Go back just a few short years and if you wanted to legally bet on sports in the USA, you had to travel to Nevada. Fast forward to the current day and 17 out of 50 states allow you to bet on sports.

At some point over the next 18 months we will hit 26, the moment when more states offer sports betting than don’t. A monumental moment for a country that has been against legalised sports betting for so long.

Once the tide turns, can it be stopped? Will those who don’t offer sports betting fall to peer pressure and eventually give in before the end of this decade? It seems inevitable that most will.

Where Can You Bet Right Now?
17 states in the USA have some form of legal sports betting available right now. Assuming things push forward as expected, that number will be in the 20s by the end of this year.

Taking Nevada to one side, where betting has taken place for decades, the first new state to join in the fun was Delaware, closely followed by New Jersey.

Here you can bet on a number of different events around the world, although the recently cancelled 2020 Olympics won’t be on that list anymore.

The second named of those, New Jersey, played a big part in pushing the law to agree to legal sports betting. This was centrally controlled, and now all states have the legal ability to amend and change bills surrounding sports betting.

The first three states to join in and legalise sports betting in 2020 are Illinois, Michigan and Montana.

All three joined in March of 2020 and are not expected to be the last of the year, with more set to follow.

Mississippi, West Virginia, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Arkansas, New York, Iowa, Oregon, Indiana and New Hampshire are the other states now offering legal sports betting.

What Will Change in 2020 & 2021?
There are many readings, bill amendments and votes required to transform a state into one that allows sports betting. We have a few states at each stage at the moment.

Those on the final stage are likely to confirm in 2020, while others are working towards accepting sports bets in 2021.

Washington, Tennessee, Colorado and North Carolina are the four states that are the closest right now, and it is expected that all four will complete towards the end of this year, if not then very early in 2021.

Then we have a line of other states behind them who will edge closer, we have a conveyor of states at the moment, with plenty waiting in the wings.

Assuming there are no hiccups, that magical 26 number which means more than half of the states in the US will offer sports betting could be reached by the end of 2021.

UK Bookmakers Taking the Lead in USA
One of the main reasons betting is taking off right now in the USA is because many of the bookmakers involved are those who accept bets in the UK.

These have vast experience at providing a service to their customers, and from the moment they are allowed to accept bets in a state, they have the right expertise and knowledge on hand.

Big names from the UK are investing in the US market, in the hope of taking their share as things grow and develop. You can find these big name bookmakers and betting sites on britishbettingsites.uk, they all have offers available for new customers to take advantage of.

Their foundations have been built up in the UK and Europe, and now they are bringing that to the USA.

They know what customers want, which offers have worked in the past and what they need to target in the future. This is really invaluable, and a big reason as to why the long-term future of sports betting in the USA looks incredibly strong.