Nevada online sports betting laws

For several decades, Nevada stood alone as the only place in the US where full-scale sports betting was legal. Legal sports betting in Nevada dates back to 1949, when the state legalized sports betting, as well as live and off-track horse racing. Historically, race books and sports pools were storefront operations, and the first licensed race book, the Sierra Turf Club in Reno, Nevada, opened in 1952. Beginning in 1991, Nevada law has required books to be established as part of resort hotels in counties with populations of 100,000 or more (which includes Las Vegas, in Clark County, and Reno, in Washoe County).

The Silver State’s position as the go-to destination for sports bettors was enhanced in 1992, when the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was passed. That act prohibited the introduction of legal sports wagering in any state that did not already have established sports wagering at the time of its enactment. This restricted sports betting to Nevada and a handful of states that had some very limited sports wagering options at that time.

When PASPA was declared unconstitutional in 2018, it opened the doors for other states to authorize sports betting. But Nevada had had a head start of nearly 70 years and it will take a miracle for any other location to usurp it as the undisputed spiritual heart of the US sports betting landscape.

Indeed, in the first year after the repeal of PASPA, 2019, Nevada set a new record for yearly sports handle with an eye-watering $5.3 billion.

Because it was the first, Nevada’s online sports betting history is unique. In fact, even today, the state doesn’t offer an online sports betting license, but instead online sports wagering offerings are considered to be a form of “remote account wagering”. Remote account wagering in Nevada dates as far back as the 1970s, when players in Nevada were first allowed to place their race and sports wagers over the telephone. Indeed, in Nevada, it is only the technology that has advanced to allow remote account wagering to take place online. The first “online” offerings as we know them today date back to 2010, when the first sports betting app was released in the state.

There are now 11 apps available for Nevada sport betting, and they account for and estimated more than 50 per cent of the sports bets placed in the state.

Players must still appear at a casino in person to sign up for an online sports betting account, however. But once you are registered, you can place bets from wherever you like, as long as you remain within state lines.

Virtually every casino in Las Vegas – and there are more than 130 of them – has a license to take sports bets. Casinos are now affiliated with one of the 11 sports betting apps available in the state to allow Nevada online sports betting fans to wager on their favorite events.

Everyone has heard the phrase “What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas”. From the taxman’s point of view, however, that’s not quite true.

“Gambling winnings are taxable and you must report the income on your tax return,” is the official line from the IRS.

How much tax you’ll have to pay depends on your personal situation and tax bracket. But you must keep a record of all your winnings. If you don’t, rest assured the sportsbook you play with will – and they are duty bound to hand over that information to the IRS.

You might expect the rules on the age at which you can start Nevada sports betting to be fairly relaxed.

Some states allow you to be on sports from the age of 18. However, the law in Nevada is surprisingly strict – you cannot get involved in sports betting until you are at least 21.

Despite the lure of Nevada and Las Vegas as a magnet for fans of betting and gaming, it’s still important to note that if you are accessing Nevada betting sites from a remote location, you do still need to be within the state for the bet to go through legally.

The policy on casino employees being allowed to gamble varies from location to location. Some encourage it, some don’t – and others allow you to bet on games and sports that you personally don’t work on. If in doubt, ask the staff to see if they can join you in a bet or not.

You might think that, when it comes to Nevada sports betting, anything goes. But there is a firm restriction on bets being taken on any amateur sport or athletic event other than events sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, or collegiate sporting or athletic events. And Nevada race and sports books may not take a wager on any collegiate sport or athletic event which the book employee knows or reasonably should know, is being placed by, or on behalf of a coach or participant in that collegiate event.

No licensed sportsbook anywhere in the US will offer odds on an upcoming election or any other political betting market. Under federal law, Americans are not allowed to gamble on politics, and the same is true under Nevada law.

You may be surprised to know that wagering on collegiate and professional sports teams based in Nevada is not prohibited, although the team’s governing body files may file a request with the Nevada Gaming Commission to prohibit wagers on a specific game or series.

Wagers may not be taken on virtual events or other non-sporting events unless a request is pre-filed with the Nevada gaming regulators to allow such wagers.