South Carolina
Despite an opponent in the governor’s office in Henry McMaster, South Carolina legislators seemed poised to try to bring sports betting to the Palmetto State in 2025. Rep. Chris Murphy (R-Dorchester) has filed the South Carolina Sports Wagering Act and picked up three co-sponsors, including one Democrat.
Republicans have a veto-proof majority in both chambers of the South Carolina General Assembly, but picking up Democratic support wouldn’t hurt if and when McMaster likely vetoes the bill. A 2/3 vote in both chambers would override the governor’s veto and bring legal sports wagering to South Carolina.
Georgia
The Peach State is a tougher ask than its eastern neighbor, thanks to Georgia lawmakers inserting language in the last bill requiring the voters to approve sports betting before it can become legal. This means that Georgia lawmakers are attempting to amend the state constitution rather than go through the legislation process. That requires a 2/3 vote of the legislature and cuts Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp out of the process.
Kemp has officially taken a neutral stance on sports betting, but if the Republican-controlled Georgia General Assembly is willing to cut him out of the process, it suggests he probably leans more toward opposition. Georgia usually doesn’t have off-year elections, so it’s probably going to be 2026 before Georgia voters get the chance to weigh in on sports betting.
Minnesota
With a betting-friendly governor in Tim Walz and many of the votes in place in the Minnesota legislature, the Land of 10,000 Lakes would have seemed a layup for sports betting. That was true until Sen. Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) changed the game by introducing an amendment that would have banned in-game betting in Minnesota.
Given that about 1/3 of all sports bettors prefer to live bet, this would have been a significant hurdle to sports betting in Minnesota and scuttled the entire effort.
Although all of Minnesota’s neighbors have legal online sportsbooks operating in some form, most have only done so in-person on tribal lands. Among bordering states, only Iowa permits online wagers, with the Dakotas and Wisconsin retail-only. That’s lessened the pressure on Minnesota, as most residents have to drive several hours to place a wager. It’s possible in 2025, but Rasmusson’s amendment could prevent the big names from bothering to set up in Minnesota.
Oklahoma
This just shouldn’t be as hard as it is. Oklahoma has had legal gambling for decades. The state’s lawmakers want it. Gov. Kevin Stitt wants it. The state’s tribes want it. So what’s the problem?
Stitt and the tribes just can’t get along and can’t agree on anything. The holdup in the Sooner State is that Stitt keeps trying to circumvent the tribes and the tribes believe they should control sports betting in Oklahoma like they do other forms of gambling. As such, both sides are going nowhere.
Stitt is term-limited in 2026, so this seems a matter of when rather than if. It’s possible if the impasse is broken, but it’s probably going to happen quickly in 2027 once he’s replaced.
Texas
With California voters rejecting sports gambling by a wide margin, this is the next big prize. The problem is one man: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Patrick is fiercely opposed to any form of sports betting, and as lieutenant governor, he decides which bills are brought before the Texas Senate.
That’s been the holdup in the Lone Star State: the Texas House keeps passing sports betting bills, but they keep dying in the Texas Senate because Patrick won’t allow them to hit the floor without a majority of Republicans supporting the bill. Things get even more tricky in Texas because the legislature only meets every two years, so if it doesn’t happen in 2025, it can’t happen until 2027.