Where is DraftKings Legal in the United States?

Fantasy sports have been around for decades, but the rise of daily fantasy sports (DFS) has taken the industry by storm. Daily fantasy sports are a great way to add excitement to your favorite sporting events, and DraftKings makes it easy to get started.

Although the company is best known for this form of entertainment, it also offers sports betting. DraftKings offers its users the chance to participate in daily and weekly fantasy sports competitions and win cash prizes based on the performance of specific players. In 2021 in the US, this lucrative industry boasted a market size worth an astounding $8.88 billion.

But where is DraftKings legal? Read on to find out which states allow sports betting and fantasy sports, and where is DraftKings actually available.

About DraftKings

One of the leading platforms in the industry is DraftKings, an American daily fantasy sports competition and sports betting business, which offers a wide range of options for both experienced players and newcomers. DraftKings allows its users to compete against each other over a course of a week or even a single day.

The site offers a variety of different sports, including fantasy football, fantasy basketball, fantasy baseball, and fantasy golf. DraftKings is also available via a mobile app, which makes it easy to play on the go.

In addition to DFS, DraftKings also provides a sports betting option to its users. Thus, those located in the areas where sports betting is legal and DraftKings is available may bet on baseball, basketball, boxing, cricket, cycling, football, hockey, soccer, tennis, and more. That’s not all, as DraftKings offers regular casino games, as well.

History of DraftKings

​​DraftKings was founded in 2012 by Jason Robins, Paul Liberman and Matt Kalish. The company started out as a daily fantasy sports platform but has since expanded into other areas, including sports betting and online casino games. Originally based in Boston, the company now has offices in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, London, and Dublin, among nine other locations.

In 2018, DraftKings became the first US-based company to offer legal online sports betting outside of Nevada. Two years later, DraftKings went public on the Nasdaq stock exchange with a valuation of $3.3 billion. Today, the company is one of the leading providers of online gaming and sports betting services in the United States.

States Where DraftKings Is Legal

Where you can use the DraftKings platform depends on what you use it for. That’s because there are states where sports betting isn’t legal, while others ban daily fantasy sports.

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings sportsbook includes betting on a number of sports, such as football, basketball, baseball, and hockey. DraftKings online and mobile sportsbook is available in the following states:

• Arizona
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

In two states, Mississippi and Washington, only DraftKings retail is available, which means that in these areas you can place bets in person. The states where sports betting is legal, but DraftKings isn’t live are:

• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Maine
• Maryland
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Rhode Island
• South Dakota

The rest of the states have banned DraftKings sportsbook, as sports betting is illegal in them.

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports

In many states, playing daily fantasy sports isn’t considered gambling because it requires skill rather than relying on luck, so the majority of US states allow it. There are a few states, however, where DraftKings DFS isn’t available, and those include:

• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Montana
• Nevada
• Oregon
• Washington

Despite most states allowing DFS, five of the states on this list, with the exception of Oregon, deem it as a form of gambling and have thus prohibited it.

History of DraftKings Launches According to State

While fantasy sports have always been legal in most of the US, the same can’t be said for sports betting. In fact, it wasn’t until May 2018 that the US Supreme Court ruled to overturn a federal law that had outlawed sports betting outside of Nevada.

This ruling paved the way for states to legalize and regulate sports betting within their own borders. There is a lot of pressure to legalize online sports betting in every state, especially as NFL partnered with many sportsbooks.

Arizona

Arizona legalized sports betting in April 2021. DraftKings’ online launch in Arizona happened in September 2021. The operator is licensed by TPC Scottsdale and regulated by the Arizona Department of Gaming.

Colorado

Colorado is one of the states that joined the bandwagon a little bit later, as it became the 19th state to legalize sports betting in May 2020. At the same time, DraftKings became available in this state.

Connecticut

DraftKings sports betting Connecticut launch occurred in October 2021. This type of betting was legalized in May 2021 in this area.

Illinois

Illinois, the 15th state to legalize sports betting, did so in June 2019. DraftKings’ online launch occurred in August 2020.

Indiana

Those located in Indiana have been able to participate in DraftKings contests and tournaments since October 2019. In terms of market share in this state, DraftKings is at the top, closely followed by FanDuel, one of DraftKings’ competitors.

Iowa

DraftKings extended its operations to Iowa in February 2020, after Iowa became the 11th state to make sports betting legal in May 2019.

Kansas

Sports betting became legal in the state of Kansas on September 1, 2022, and DraftKings launched in this state on the very same day.

Louisiana

Sports betting was legalized in Louisiana in November 2021. DraftKings sportsbook was introduced in this state three months later.

Michigan

In June 2021, DraftKings announced its partnership with Bay Mills Resort and Casino, which brought sports betting to Michigan. This came about half a year after Michigan legalized this form of betting.

New Hampshire

DraftKings Sportsbook arrived in New Hampshire in December 2019, five months after sports betting was made legal in this state.

New Jersey

In August 2018, DraftKings became the first gambling venue to offer an online sportsbook outside of Nevada with its New Jersey launch.

New York

DraftKings online sports betting launched in New York in January 2022. New York residents could also access sports betting through their mobile phones, as mobile sports betting was finally legalized in this state.

Oregon

DraftKings sports betting launched in Oregon in January 2022 when the Oregon Lottery Commission made the decision to replace the Scoreboard app offered by SBTech. This made DraftKings the only online sports betting provider in this state.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania started allowing sports betting in 2018. This allowed DraftKings to launch in November 2019, providing those located in this state the freedom to freely bet on sports both through the DraftKings website and mobile app.

Tennessee

Sports betting has been legal in Tennessee since May 2019. In November 2020, DraftKings sports betting launched in this state, licensed by the Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation.

Virginia

Virginia allowed sports betting in April 2020. In January 2021, DraftKings was made available in this state.

West Virginia

DraftKings mobile and online sportsbook was made available in West Virginia in August 2019. This was the second state where DraftKings was launched, regulated and licensed by the West Virginia Lottery Commission.

Wyoming

In Wyoming, DraftKings is completely legal. You may place bets on sports and participate in DFS tournaments. It was launched in September 2021, almost half a year after sports betting was legalized in this state.

Bottom Line

Ultimately, DraftKings is available in quite a few states. If you’re located in any of the states where it is legal to play DraftKings and where DraftKings decided to launch, then you’re in luck and can freely participate in any sports betting or fantasy sports tournament that you wish.

Keep in mind that you need to be at least 21 years of age to legally bet in the United States. If you don’t reside in any of these states, don’t lose hope. Keep up to date, as your state could join the ranks of those allowing this kind of entertainment. Once that happens, DraftKings will welcome you with open arms.