In 2019, Montana Governor Steve Bullock signed a pair of bills legalizing sports betting in the state. The sports betting industry officially launched in March 2020, which was the worst possible time.
As live sporting events were being canceled and venues were being shut down, it didn’t allow Montana to get off to a good start in the industry. This state is never going to become one of the biggest markets in the United States, but there are plenty of options for bettors.
Both retail and online sports betting is available, but you won’t find several different sportsbook operators in the state.
Online Sportsbooks in Montana
Online sports betting is available in the state of Montana, but it is not a wide-open market like it is in other states. The Montana State Lottery has a single online sports betting website, and all of the betting must be done there.
There is also a restriction that bettors must be physically at a retail sports betting location to access the online website. Location services will reveal when a bettor is at one of those spots, and then bets can be placed online.
Because of these restrictions, most bettors will simply just place a bet at the retail sportsbook as opposed to messing with signing up online. Sports Bet Montana is the name of the online sports betting app available in the state.
Retail Locations
The Montana State Lottery is in charge of retail sports betting as well, and you won’t see different sportsbooks popping up throughout the state. What you can find in Montana are hundreds of retail sports betting locations.
The Montana State Lottery is able to set up a sports betting kiosk at approximately 2,000 different businesses in the state, and that process has already started. Anywhere that has a license to sell a lottery ticket can also apply to offer retail sports betting.
It is a positive for sports bettors that so many locations are available, but not having different sportsbook options can limit the opportunities.
Montana Sports Teams
Montana does not have any major professional sports teams of its own, but there are still some popular teams with sports fans in the state. Professional football is the most popular sport in the United States, and fans in Montana have plenty of teams to choose from.
The Denver Broncos are one of the most popular teams in Montana and help drive betting during the football season. Baseball and basketball are two of the other most popular sports to bet on with sports bettors in Montana.
Sports bettors in Montana are allowed to place bets on collegiate sporting events, but there won’t be many opportunities to bet on in-state teams. The University of Montana and Montana State University compete in the FCS, and that isn’t a big betting market.
Other states that don’t have any professional sports teams of their own have done very well in the sports betting industry, and that should be the case in Montana as well. Even though this is not a state known for sports, there are still enough teams to root for.