TENNESSEE
SPORTS BETTING

Tennessee is known for its music and unrivaled barbecue, and it also has a number of sports betting websites that you may use. There is a lot to learn and take part in as online sports betting gains popularity across the US, and Tennessee joins the list of states that have legal, regulated online betting. For a new bettor, it could seem intimidating, but with this guidance and some practice, you’ll have an advantage when you place your first legitimate sports wagers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Can Play? Is It Safe? Common Questions Answered

We don’t know how many sportsbooks there will be yet. There isn’t a limit on the number of potential online sportsbooks, but at some point, the market will reach a saturation point. We’re not there yet though with the tally still growing. Heavy hitters like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars Sportsbook, TwinSpires, and WynnBET have all entered TN.

Since Tennessee has no brick-and-mortar casinos, sports gamblers won’t have to choose between international gambling software brands like Unibet, and more well-known regional brands, like Parx Casino in PA, for example.

This blank slate gives daily fantasy giants DraftKings and FanDuel a massive edge over the competition. That’s because, unlike other sports betting companies, DraftKings and FanDuel have been operating in Tennessee for years, and will be familiar to a large chunk of potential sports gamblers.

The two brands are already leading the online industry in other states, and have so far continued that trend in TN.

No, anyone inside the state over the age of 21 may bet on sports, even those simply passing through for a short period of time.

While TN sports betting proponents initially proposed offering wagering via kiosks and at select brick-and-mortar locations, the idea was eventually nixed. Tennessee sports betting is strictly mobile and online only.

No. Unlike New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which have legalized sports betting, as well as online casinos and poker, only sports wagering has been legalized in Tennessee. Any websites or advertisements you see promoting online gambling in the Volunteer State are marketing unregulated, black-market online casinos, which are very dangerous for consumers.

Yes! TN’s online sports betting market launched on Nov. 1, 2020, when DraftKings, BetMGM, and FanDuel sportsbooks were given the green light to being taking bets.

A full slate of bet types are now available in TN, including props, Moneyline, totals, parlays, futures, in-game bets, and more.

One caveat, though, is that prop betting on all NCAA football and basketball games will be prohibited.

Definitely not. Players must be physically inside the borders of the state in order to place bets for real money.

However, it is possible to set up an account, view lines and make deposits and withdrawals from outside of the state, but to actually make your bets, you’ll need to be inside Tennessee.

You do have the option of traveling into the state to make your bet, then leaving immediately.

Before anyone can place a bet, geolocation software integrated into mobile devices, and add-ons installed on desktops and laptops, will verify your location for operators.

Use of a VPN to spoof your location is prohibited and would be easily detected by the geolocation software.

The technology is highly accurate and not easily fooled by those who may try to gamble from outside of the state’s borders.

The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation is tasked with overseeing sports betting activity in the state. It operates a committee to review licensing applications and police the industry.

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Featured Tennessee Sportsbooks

March 2024

FanDuel has earned its place as one of the leaders in U.S. online sports betting and is now one of the top brands in TN.

DraftKings was previously known as a DFS powerhouse but has now fully embraced legal sports betting.

BetMGM is the polished TN online sportsbook offering of the world-famous MGM brand.

TN Sports Betting History & Quick Stats

How it all came together

The prospect of bringing sports betting to Tennessee was made possible by a groundbreaking Supreme Court ruling in May 2018, which struck down a law that, for over two decades, had limited the vertical mainly to Nevada.

TN legislators saw neighboring states either legalizing or eyeing their own sports betting bills and were keen to establish the industry inside the state, lest they lose out on a potentially large source of tax revenue.

State Democratic Rep. Rick Staples got the sports wagering conversation started in November 2018, when he introduced bill HB 0001 ahead of the 2019 legislative session.

The bill proposed legalizing online and mobile sports betting in the state, along with wagering at physical kiosks. Operators would be taxed at 10% and pay a negligible $7,500 licensing fee.

After adding an amendment banning prop betting on collegiate sports, lawmakers advanced the bill out of committee and it moved to the full statehouse. In April 2019, the legislation passed both chambers, making Tennessee the first state to legalize sports betting for mobile and Internet-connected devices only.

Gov. Bill Lee, who had previously expressed concern that regulated sports betting might somehow usher in organized crime, let the bill become law without his signature.

The state finalized and adopted its official rules and regulations for sports betting on April 15, 2020. Online sports betting finally launched in the state on November 1 of that year, when DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel began taking real-money sports bets.

Date legalized

April 2019

Industry launch date

November 1, 2020

Who can play

Anyone 21 years and up who is physically inside the state

Who regulates

The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation

Betting locations

Via mobile and internet-connected devices only

Operator tax rate

20% on adjusted gross income

Application/Licensing fee

$50,000/$750,000

Where the taxes go

Education, local government and gambling addiction treatment programs

Mandatory hold

TN sportsbooks must hold an average of 10% of bets made