Online Sports Betting in Nevada
Published: | Updated:Nevada, despite being largely known for Las Vegas, is actually a stunning place. With fiery, colorful desert locations like the Valley of Fire to brightly-lit neon cities, Nevada has a lot to offer. This southwestern US state is full of history, culture, art, music, and unique landscapes.
You can learn about Native cultures, wild horses, and “the Hottest place on Earth.” NV is also home to various animals, famous roads, and Elvis… Elvis, everywhere.
Glitz and the Glam of the Las Vegas Strip
From the glitz and the glam of the Las Vegas Strip to the iconic foothills of Carson Valley, there’s so much Nevada has to offer residents and tourists. Unsurprisingly, Nevada is known as the “Wedding Capital of the World” for its reputation as a city where lovers go to get married on short notice. I mean, really short notice – you can even get married at a Denny’s (fast food) in Vegas. Within that vein, Las Vegas, Nevada, has the most hotel rooms of any city in the entire United States. Ironically, the famous Las Vegas Strip isn’t actually located in Las Vegas.
Have you ever wondered about the design of casinos in Vegas? That’s intentional – the casino carpets make you want to gamble more. There aren’t any clocks on the wall either – a lack of understanding of time makes it easier for you to get lost in the groove of gambling. If you’re more a slots person than a card person, fear not. Vegas has slot machines everywhere, from the airport to the grocery stores to the gas stations.
Nevada’s most well-known nickname is “The Silver State.”
This nickname dates back to the mid-1800s when Nevada was the “it” state in the silver rush. Silver was so easily found back then you could literally shovel silver off the ground in Nevada. A big silver bed could be dozens of feet wide and longer than a football field (worth over $25,000 in the mid-1800s). However, after a few decades of “silver rush,” the state’s deposits were picked clean.
The 7th largest state in the United States, Nevada was the 36th state added to the Union.
Legal Sports Betting
Nevada sports betting is legal; in fact, it has been for decades longer than any other state in the US. It first started accepting online bets in 2010 and was the only US state with legal sportsbooks until 2018. While online sportsbooks in Nevada are numerous, the state requires users to sign-up for an account in-person at casinos.
There are currently nearly a dozen sportsbook apps active in the Silver State. Several Nevada apps are unavailable anywhere but NV. Some others have similar names or aesthetic brands but are not the same app, despite being owned by the same company. Oddly, some companies have two different, unique apps in their portfolio, yet only one is offered in Nevada!
Popular Sports Betting Apps in Nevada:
- Atlantis Sports Nevada: Best known for being the first major sportsbook to announce season win total predictions for the MLB season.
- B-Connected Sports: Best known for having the largest menu of prop betting options.
- BetMGM: One of the most popular sportsbook apps in the entire country.
- Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill: The app offers a deep variety of options, even if it’s not particularly flashy.
- Circa Sports: Operating on the philosophy of attracting “sharp” action, they focus on setting market-making lines for college football and other sports.
- Nevada Sports Books (South Point & Rampart): These books are, in fact, two separate entities. However, they share odds with one another and are thus linked for your ease of mind.
- STN Sports: STN is the original sportsbook app to launch in Nevada and one of the only apps to offer a biometric sign-in option.
- TI Sports: Representing Treasure Island, TI has odds you’ll be unlikely to find anywhere else.
- Westgate Superbook: A fabled destination because of its size and reputation among sports bettors, the Superbook app is merely functional. That said, the reputation and options remain unmatched in Nevada.
- William Hill: Not the same as the Caesars Sportsbook app by William Hill. Any properties that used Cantor Technology to power their sports betting (like Palms) use this app instead. You can find a menu on this app with sports options throughout the globe.
- Wynn Sports: An older app, it’s used exclusively for Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Las Vegas. It’s not the sportsbook app for any other Wynn properties – they use WynnBet. Perhaps best known for their integration of the properties’ Facebook, Wynn Sports remains an older gen application.
Nevada sports betting law
Nevada’s sports betting law is the oldest of its kind in the United States. Over the past 70 years, the law has been adapted and evolved more than any other state. It’s currently a mishmash of different policies over the last few decades, particularly since the turn of the new millennium.
The most notable change was the removal of any in-state betting prohibition on collegiate sports – meaning Nevadans can bet on UNLV athletics, the University of Nevada, or any other college in-state.
Even more considerably, esoteric events (like esports competitions) are fair game if approved by individual state legislators. That said, betting on entertainment awards (like the Oscars) is off-limits.
Interesting Facts about Nevada
- The infamous Area 51 (aliens!) is found in Southern Nevada
- Nevada is home to the legendary Burning Man Festival.
- There’s a 100-year-old house in Nevada made entirely out of bottles.
- Route 50 in Nevada is known as the “Loneliest Road in America.” It also happens to be a great road to drive fast and listen to country music.
- The Yellow Jacket Mine is rumored to be haunted by the miners who died there during the Yellow Jacket fire. That fire is one of the greatest disasters in the history of Nevada.
- Nevada is also home to the “Scariest Motel in America” in the form of the Clown Motel (creepy) overlooking the Old Tonopah Cemetery (also creepy).
- Since 2017, it has been illegal to feed wild animals in Nevada, even pigeons.
- In Reno, Nevada, it’s also illegal to sit or lay down on any public sidewalk in the Downtown Reno Regional Center. The reason for this is up for debate, but one would imagine it’s because of public intoxication and homelessness.
- Nevada is home to some of the strictest traffic laws in the US. The majority of states classify traffic offenses as civil infractions. That is not true in Nevada, as many of their driving offenses as categorized as misdemeanors.
Popular Sports in Nevada
This may come as a surprise, but as recently as 2022, Nevada was named the most sports-obsessed state in the country. Like many other states in the country, the favorite sport of many Nevadans is football. But there are many other things to do in NV from a sporting perspective.
Tenpin bowling has been a regular sport in Las Vegas for decades. Boxing has a long history in Nevada, and matches are regularly available in Las Vegas for viewing. Many people in Las Vegas are also intrigued by bodybuilding and fitness competitions.
Popular Sports Teams in Nevada
In recent years, Nevada has become a hotbed for professional sports teams. Prior to the last decade, many professional sports franchises stayed away from Nevada due to the state’s association with gambling. With the repeal of PASPA and the introduction of the new franchise, the Las Vegas Golden Knights (NHL), the Silver State has become a top destination for sports-minded fans.
Top options for Nevadans to root for:
NFL: Nevada earned its first NFL franchise when the then-Oakland Raiders relocated to Las Vegas in 2020. Raiders games are a hot commodity for both casual fans and sports bettors alike, as Allegiant Stadium is one of the sleekest stadiums in all of sports.
NBA: Nevada is not home to an NBA team yet, but it wouldn’t be shocking if they were awarded an expansion team in the future. The success of NHL and NFL franchises in Nevada has to be a positive sight for the NBA.
WNBA: The WNBA has the Las Vegas Aces in-state, and the team just won a WNBA championship in 2022.
MLB: Currently without an MLB presence, Las Vegas is expected/rumored to be the preferred landing spot for the Oakland Athletics relocation. Two Triple-A teams call the Silver State home for the time being, but the Athletics moving to Vegas would be a big deal for the city.
NHL: The first professional, core four Major American sports franchise based in Vegas, the Golden Knights recently won their first Stanley Cup (2023). Nevadans quickly became dedicated fans of the franchise, and the Knights have consistently ranked in the top-5 in every season since their inception.
College Sports in Nevada
Betting on NCAA games hasn’t always been feasible in Nevada – in fact, Senator John McCain once sought to ban wagering on collegiate athletics at the federal level. Nevada is now open to wagering on college sports, even for in-state teams.
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and the University of Nevada, Reno, are the two best-known in-state programs.
Famous Athletes from Nevada
- Greg Maddux: One of the greatest pitchers of all time, Maddux is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. With over 350 career wins and 3,300+ career strikeouts, his 20+ year career included being a World Series Champion, 8x All-Star, and 4x NL Cy Young Award winner.
- Andre Agassi: One of the best men’s tennis players ever, Agassi is a former world No. 1. He’s an 8x Grand Slam champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, one of two men to achieve a career Golden Slam.
- Matt Williams: a 5x All-Star and World Series champion, Williams hit 378 home runs and 1,218 RBIs during his time as a player, then recorded 179 wins (and counting) as a manager. He’s currently the skipper for the San Diego Padres.
- Don Johnson: a 26x PBA tour winner (2 majors), Johnson is one of the best bowlers of all time. He’s a member of both the Professional Bowler’s Hall of Fame and the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.
- Kris Bryant: “K8” is a 4x MLB All-Star, World Series champion, and the 2016 NL MVP. One of the few players to win the NL Rookie of the Year and NL MVP in back-to-back years (2015-2016), Bryant is a career .280 batter with 177 home runs.
- Bryce Harper: Selected into the MLB fresh out of high school in Las Vegas, Nevada, Harper is a 7x All-Star, 2x NL MVP, and one of the best sluggers in the game. With 288 career home runs and 833 RBIs, he’s one of the best talents to ever come out of Nevada.
- Barry Zito: A 15-season veteran of the MLB, Zito won over 150 games. He was also a 3x All-Star, World Series champion, and the recipient of the 2002 AL Cy Young Award.
- DeMarco Murray: Before he was bulldozing over NFL defensive backs, Murray plied his trade as a running back at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. As a senior in high school, he ran for almost 2,000 yards with 27 rushing touchdowns. To add, he caught 22 passes for 624 yards and 7 more touchdowns. Murray was the 2014 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and a 3x Pro Bowler. He finished his career with 7,000+ rushing yards in only 6 seasons as a pro.
- Steven Jackson: A 3x Pro Bowler who played for 12 NFL seasons, accumulated over 11,000 career rushing yards and 3,600+ receiving yards. His success in the NFL prompted college football programs to take more interest in players from the Las Vegas area.
- Vashti Cunningham: An American track and field star, Cunningham comes from an athletic family. Her father was NFL QB Randall Cunningham. She’s a 2x Gold Medalist in the high jump, once at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland and once at the 2015 Pan American Junior Championships in Edmonton.
Don Johnson: a 26x PBA tour winner (2 majors), Johnson is one of the best bowlers of all time. He’s a member of both the Professional Bowler’s Hall of Fame and the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.Responsible Gambling in Nevada
In case you feel that your gambling habits disturb your daily life, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER or chat: www.1800gamblerchat.org.
It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to offer support, resources, and referrals to anyone affected by problem gambling. Want to learn more about online casinos and sports gambling? Follow our Online Gamblers Academy and learn how to have fun responsibly!
Additionally, there is Nevada Council on Problem Gambling. You can reach them at 702-369-9740 or via email: carol@nevadacouncil.org
