Is sports betting legal in Montana?
Yes, through one state-run book. The Montana Lottery has run Sports Bet Montana since March 2020, for adults 18 and over, and bets can only be placed at licensed locations.
One book, run by the state
Montana did something no bookie would choose: it made the state the only book in town. Nobody else runs a book. The Montana Lottery's history page says House Bill 725 became law on 3 May 2019 and that Sports Bet Montana launched in March 2020. The law lives in Title 23, Chapter 7 of the Montana Code, and the Montana Lottery runs the book under the State Lottery and Sports Wagering Commission.
The minimum age is 18, set by MCA 23-7-302. The same section says you pay with cash, check or debit card. No credit, which I don't mind: a book that won't lend you money can't help you dig a hole.
How a bet gets placed
Sports Bet Montana has an app, but it isn't statewide mobile betting. The code defines a sports wagering license as one where bets are made "exclusively within the physical confines" of the single approved facility, using location-based services. In practice that means you open the app at a licensed location, and the sportsbook's own site says there are over 550 locations. At home on the couch, the bet won't go in, and I wouldn't waste an evening trying.
Here's my problem with a monopoly: with one book there's no one to shop the price against. The line you see is the line you get. If you bet Montana, I'd bet less and pick your spots, because when the number is a half point worse than it should be there is no other counter in the state to walk to, and over a season that half point is what separates a winning player from a losing one.
Winnings are taxable income; the IRS is plain about that.
Where the offshore books fit
Offshore books will take a bet from a Montana couch, and that's their pitch. They are not licensed by Montana. If Sports Bet Montana gets a ticket wrong, there's a state agency you can complain to. If an offshore book keeps your money, there isn't. Read our offshore sportsbooks page before you decide anything, and the VPN page if you've been told a VPN gets you around a location check.
For help with gambling, the Montana Lottery lists a 24-hour line at 1-888-900-9979, and our responsible gambling guide covers the limits worth setting.
*Checked against Montana Code Annotated, Title 23, Chapter 7 on 28 October 2026. Laws change; this page is re-checked every quarter. This is not legal advice.*
Related questions
Where is sports betting legal?
Of the 38 states we have checked, 31 allow legal sports betting in some form and 7 do not, as of 28 October 2026. The form varies a lot: some states let you bet on your phone anywhere inside their borders, others only at a casino counter, a tribal casino or through one state-run book.
How old do you have to be to bet on sports?
21 in most states that allow sports betting, and 18 in a few, New Hampshire and Rhode Island among them. The age that counts is the one set by the state you are in when you place the bet, so check that state's regulator.
Is sports betting legal in Wyoming?
Yes. Wyoming has allowed online sports betting statewide under a law signed on 5 April 2021, for bettors 18 and over who are physically in the state, with each book permitted by the Wyoming Gaming Commission.