Traveling to or Through a State with Online Sports Betting? Essential Tips to Keep in Mind

While online sports betting might not be permissible in your particular state, it’s steadily expanding its reach across the country, with more states legalizing it each month. If you happen to be traveling, you might find yourself in one of these fortunate jurisdictions.

And here’s the good news: even if you’re not a permanent resident of these states, you can still participate in legal betting as long as you’re physically present within their borders.

So, if your travels take you to or through any of these legal betting states, you can easily place bets and withdraw your winnings hassle-free, even after leaving the state.

Below, we address some common questions about online sports betting, including which states offer full online betting, sign-up requirements, and more:

1. Can I sign up and bet even if I don’t live in the state full-time?

The prerequisites for legal betting are simple:

You must be at least 21 years old.

You need to be physically located within a state where betting is legal.

That’s about it. So, for instance, you can wager in Arizona even if you reside in California, as long as you’re physically present in Arizona when placing your bets. Your device’s location services will detect if you’re not in the right state and prevent you from betting.

Just make sure to provide your genuine address and personal information, not the address of your temporary residence or Airbnb.

If you provide inaccurate information, sportsbooks won’t be able to verify your identity, leading to potential complications that customer service might struggle to resolve promptly, especially during peak times like Thanksgiving or weekends. The resolution process often involves submitting a photo of your license and a selfie with your license.

2. Can I sign up and bet online in all states?

States with legal betting typically fall into four categories:

Opting for online registration and betting (options 1 and 2) offers convenience and a broader range of sportsbooks to choose from. However, if you’re in a state requiring in-person registration or betting (options 3 and 4), it can be inconvenient, particularly during holidays when you might not have the time to visit a physical location.

3. Can I withdraw money after leaving the state?

Yes, you can. Even if you’ve placed bets while in a legal betting state and subsequently left, you can still withdraw your winnings from anywhere.

However, you won’t be able to place new bets if you’re not in a legal state. Nevertheless, you can still register, explore odds, deposit, and withdraw funds from all legal online betting sites.

4. Should I provide my real address?

Absolutely. Using your genuine address is crucial.

Betting in a legal state while not being a resident is perfectly legal, provided you’re physically within state borders. Using a fake address or the address of your temporary accommodation will likely lead to identity verification issues, making it difficult for you to deposit and place bets. Each sportsbook typically verifies your identity using the last four digits of your social security number.

During peak times like holidays, customer service might not be able to assist promptly with resolving such issues.

5. How do sportsbooks verify my location?

Sportsbooks employ geo-location technology to ensure compliance with legal betting regulations. While iPhones seamlessly integrate with built-in location services, users may encounter some challenges with geo-location on computers. Troubleshooting tips for these issues are usually available.

Sportsbooks are stringent in preventing users from circumventing location-based restrictions, meaning attempts to bypass these measures using methods like VPNs are unlikely to succeed.