Nevada is the home of legalized sports betting in the US, The state first legalized sports betting back in 1949 with live and off-track horse racing betting. It was the first state to legalize and regulate sports betting.
The state really gained its monopoly after Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 1992, which prohibited states from the expansion of sports betting and because Nevada was grandfathered in it – and this effectively gave the state a legal US monopoly on single-game betting – and thus the Las Vegas strip became the world’s gambling capital.
Nevada Sports Betting Right Now
30th November 2021: The state reported that it had become only the second US state to exceed the $1 billion handle in October. They took $1.1 billion in bets, just behind the $1.3 billion in New Jersey.
16th December 2021: It was announced that Las Vegas would host the Super Bowl in 2024, which indicated that the NFL was thoroughly supportive of legalized gambling.
7th January 2022: Nevada reported sports betting revenue of $72 million for November, having taken $1,086 in wagers. This was the second month in a row that the state surpassed $1 billion in bets.
25th January 2022: The idea is suggested that Nevada might allow for remote registration.
1st February 2022: Nevada reported that it had taken more than $1 billion in bets in December for the third consecutive month. However, this only equated to $16 million in revenue.
16th February 2022: Super Bowl bettors headed to Nevada, with almost $180 million wagered on the game. This was a 13.4% increase on the previous record – $158.6 in 2018
4th March 2022: Nevada’s gaming provider, Scientific Gaming, confirmed that it would be rebranding to Light & Wonder.
Sports to Bet On in Nevada
Sports bettors in Nevada can wager on practically any sport that you can think of- including:
- NFL betting
- NBA betting
- MLB bets, college baseball and international competitions and leagues
- NHL bets and international hockey events
- MLS betting, other soccer leagues and soccer events around the world
- College football
- College basketball
- Canadian football
- Australian Rules football
- Rugby
- Fighting – boxing, mixed martial arts
- Auto racing – NASCAR, Indy, Formula One and more
- Cycling
- Tennis
- Golf
- Esports
- Horse racing and virtual horse racing
It hasn’t always been the case that betting on collegiate sports has been legal for online gambling in Nevada. Indeed, even after college sports betting was legalized in the state, you still weren’t allowed to wager on college teams or athletes in the state of Nevada. However, in 2001 that all changed – and it was permitted to bet on UNLV and University of Nevada games,
There was a time when the US Senator, John McCain was making a push to disallow betting all college games in Nevada, stating that there must be a level of corruption in accepting bets on college games if they weren’t allowing punters to wager on Nevada college teams. However, the Nevada Gaming Commission went in the opposite direction, by legalizing bets on the state’s two universities.
In 2001, the law changed to include language excluding bets on ‘any amateur non-collegiate sport or athletic event’. This was added to deter Nevada betting sites from adding high school sports and other amateur events to their books. This did originally include the Olympics, but this changed in 2015 – and Olympics betting has now been legalized.
The Most Popular College Sports and Teams
The most popular sports in Nevada for online sportsbooks are football and basketball college sports – there may be some others available, but these are few and far between. There will be some online sports betting sites that offer events such as the College World Series.
Even now, the Nevada Gaming Control Board experiments with newer ways for state bettors to gamble on sports – introducing other types of bets such as betting on the NFL draft, betting on awards such as the Heisman Trophy and even bets on eSports and video game tournaments.
Despite all this, the most popular sports to bet on are the NFL – with their home team, the Las Vegas Raiders, as well as NBA, although there are now state teams in the league.
Types of Sports Bets Available
There are all sorts of legal sports betting options available on Nevada sports betting sites and apps. However, sports bets are only available to be offered if the result is confirmed during either a game, a series of games or a season.
Here are the most popular sports bets available in Nevada.
Point Spread
The most common type of football bet or baseball bet in the US is a point spread bet. This basically involves the bookmaker setting a handicap – which will indicate which of the two teams is the favorite. That team will then need to win the game but a certain number of points in order for the bettor to win the wager. If the punter wagers on the underdog, then the handicap number will be added to their point score at the end of the game.
So, if the favorite team has been given a point spread handicap of 4.5 then they would need to win by at least 5 points to cover the spread and to win the bet. If the underdog lost the match by 4 points or less, then there’s would be the winning bet. This bet type is also available for betting on halves in football and quarters in basketball.
A typical point spread bet in Nevada is usually set at -110 money line – which we will look at next. This would require a punter to stake $110 for every $100 they want to win
Money line
This is a pretty simple and straightforward type of wager, You are simply picking what team you think will win the game. There is no handicap at all – the winner wins and the loser loses.
Totals Bets
If you aren’t too sure which team or player will win – and the handicap points spread doesn’t help, then you can make a totals wager. This is a bet placed on the total number of points scored when the total of both teams are added together. This type of bet is also referred to as an over/under wager.
In football and basketball games, these are usually -110 bets – like a money line wager, so over and under are usually given equal value. However, with hockey and baseball bets, it will also usually include a money line with the total, because the numbers are usually under 10 where there is any real value in moving the total by one half of a point
Parlays
Nevada sportsbooks tend to offer all different types of Parlays. This is a bet that involves betting on two or more results. The betting site will only pay out if all of the bets come in. However, if one of the games in your parlay is cancelled or postponed, then this will be removed from the parlay and the bet will be paid out if the remaining legs come in – at the lower rate calculated with the cancelled race removed.
Teasers
In a similar way to a parlay, a teaser means betting on the result of two or more results. However, it differs because the punter will get extra points for every line within the teaser.
So, for example, in NFL betting, a teaser could receive 5 points. This would make a 3 point underdog an eight-point underdog. It would then add this number to each leg of the teaser.
The payouts for teasers are lower than those of parlays because of this adjusted point spread. It takes a minimum of three teaser sides to bring the payout to the same level as a straight bet. A push result would drop the payout by a team – unless it is on a teaser card that specifies that ties lose.
Futures Bets
Futures bets are fairly straight-forward – as you are simply betting on the future outcome of a tournament or league. In the NFL, you might be betting on which team will win the Super Bowl. In the NBA, you could bet on who wins the NBA Championships. You could wager on who wins the US Open, which team will win the Soccer World Cup etc.
In-play Bets
One of the most popular types of wagers is the in-play live bet. This is where the sports betting apps allows a punter to wager on the game as it happens. You could place a bet on who will be the next team to score etc.
Propositional (Props) Wagers
These bets – props bets – are fun and different types of bets that don’t actually involve betting on the outcome of the full game, and on areas of the game that don’t depend on the full game. An example of this could be betting on over/under the number of rushing yards by your favorite player in an NFL game. It might also be the first-inning line in an MLB game. These can add a bit of fun but are often a lot harder to predict than standard bets and involve more risk.
Most Nevada sports betting apps also accept wagers on the NFL and NBA drafts.
Nevada Sportsbooks and Apps
Practically every casino in Nevada, including the biggest on the Las Vegas strip, will offer legal sports betting. However, the size of the sports betting operation will very much depend on the size of the casino’s customer base. There are some Las Vegas resorts that offer huge sportsbooks. However, there are those that simply offer just a betting window and a handful of television screens. Some only have a kiosk that looks like an ATM. Here are the main sportsbooks and apps in Nevada:
Westgate
This is considered the gold standard when it comes to sports betting in Nevada. This is one of the biggest sportsbooks in the world, offering some of the best 4k screens to watch the action as it plays out.
Wynn Las Vegas
Wynn Las Vegas is an independent sportsbook that is well-known for offering early lines, generous payouts – and accepting huge bets. It operates a smaller sportsbook at Wynn’s sister resort, Encore.
Station Casinos:
This is the largest locals’ casino company in LAs Vegas and the major Station Casinos sportsbooks include:
- Red Rock Resort
- Green Valley Ranch
- Palace Station
- Santa Fe Station
- Texas Station
- Boulder Station
- Fiesta
CG Technology
CG Technology previously operated as Cantor Gaming and has its flagship location at the M Resort on the Las Vegas strip. It runs numerous sportsbooks in Nevada:
- Cosmopolitan
- Hard Rock
- M Resort
- The Palazzo
- Palms
- Silverton
- Tropicana
- The Venetian
Caesars Entertainment
One of the biggest names most recognised for casinos in Las Vegas is Caesars which is generally the most popular with Las Vegas tourists. It operates sportsbooks in the following Las Vegas casinos:
- Bally’s
- Caesars Palace
- Cromwell
- Flamingo
- Harrah’s
- The Linq
- Planet Hollywood
- Paris
- Rio
Caesars Entertainment also operates four casinos and three Nevada sportsbooks in Nevada that are located outside of Las Vegas.
- Harrah’s Laughlin
- Harrah’s Reno
- Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
- Harvey’s Lake Tahoe
MGM Resorts International
Another popular international sports betting company that operates in the state is MGM, with the following establishments inside of Nevada:
- Aria
- Bellagio
- Circus Circus
- Excalibur
- Luxor
- Mandalay Bay
- MGM Grand
- Monte Carlo
- The Mirage
- New York-New York
Boyd Gaming
This shares its customer base with Station Casinos and is popular with locals. However, it also has a good presence in downtown Las Vegas, with sportsbooks in six Las Vegas casinos operational including The Fremont and California. Its locals’ establishments include:
- Aliante
- Cannery
- Eastside Cannery
- Eldorado
- Gold Coast
- Jokers Wild
- The Orleans
- Sam’s Town
- Suncoast
South Point
This is an independent sportsbook that is located on Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Strip. It uses William Hill software but has odds set by the staff at South Point.
Treasure Island
This independent sportsbook is located on the Las Vegas strip, next to Mirage and opposite the Venetian. This is a good sportsbook for low limit players and tourists.
Jerry’s Nugget
This is a small casino just inside of the North Las Vegas city limits. It offers great parlay and teaser odds but does not offer an app.
Are Sports Betting Apps Legal in Nevada?
Once upon a time in Nevada, punters needed to head over physically to a sportsbook to place a bet. Despite betting on sports being hugely popular in the Silver State, many found it rather inconvenient to head over to a casino every time they wanted to make a bet. Heading out to a casino in Las Vegas and even locals casinos would often mean traffic, difficult parking and long queues.
Anyone that lived in the outskirts of Las Vegas or more rural areas had no real convenient way to get to a sportsbook and make a bet.
This meant that Las Vegas betting wasn’t as big as it could be – and money was going unspent. However, in 2010, the very first sports betting app was introduced in Nevada. This gave Nevada residents a more convenient way to place a bet in the state, no matter where they lived.
Now, mobile sports betting apps are available on iOS and Android devices have made it much easier to get state locals into betting on sports. Indeed, some sportsbooks even claim that between 50% to 75% of their sports betting handle are made on mobile betting apps.
This is also filtering through to state tourists, who can also enjoy the convenience of betting apps so they can quickly and easily find the best betting lines on markets on major events such as March Madness and, of course, the Super Bowl.
Using Nevada Sportsbook Apps 2022
Let’s look at how Nevada sports betting apps work and how to get started.
How to Register at a Nevada Sports App
It must be noted that you will need to register an account for a Nevada sports wagering app in person. The account takes between 10 to 15 minutes to register. You will need to fill out an application form including your name, address, contact information and date of birth.
In order to open an account, you need to be 21 years of age or older, but you are not required to be a resident of Nevada. Anyone from a neighboring state and even tourists from other countries are able to register an account. In order to finalize your account, you need to show the sportsbook your government-issued ID (such as a passport), tax ID and Social Security Number.
You will normally need to deposit a minimum of $50 or $100, depending on the sportsbook. Moreover, a punter will normally have to personally head over to the casino of registration to collect their winnings. However, there are a few that allow customers to withdraw their winnings using their mobile accounts.
Betting on a Nevada Sports App
Before you make your initial deposit, you should head over to your App store and download the sports betting mobile app. As soon as an account has been registered, you will be given an account number and PIN as your login details. As soon as you have logged into your account, you can look through all the different sports and markets in the main menu and see what variety of sports betting options they have for your favorite sports and leagues
Most decent online mobile sports betting apps will over bets such as point spread, money lines and totals and the odds will usually be the same as those on offer at the casino. You will also have the choice of straight bets, teasers and parlays. You simply then choose your sport, team and bet, enter how much you want to wager and place your bet. You can also look at in-play bets as the game is in action.
Sports betting apps in the state will use a geolocation system to make sure that you are using the app whilst located inside of state lines. This is a legal requirement and if the mobile device used is deemed not to be inside Nevada, or the app cannot find the phone or tablet being used, then the sports betting app will reject the bet. This can cause a few issues for anyone living close to state lines
Nevada Sports Betting FAQs
How Old Do I Have to Be to Use a Sports Betting App in Nevada?
In order to register an account and place a bet on a sports betting app in Nevada, sports bettors need to be 21 or older.
How Many Companies Offer Sports Betting Apps in Nevada?
There are currently 10 providers of sports betting apps in Nevada – Boyd Gaming, Caesars Entertainment. CG Technology, Golden Nugget, MGM Resorts, Station Casinos, South Point, Westgate, William Hill and Wynn.
Can You PPlace A Bet From Outside of Nevada?
No, in order to place a bet on a Nevada sports betting app, you need to be located inside state borders.
How Will the Sports Betting App Know If I Am In Nevada?
The app will use a geolocation system, using cell phone towers. This is used to determine where the mobile phone is located at that time. South Point and Willian Hill also utilize a wireless connection which compares nearby networks with a list from Google.
What Happens If I Try To Make a Bet From Outside Nevada?
Some sports betting apps will not even allow you to log in from anywhere outside the state. Others, such as South Point will allow you to log in and access your account but will prohibit you from making a bet at that time.
What is the Minimum Wager in Nevada?
This depends on the sportsbook or sports betting app. It is usually between $2 and $5.
Is There a Maximum Bet?
Again, this depends on the sportsbook or sports betting operator. Boyd Gaming has a maximum bet of $500, but others go all the way up to $3,000. The sportsbook might also opt to raise limits for specific bettors depending on their account history.
Do Nevada Sports Betting Apps Have Minimum Deposits?
Yes, all Nevada sportsbook operators will have a minimum deposit to open an account. This is normally between $50 and $100. However, existing account holders will have a lower minimum deposit, sometimes as low as $5.
Can I Get Rewards at Nevada Sports Betting Apps?
Yes, many will offer rewards and loyalty points. Station Casinos awards players a Boarding Pass club point per $1 wagered. William Hill rewards players $1 for every $500 they wager on Parlays and Teasers, or for every $1 bet on straight bets.
How Do I Make a Deposit at a Nevada Sports Betting App?
You can either make a deposit at the sportsbook venue that is related to the app, or bookmakers such as William Hill will accept PayNearMe and deposits made at kiosks found in state taverns, bars and even 7Eleven stores. MGM Resorts, Station Casinos and Westgate allow deposits made by bank cards and electronic bank transfers.
What is PayNearMe?
PayNearMe is a depositing service that is available to William Hill customers. You simply need to head over to your local 7 Eleven with a merchant code and make a deposit in cash. All it then needs is a phone call or email to William Hill and the money will be put into your account.
How Do I Open a Nevada Mobile Sports App Account?
In order to open an account, you will need to go into a venue that is related to the sports betting app you want to register with. You will then need to fill in an application form, show your government ID and Social Security number and you will be ready to go.
What Happens When My Government ID Expires?
When your ID expires, the sports betting site will automatically lock your account until you provide them with new ID details and documentation to support your account.
Can I Find Nevada Online Sportsbooks on iOS and Android?
Yes, you will be able to access all Nevada mobile sports betting apps on both iOS devices and Android.
Is Sports Betting Legal in Nevada?
Yes, the sports betting industry in Nevada is one of the oldest in the US. It was first legalized back in 1949.
