Montana Sports Betting
- The good news It’s Legal, it just needs to be operationalized!
- The bad news is that the Montana State Lottery currently has a monopoly.
As a result of the current laws for sports betting, in the state of Montana we anticipate an amount of $0.2m to be wagered in the year 2020 (as per H2 Gambling Capital, H2GC.com)
Top 3 Montana Sportsbook Online
The Montana State Lottery
As a result of only two state bills passed that permitted sports betting to be regulated and operationalized by the Montana State Lottery, there was no opportunity to open the market to private sports books. Consequently, no private sportsbooks are permitted to offer and accept any sports bets.
What this means, is that residents have only one option and that is the Montana State Lottery. It has been discussed that a wait and see period of 2 years will be held prior to committing opening the sports betting market to other operators.
It’s not clear what “they” are waiting to see. Should sports wagering exceed expectations does this mean it will become open to other entrants? I think not.
Key points:
- Bettors must be 18 years of age.
- They must physically be at a sports betting terminal or kiosk.
- They must open an account that is funded by an e-wallet
Montana Sports Betting Terminals and Kiosks
The Montana State Lottery will be “the sportsbook” and offer and accept bets through terminals and kiosks. Only licensed establishments will be permitted to install a terminal or kiosk. Controversially the tendering process was not open, and company called Intralot was awarded the contract for the supply and provisioning of the Montana State Lottery terminals and kiosks. It is anticipated that there will be over 1,400 terminals and kiosks available.
Placing a bet can occur on the terminal itself. Players must fund their betting account through the use of a Montana State Lottery approved e-wallet. Transferring money into the e-wallet can occur through debit cards or bank transfers. However credit cards are not accepted.
The previous launch date was September 2019, however, this has now shifted to April 2020.
Montana Online Sports Betting Site
Betting online through a website will be made available to players. However in order to place a bet via the website, the player must be at the location of the terminal or the kiosk.
The alternative is to bet on an offshore online sports betting site.
This form of sports betting that is not illegal. In the year 2019, $2.6m was wagered at offshore sports betting sites (per H2 Gambling Capital).
Though you physically may be located within the borders of Montana, the actual sports book is licensed and operating offshore thereby not breaking the Montana laws of sports betting.
Therefore, if you are from Montana, it is legal and safe to bet at an offshore licensed sports book.
How can I find an offshore online Sports Book?
The most popular offshore sports book is Bovada. It is the largest and has a long standing history of operating a sports book for US citizens.
Do NOT place a bet at an unlicensed sports book operating offshore. Unlicensed sportsbooks may not be reliable. Although they may offer great Welcome bonuses, their promise to pay any winnings may be empty. Keep with the which are trusted and the big brand names.
Montana Mobile Sports Betting
Betting via the Montana Mobile Sports betting app will be permitted. However bets will only be accepted if the player is at the location of the terminal or kiosk. The app must be connected to the terminal or kiosk via the Montana State Lottery sports betting IT equipment.
If the player is not in the location of a terminal or kiosk, he will not be able to place a bet.
Montana Sportsbooks
The Montana Sportsbook is monopolized by the Montana State Lottery. There are no other sportsbooks being offered in Montana.
Popular local sports betting teams
Unfortunately the state of Montana, does not have any local professional sport teams, but that doesn’t mean you can’t support any of the other teams in other states.
- NBA – Montana has no NBA basketball teams.
- MLB – Montana has no Major League Baseball teams.
- NFL – Montana has no NFL teams.
- NHL – Montana has no NHL ice hockey teams.
Montana Sports Betting Laws
It wasn’t until May 2019 that the Govenor Steve Bullock legalized sports betting through the Montana State Lottery. His belief, was to only permit the Montana State Lottery to operate a sportsbook, as a conservative beginning to sports betting in the state. Having seen that there was not an open tender by the Montana State Lottery for the provisioning of terminals and kiosks, it appears slightly suspicious as to what the true agenda is behind maintaining a monopoly on the sportsbooks.
No firm date was agreed up during May 2019, when sports betting was legalized.
Bordering States
South Dakota | Wyoming | Idaho | North Dakota
