Online Gambling in Tennessee

Tennessee gambling laws and taxes cannot be compared to any state in the United States. It is easy to place this state at the top of the toughest laws in the country list. Until recently legalized betting in TN was limited only to state lottery as well as several regional lotteries, limited horse betting and charitable gambling were just as limited. The incredibly tough laws and regulations didn’t leave room for the smallest deviation in the law. There was no exception made even to a seemingly innocent pastime like social gambling in Tennessee. A long and arduous road to get sports betting online legal in Tennessee is indeed something worth celebrating. Even charitable games that are legal are not permitted to run poker or bingo nights, or any games except for raffles. Consider that a blanket ban was passed on all gambling in 1906 with the first adjustment made in 2003 to allow lottery sales. Closets that residents of Tennessee came to Tennessee online casinos and gambling were through Daily Fantasy Sports which was legalized in 2016 as it was declared as a non-sport and non-gambling activity.
Best TN Betting Sites
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Draftkings Sportsbook Logo

Draftkings Sportsbook

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FanDuel Sportsbook

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Twinspires Racebook

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When did online gambling become legal in Tennessee?

Since the passing of the bill took place, Tennessee online gambling sites still have a long legal route to follow. Licenses must be gotten, approved, and hefty fees paid. There was no official date set for the Tennessee Legal Online Gambling launch date. It appeared that TN residents can begin betting online as early as July 2020 as the third quarter of 2020 is likely for the official launch of real money gambling sites. Only 2 other states have legal sports betting apps, even though online sports betting is not allowed, these are Arkansas and Mississippi.

When Tennessee launches its sports betting it will be one of the first Southern States that have legal sports betting. While the bill was passed to legalize online gambling, it isn’t legal to play online casino games, and neither are there any poker sites offering legal online poker. While revised law states online gambling has been legalized, legal poker in Tennessee will have to wait another couple of decades while celebration continues over sports.

Which Sportsbooks will go live in Tennessee?

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings is a top option in Tennessee with a magnificent app that shows analysis and statistics of sports. It first became known as the king of fantasy sports then went forward to legal sports betting and play for real money casino games. It has live betting, promotions, good banking, and withdrawals.

FanDuel Sportsbook

Start your Tennessee online gambling journey as a new punter with a $500 free bet if you wager and lose up to $500. An outstanding app makes theirs one of the best apps for all mobile and desktop players. Comprehensive sports markets while fantasy sports are their strong suit. Various banking methods while Moneyline prices are tops

Betstars

Betstars welcomes players with a risk-free bet of up to $500 after you make your first deposit. You have ongoing bonuses and promotions including $5 weekly free when you bet $25 during the previous week. Top selection of sports that extend beyond favorites like hockey, baseball, basketball, or football. Live betting on international league games, all soccer leagues, motorsports plus many more.

William Hill

An established name in gambling giving you an option to deposit $10 to get $30 worth of bets. Rock-solid payouts plus banking, great mobile play, extensive wagering options, top live betting with streaming software, and exotics sports.

888

As an established number one in the casino, plus poker betting as well as sports it is an all-around excellent option for legal betting in Tennessee. Plenty of trusted banking methods, fast payouts plus top 24/7 live customer support, and ongoing bonuses and promotions.

Bet365

For years Americans try to access Bet365, now they can do so legally. It is top-rated as one of the world’s best sportsbooks with superior software. Excellent mobile play, banking methods, speedy payout, ongoing promos plus rewards, incredible sports variety, and live betting.

BetAmerica

sign up and get free money to play with. $25 for registering while you also get more bonuses and promotions for first depositing and loyalty. Top markets across multiple sports with good odds as well as a cashout option when bets do not go your way.

Caesars

Like an online version of an established name in the gambling and entertainment industry Caesars has the best of everything. From its banking to customer service to excellent app plus diverse sports covering all markets as well as top leagues.

MGM

BetMGM is an online betting platform of MGM resorts that partnered with GVC Holdings. With established backing, the new sportsbook is trusted with multiple good banking methods and fast payouts. Top sports markets, great wagering options on markets, and promotions.

What sports betting in Tennessee will look like?

While sports bettors cannot wait to place their first wager, what is in the law? First off, wagering will take place only via the internet and sportsbook apps. No land-based casinos are in the state of Tennessee and neither will any be allowed to open. The gambling bill makes provision only for online gambling. Some more details include:

  • To take in-game bets, sportsbook platforms must partner with sports leagues to buy official league data. They cannot simply get it for free, which means the money goes to professional sports leagues too which are paid from operator revenue
  • A 20% tax rate payable in gaming revenue
  • The operator and sportsbook of each license pay an annual licensing fee of $750,000
  • There is also a 10% hold on wagers received

The outcome does not seem very good for the future of sports betting in Tennessee. Bettors might experience terrible pricing while the number of sportsbooks will not rise in the state and current sportsbooks likely to close their doors to the state with its harsh laws and regulations.

Process of legalizing Tennessee sports betting

It was no easy feat to legalize sports betting. Tennessee HB1, which is the sports betting bill of Tennessee was sponsored by Rep. Rick Staples. This was carried through a long and winding, ultimately rocky path to get to House and Senate. Various representatives tried preventing the bill from passing by trying to bam sports on Sundays with religious concerns thrown into the mix.

It would be impossible to pass the bill on those conditions considering that Sundays are the main day for NFL games. It passed through Senate to the governor’s desk. Unlike other states where the bill was signed as a pass, Gov Bill Lee gave a reluctance signal over signing the H 1 sports betting bill into law. According to Tennessee law, a bill can be passed without a signature. Bill Lee chose not to sign the bill and the bill was passed without a signature in June 2019.

What can I bet on in Tennessee?

  • Horse racing bets at recommended online gambling sites
  • DFS Contests has been offering residents sweepstakes gambling as a legal way to gamble online as Daily Fantasy Sports is not classified as gambling in Tennessee.
  • Lottery games can be purchased for cash at retailers with lottery operator licenses
  • Sports betting online include all sports with markets like parlay wagering, pleasers, teasers, partial game lines, totals, Moneyline, point spread, propositional wagers, in-play bets, futures, and round robins wagering.
  • Betting on Tennessee Sports teams – Punters Can bet on NCAA events, college football playoffs, March Madness, NFL, NHL, MLS, NBA. Betting on school sports are prohibited by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA)

What kind of Online Horse Betting will be available in Tennessee?

With no racetracks in Tennessee, punters bet at off-track establishments. Legal betting options include at TVG, Twinspires, BetAmerica plus AmWager. Horse, as well as greyhound races, vary in age legality as some sites allow only 21-year old punters while others like Twinspires allow players of 18-years.

TVG is a USA-based racing bet site that is licensed and regulated and launched in 1993. It is the number one spot for horses for residents as the site pays its punters at track odds with excellent US track coverage. Punters at TVG even get a $200 welcome bonus which makes it more attractive.

BetAmerica which is also one of the new sportsbooks for players of the state has been offering horse and greyhound racing which makes it a good choice as punters are familiar with it. It is an all-in-one casino, horse racing, and sports betting platform that even has casino games and online poker.

Well-respected TwinSpires is another US-based and owned site that offers not only wagers but live racing that punters can watch at home on their computers. The downside is that only horseracing is offered with no greyhounds but attracts thousands. It is one of the sites with the lowest minimum deposit of only $1.

Tennessee Lottery

The lottery was legalized in 2003. When it opened for the first lottery in 2004, tickets worth $11 million were sold in a single day. Over 43 billion for state-educated programs have been raised since. Only retailers sell tickets for cash with no online sales.

Daily Fantasy Sports in Tennessee?

Daily fantasy contests are Tennessee’s top betting certainly because it was legal since 2016. All major operators offer DFS the 2 leading operators DraftKings and FanDuel the major platforms where players pace wagers for millions in winnings.

DraftKings gives new players a free play bonus when they make their first deposit worth $20. Sports offered include CFL, Esports, MMA, SOC, NAS, NHL, Golf, NBA, MLB as well as NFL. It is a huge diversity and it is a wonder that the strict state of Tennessee never regarded it as a sportsbook of some sort. Aside from being active and licensed in Tennessee, DraftKings is the world’s top DFS provider even though other gambling platforms are more established with a long history.

Minimum Gambling Age

Anyone who wants to place a bet within the state lines of Tennessee must be minimum of 21-years. Geo-location software that will be on mobile apps and platforms will ensure players are within state lines. New players that register on Tennessee online casinos will undergo age verification processes to ensure the age is correct. This is completed by adding social security numbers as part of a registration process at a licensed and regulated platform.

Online Gambling in Tennessee FAQ

Is social gaming allowed in Tennessee?

Tennessee has the strictest gambling laws that do not allow social gaming anywhere. It is illegal to participate in social gaming and it cannot be played anywhere, not in private spaces, offices, or home.

Which sportsbooks are legal in Tennessee?

DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Action 24/7, and William Hill have all been approved to operate in the state.

Does Tennessee have legal land-based casinos?

Tennessee has no legal land-based casinos and the law does not permit the opening of any operators.
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