The Essential Guide to Mobile and Online Sports Betting in Nevada
| Operator | Casino(s)/Sportsbook(s) |
|---|---|
| Station Casinos | Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Sante Fe Station, Texas Station, Boulder Station, Fiestas |
| CG Technology | Cosmopolitan, Hard Rock, M Resort, The Palazzo, Palms, Silverton, Tropicana, The Venetian |
| Caesars Entertainment | Bally’s, Caesars Palace, Cromwell, Flamingo, Harrah’s, The Linq, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Rio, Harrah’s Laughlin, Harrah’s Reno, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Harvey’s Lake Tahoe |
| MGM Resorts International | MGM Grand, Park MGM, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Bellagio, Mirage, New York - New York, Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay |
| William Hill | William Hill (locals casinos, mobile kiosks) |
| Boyd Gaming | Aliante, Cannery, Eastside Cannery, Eldorado, Gold Coast, Jokers Wild, The Orleans, Sam’s Town, Suncoast |
| South Point | South Point |
| Treasure Island | Treasure Island |
| Jerry’s Nugget | Jerry’s Nugget |
| Westgate | Westgate |
| Wynn | Wynn Las vegas, Encore |
General Summary of Sports Betting in Nevada
Ah, fabulous Las Vegas, crown jewel of Nevada, the only state in America where betting on sports and horse races was legal…until recently. That changed, of course, in May 2018, when the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which opened the sports betting door to every other state.
If you’re a sports fan or a gambler, chances are you’ve been to Las Vegas to partake in the watching of, and betting on, sporting events. It’s common for groups of fans and bettors to travel to Las vegas during the NCAA March Madness tournament, the Super Bowl, and even regular Sundays during football season specifically to watch and gamble on sports.
But why was sports betting allowed only in the state of Nevada? For the answer, we refer back to PASPA, the 1992 bill that banned sports betting expansion in every state in the US – except Nevada, which was grandfathered in. It was for this reason that all these years, Las Vegas has been synonymous with sports betting.
Think about it: sports articles or talk shows often refer to teams as favorites or underdogs according to “Vegas.” Even in a non-sports betting context, sports culture in the US has long been centered around Las Vegas, simply because Nevada was the only place where wagering on sports was legal.
Despite the fact that over three dozen states have joined Nevada as states that offer legal and regulated wagering on sports, Las Vegas is still king when it come to retail sports betting. Several states have overtaken Nevada in mobile handle, but no state has as many cool retail sportsbooks as Nevada. It’ll still be years before other states can build up the infrastructure and atmosphere Las Vegas has spent decades cultivating.
Watch this space for more Nevada sports betting content from RotoGrinders as we’ll have Nevada online sportsbook reviews, and are proud to be your expert on all things Nevada sports betting!
Nevada’s Sports Betting History
To get the full picture of sports betting in Nevada and how it came to be the only US state that offered legal sports betting for nearly 70 years, we have to go back to 1931. On March 19, 1931, then Nevada Governor Fred Balzar signed Bill 98 into law, which legalized wide-open gambling for the first time in any US state’s history. This event set Las Vegas on course to becoming the sports betting haven we know and love today.
Even though gambling in Nevada was legalized in 1931, sports betting largely remained an illegal, underground activity until 1949, when Nevada legalized sports betting and horse betting. In 1951, the federal government attached a 10% tax on legal sportsbooks, which caused many legitimate sportsbooks to close because they couldn’t handle the tax rate. Others kept to the illegal underground, or used workarounds, like writing tickets in code for lower amounts than they were actually worth.
It wasn’t until 1974 that the federal government relaxed its tax on sports betting, lowering the rate to 2%. More legitimate sportsbooks began to emerge, and two years later in 1976, the model upon which many modern sportsbooks are built opened up: the Stardust sportsbook boasted six giant TV screens and luxurious seating for up to 300 patrons.
In 1982, the federal government further reduced its tax rate all the way down to 0.25%, which is when sports betting in Las vegas truly took off. Four years later in 1986, The Hilton opened its Superbook, an even larger version of the Stardust. This site is now Westgate, which is home to what is widely recognized as the best sportsbook in Las Vegas.
Sports betting in Nevada in 2018 is alive and well, despite PASPA no longer blocking other states. Almost every casino in Las Vegas has a sportsbook, with many of them featuring large, stadium-like areas with large screens and plush seating areas. No matter how or where you like to bet on sports, Las Vegas is still the sports betting capital of the US.
Nevada Sports Betting FAQs
When did it become legal to bet on sports in Nevada?
Nevada legalized sports betting, along with horse betting, in 1949. This is noteworthy because Nevada was the only state to have legal sports betting from 1949-2018.
Where can I place a sports bet in Nevada?
Sports bets can be placed at almost every casino in Las Vegas, as well as various other local casinos across the state of Nevada. New online users at BetMGM Nevada can collect a Get up to $250 Back in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn’t Win offer through the bonus code GRINDERS.
The following companies offer Nevada sports betting apps:
- CG Technology
- Caesars Entertainment
- Boyd Gaming
- Golden Nugget
- MGM Resorts
- Station Casinos
- South Point
- Westgate
- Wynn
- Circa
- SuperBook Sports
- Additional NV Sports Books
What sports can I bet on in Nevada?
Nevada offers sports bets on the following, among other special offers:
- NFL
- College football
- NBA
- College basketball
- NHL
- KHL
- Canadian football
- Rugby
- MLB
- Soccer
- Boxing
- MMA
- Cycling
- Tennis
- Golf
- Esports
- Formula One
- NASCAR
- Indy
What types of bets can I make in Nevada?
Nevada offers the following types of sports bets:
- Moneyline
- Point spread
- Totals (Over/Under)
- Partial game lines
- Parlay
- Teaser
- Pleaser
- Round robin
- Futures
- In-play
- Props
How do I deposit money on a Nevada sports betting app?
To deposit money on a Nevada sports betting app, you must visit the sportsbook related to the app on which you’d like to deposit. This is different than other states, most of which allow mobile deposits.
Is DFS legal in Nevada? Will we see any hybrid games offered in the near future?
DFS companies are currently unable to operate in Nevada, but the winds of change may be coming. DraftKings, which has already launched a successful digital sportsbook in New Jersey, has said it wants to open an office in Las Vegas. If and when this happens, you can be sure of their plans to enter the sports betting market.
In other states where both sports betting and DFS are legal, we believe there will soon be exciting DFS-sports betting hybrid products. RotoGrinders’ own Cal Spears recently told The Athletic (paywall) about the kind of crossover contests we could see:
“Say, on a Sunday, you make 15 different NFL bets, but you make them against 100,000 other people,” Spears said. “Sort of like a parlay, but against others. If you pick the Patriots (as a 7-point favorite), you hit for 1 point, but if you pick their opponent (as a 7-point underdog) you get 7 points. Then add up all the points. That’s a really complicated thing to do, because you have 100,000 concurrent users hitting your server, making teams, hitting your database – but (DraftKings and FanDuel) are already set up to do that. I think they might have an edge running different formats that other people would struggle to justify even writing the first line of code for.”
This kind of thing seems like it would be a blast in Las Vegas on an NFL Sunday, or during a day of March Madness, so here’s hoping DFS eventually makes a triumphant return to Nevada.