Vermont Sports Betting

Editor’s note: As of Jan. 20, 2021

You cannot gamble in The Green Mountain State.

It is against the law and the state offers no official bricks and mortar venues to exercise gambling of any kind.

The state has no commercial casinos, tribal casinos or racetracks.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional & Amateur Sports Protection Act in May 2018 making sports betting legal outside Nevada, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott didn’t immediately embrace wagering on sport as an avenue to help the state’s bottom line. Legal betting “is not the answer to Vermont’s fiscal issues, but I am willing to listen.”

Danny Rachek, director of the Vermont Lottery, concurred: ““I don’t know of anybody who is pushing for this in Vermont,” he told the Burlington Free Press.

So, state officials are predisposed to not be in a rush to bring legal sports betting to its residents.

That being said, there are three measures that have been introduced to the Vermont General Assembly regarding sports betting:

·         H 46 and S 59: Two bills introduced in both the House and Senate would create a Sports Betting Study Committee

·         H 484: Would legalize statewide mobile sports betting, provide in-person betting at kiosks in sports lounges, and would allow an extension of credit by sportsbooks to sports bettors

All three have been assigned to committees where they have seen little or no action. The General Assembly has biennial terms and will reconvene in 2021.

Is sports betting currently legal in the state?

No, and residents shouldn’t expect to see much movement in the future.

What about horse racing?

Despite having no racetracks in the state it is possible to place wagers online for horse racing via vendors such as Bet America, TVG and Twinspires.