as far as Montana goes in terms of professional baseball teams. 

Looking at a map, the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins sit nearest the state’s borders. To the south are the Colorado Rockies — another MLB participant. MT bettors can stick money on all three of these sides by visiting the Sports Bet Montana app at a registered retailer. 

NHL

More than half of the sides competing in the National Hockey League are located in the east half of Canada and the US — so relatively speaking it’s not a particularly popular sport in Montana. 

However, to the north we have the Calgary Flames, and the Vancouver Canucks are further north-east. Otherwise, supporters can make the long trip to Denver or Minnesota for their NHL fix. Sports Bet Montana publishes odds for all four of the closest NHL teams, and of course for the rest of the league.  

Horse Racing

With two racing tracks situated in Montana — one in Great Falls and the other in Miles City — bettors have a couple of options for on-track betting. However, the alternative to on-track betting — unsurprisingly called off-track betting, or ‘OTB’ —is where the online apps come in.

Due to its popularity in the state, Montana’s laws on horse racing betting are much looser compared to other sports. Caesar’s, TVG, and other gambling operators are allowed to provide services to fans across the state, so this is what most Montanan bettors tend to focus on.

Betting Markets Available in Montana

The gambling industry is packed with different ways to wager. In sports betting, bettors select a market, click on the odds associated with an outcome, and enter a stake. Sports Bet Montana is the sole provider of sports markets in the state — and we’ve detailed four top options found on the site. 

Moneyline

This bet type is the most common among brand-new bettors, and with good reason. Moneyline bets keep things simple by offering only two outcomes; a win or a loss.

Here’s an example of a moneyline bet.

• Minnesota Vikings to beat Philadelphia Eagles at +210.
• Philadelphia Eagles to beat Minnesota Vikings at -280.

The ‘plus’ symbol represents the underdog. The favorite is marked by a ‘minus’ sign. Effectively, these symbols tell you two things: what you’ll get from a $100 bet, and how much you’ll need to spend to make $100.

Looking at the odds listed above, we can see that the Vikings are favorites, and that a $210 would see a return of $100. 

Or, if we were to successfully stake $100 on the Eagles we’d receive $280. 

Parlay

Parlays combine multiple outcomes — all of which have to be successful in order to win — into one bet, therefore resulting in greater odds. 

Check out an example parlay with real odds from Sports Bet Montana, here.

• Eagles to beat Vikings at -286.
• Raiders to beat Bills at +315.
• Bengals to beat Ravens at -185.
• Texans to beat Colts at -105.

Sports Bet Montana’s odds calculator gives us a total price of +1585. This means that a $5 would return $84.23, whereas a bet in the $20 range would pay over $300. Should any of the four outcomes not come in, you’ll lose the entire bet.. 

Over/Under

Particularly popular among soccer bettors, the over/under market is for two types of people. The first is someone who wants to see plenty of goalmouth action; the second craves a 0-0 draw.

With over/under, you’re betting on the number of goals scored in a game. For example, imagine that you bet on over 3.5 goals in a match between Team A and Team B. 

If four or more goals are scored in the game, your wager wins. Anything less than four goals results in a lost bet. Note that it doesn’t matter which team scores more goals – it’s the overall figure that counts.

Against the Spread

Also known as ATS betting, this market requires a certain level of courage. Before we jump into the nitty-gritty details, here’s a quick example of how an ATS market looks on Sports Bet Montana.

• Lakers +5.5 at -111.
• Nuggets -5.5 at -115.

‘+5.5’ gives the Lakers an imaginary advantage. Bets on this pick win if the Lakers stay within five points of the Nuggets, or win outright by any score. The Nuggets must stay at least six points clear of the Lakers if bettors are to make money from that selection. This is because ‘-5.5’ refers to the deduction of points at the end of the affair. If we remove 5.5 points from the Nuggets at full-time and they remain ahead, bets on the Denver-based side win. 

Half-points are included in the ATS market to avoid ties. If sportsbooks were to round up, there would be potential for ‘push’ bets – where bookmakers would be made to refund stakes. 

Betting Apps Available in Montana

Betting apps are designed to give bettors the freedom to bet whenever, wherever, and however they desire. In Montana, restrictions on betting apps limit the way in which bettors can use apps. As sports betting is run by the state and not private entities, sportsbook vendors can only take bets on behalf of Sports Bet Montana – Montana’s sole virtual sports betting provider. On top of this platform, Montana is home to several horse racing apps. 

Let’s examine which betting apps are available in Montana. 

Sports Bet Montana

From the outside, it appears that Montana’s lawmakers saw the legalization of sports betting as an opportunity to make money. As the only app available within the state’s borders, Sports Bet Montana has a stranglehold on keen bettors. 

The app itself feels outdated. Compared to the likes of DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, Montana’s state-owned release is noticeably slow and sluggish. That said, we can’t fault the sheer number of markets on display. 

To download the app for free, head to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

TVG

One of a handful of racing apps in Montana, the TVG racing platform can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for free. The app’s clean UI makes for a pleasant, smooth experience, particularly when processing payments.

TVG promotes itself as ‘America’s premier online wagering company for horse racing’, which is a big claim! Reviews on Apple and Android app stores suggest players are more than content with the service, so the app is certainly doing something right.

Caesar’s Racebook

Including Montana, Caesar’s Racebook is available in 18 states. Like the other apps covered in this section, Caesar’s Racebook is free to install from either of the major smartphone app providers.

With live streams, ample payment methods, tons of bonuses, and a steady stream of updated odds every day — there’s a lot to love about this one. A big draw is the ability to bet on races in Europe, as well as domestic events. 

Payment Methods Available at Montana Betting Sites

A good betting site should support a plethora of popular banking options. In doing so, bookmakers ensure that the greatest number of players can get in on the action. This benefits both the player and the sportsbook, so there’s no excuse for ignoring popular payment methods. 

Bank Cards

Anyone who has a bank account owns a bank card. Plenty of options exist, including; American Express, Visa, and Mastercard. Caesar’s Racebook accepts both Visa and Mastercard, as well as Discover cards. 

Sports Bet Montana also supports bank cards for deposits, but doesn’t doesn’t permit withdrawals via this method, disappointingly. 

e-Wallets

e-Wallets such as PayPal, Skrill and many other options have recently emerged as one of the most popular banking methods at online sportsbooks in the US and abroad. This is largely due to their high levels of data protection, and the ability to support extremely fast withdrawals.

Despite this, Sports Bet Montana doesn’t accept e-wallets for deposits and withdrawals. Thankfully, both Caesar’s Racebook and TVG do.

Prepaid Cards

Play+ cards are perhaps the most popular payment method at Sports Bet Montana. This option supports seamless transfers to and from sportsbook accounts, whereas bank cards are restricted by the state’s bookmaker. 

Play+ connects to your betting account and bank account to process transactions rapidly. As a result, payments via Play+ are likely to be the fastest in the state of Montana.

Wire Transfer

Neither Sports Bet Montana nor TVG accept bank wire transfers as a means of deposit or withdrawal. As time goes on, bettors should expect sportsbooks across the country to follow suit. 

Wire transfers are slow, often accompanied by incredulous deposit and/or withdrawal limits, and may be subject to fees. Regardless, you can move money in and out of Caesar’s Racebook through wire transfers. 

Montana Betting Timeline

The history of betting in Montana has been somewhat tumultuous. From the first state lottery in 1986 to the legalization of sports betting in 2019, The Treasure State’s relationship with retail gambling has generally been positive, but the same can’t be said for online betting.

November 1986: Montana’s citizens vote to hold a state lottery.

March 2005: Gov. Brian Schweitzer signs bill SB 103. This makes all forms of internet gambling illegal.

October 2015: Attempts from legislators to legalize online daily fantasy sports (DFS) betting fail.

May 2019: A breakthrough for sports betting as Gov. Bill Bullock signs a bill that allows Montana’s Lottery Commission to oversee a state-owned sportsbook. 

March 2020: Montana’s first and only sportsbook — titled Sports Bet Montana — takes its first bets on March 11th, 2020. 

Compare Montana Betting Sites and Sign Up

If you’re a racing fan, there are plenty of options to choose from in Montana. Fans of the NHL, NBA, MLB, NFL, soccer and countless other sports are a little less fortunate. With only one dedicated sportsbook app across the entire state, bettors are forced to use a comparatively limited platform. 

Nevertheless, you can still use the BettingOdds website to compare bookies and bonuses in Montana. Once you’ve found the right site for you, sign up to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions