How to Check if an Online Sportsbook Is Licensed

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• As of October 2026, there is no national sportsbook license; each state’s gaming regulator decides who is licensed to take bets in that state.

• Regulators in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Ohio each publish official lists of licensed or authorized operators on their own websites.

• A regulator’s list is the authoritative record, and lists differ by form of gambling: Pennsylvania, for example, keeps separate lists for sports wagering, iGaming, online poker and fantasy contests.

• Lists change over time, and status entries such as active, surrendered or withdrawn matter, as Ohio’s September 2026 list shows.

• Michigan announced cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators on October 8, 2026, after 45 letters in April 2026, which shows how a state treats operators it has not licensed.

CONTENTS

01Why Sportsbook Licensing Is a State Matter

02What Five Regulators Publish

03How a Check Works in Practice

04How the Lists Change and Where Enforcement Fits In

05Common Misconceptions About Sportsbook Licenses

06Where to Find Official Information

07Related Laws to Read Next

There is no national sportsbook license in the United States. As of October 2026, an online sportsbook is legal in a state only when that state’s gaming regulator has licensed or authorized it, and each regulator publishes its own list of authorized operators. Regulators in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, the five used as examples here, all post such information on official government websites.

That makes the regulator’s list, rather than an operator’s own statement about itself, the authoritative record of who may take bets in a state. This article explains how state licensing is structured, what each of those five regulators publishes, how the lists change over time, and what a list does and does not show. It describes a general method based on regulator materials reviewed in October 2026. It does not rank, recommend or assess any operator, and it does not address any individual’s circumstances.

Why Sportsbook Licensing Is a State Matter

Online sportsbooks are licensed by states because the Supreme Court’s May 2018 decision in Murphy v. NCAA allowed states to legalize sports betting. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General describes that decision as the point after which New Jersey’s governor signed sports betting legislation and licensed operators began accepting bets. The legislative and ballot routes states used afterward are covered in how states legalized sports betting after Murphy v. NCAA.

The practical result is that a license is specific to one state and one form of wagering. A state’s gaming agency, such as a gaming control board, commission or lottery, decides which companies may operate, on what terms and under what oversight. Each agency keeps its own records, and the lists are not interchangeable from one state to the next.

The sections below show what public regulator lists look like in five states, using only each regulator’s own materials, and the rest of the article explains how the lists are structured and where their limits lie.

What Five Regulators Publish

The five states below organize licensing differently, so the shape of the list depends on the state’s statute. The descriptions reflect the regulators’ own pages as of October 2026.

Michigan

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) licenses commercial and tribal casinos, online gaming and sports betting. Its page states: “Gambling is generally illegal in Michigan unless it is specifically authorized by state law.” The MGCB publishes separate lists of licensed internet gaming and internet sports betting websites, and a further page that pairs each casino or tribe with its platform provider and authorized activities.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) awards sports wagering certificates to slot machine licensees, and it licenses the operators that run sportsbooks on a certificate holder’s behalf. Its list names the certificate holder, the licensed operator and the authorized website or app, and it notes that where no website is listed, online wagering has not been authorized. The board also keeps separate lists for iGaming, online poker and fantasy contests, and tells visitors to look for its official logo on licensed operators’ sites.

New Jersey

New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) publishes a list of internet gaming permit holders, which in the version reviewed named nine entities that are casino licensees or their affiliates. The Attorney General’s office states that all sportsbook operators doing business in New Jersey must hold a valid sports wagering license, and it links to lists of permitted sportsbooks.

New York

New York authorized mobile sports wagering in Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2021, which amended Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law § 1367 and added § 1367-a. The State Gaming Commission awarded nine ten-year licenses after a competitive bidding process, and its sports wagering page lists the licensed operators.

Ohio

Ohio licenses several proprietor types, and the Ohio Casino Control Commission publishes a list of sports gaming proprietors and service providers alongside a public eLicense lookup. The list carries a caution: “licenses issued to a proprietor or services provider do not indicate the licensure of listed partners.” Lottery-run Type-C sports gaming is governed by Ohio Lottery Commission rules, although the Casino Control Commission licenses those proprietors.

How a Check Works in Practice

The regulators’ materials point to a common structure, and a check is essentially a matching exercise against the official roster. The following is a general illustration, not a description of anyone’s own situation.

Suppose a website says it is licensed in a particular state. A comparison against that state’s regulator would look at several things. First, whether the operator’s name or brand appears on the regulator’s current list for the right form of wagering, since Pennsylvania, for instance, keeps sports wagering, iGaming and poker lists separately. Second, where the regulator lists authorized websites or apps, whether the site’s address matches. Third, the status shown, because Ohio’s list uses entries such as active, surrendered and withdrawn.

The comparison also depends on the state. Ohio’s own caution about partners means a license held by one company on its list does not by itself establish the license of another company named beside it, so the entity and the license type both matter. If a state’s list does not name an operator, the regulator is the body that can say what that means.

How the Lists Change and Where Enforcement Fits In

Regulator lists are snapshots, so every list carries its own date. The PGCB’s interactive gaming list from May 2025 records operators that stopped operating under a certificate and were rebranded or replaced, and its sports wagering list reviewed here carries a December 2025 update date. New York’s 2025 mobile sports wagering report marks one licensee as having ceased offering sports wagering in the state in June 2025.

Enforcement runs alongside licensing. The MGCB’s page says its list of cease-and-desist recipients is not exhaustive and adds: “Only those operators licensed by the MGCB (see lists above) are authorized to legally offer online gaming services in Michigan.” The board announced letters to 45 offshore operators on April 7, 2026 and to 33 more on October 8, 2026. The table summarizes what each regulator publishes, as of October 2026.

Regulator	What its materials show, as of October 2026
Michigan Gaming Control Board	Lists of licensed internet gaming and sports betting websites; platform provider page; cease-and-desist list
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board	Separate lists for sports wagering, iGaming, poker and fantasy contests; authorized websites; official logo
New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement	Internet gaming permit holders; Attorney General links to permitted sportsbooks
New York State Gaming Commission	Licensed mobile sports wagering operators
Ohio Casino Control Commission	Proprietor and service provider list with license status; public eLicense lookup

Common Misconceptions About Sportsbook Licenses

Misconception one: one license covers the whole country. Each state’s regulator keeps its own roster, and the five reviewed here publish separate, state-specific lists.

Misconception two: a site that accepts an account is licensed where the account holder lives. The MGCB says only operators it has licensed are authorized to legally offer online gaming services in Michigan, and it has sent cease-and-desist letters to operators that were not.

Misconception three: a list for one form of gambling covers all forms. Pennsylvania’s separate lists for sports wagering, iGaming, poker and fantasy contests show that authorization is tied to the type of wagering.

Misconception four: a name on a list means every partner is licensed. Ohio’s list states that a proprietor’s or provider’s license does not indicate the licensure of listed partners, and it uses status entries that include surrendered and withdrawn.

Where to Find Official Information

The starting point for any state is its gaming regulator’s website, where the roster of licensed operators is published on the regulator’s own site, as the five agencies cited here do. The MGCB, for example, also lists an anonymous tip line for reporting suspected illegal gambling at 1-888-314-2682.

Because licensing rules and rosters differ by state and change, anyone with a question about a particular operator or situation should consult a licensed attorney in the relevant state. This article describes the general framework only. Regulators including the MGCB list the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-GAMBLER for anyone concerned about gambling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a national license for online sportsbooks?

No. As of October 2026, regulators in each state decide who may operate there, and the state agencies reviewed for this article, including those in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, each publish their own lists of licensed or authorized operators.

Where does a state publish its licensed sportsbooks?

On the gaming regulator’s website. Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Ohio each post lists or databases of licensed operators, though the format varies from a simple roster to a searchable license lookup.

Why do some states have separate lists for sports betting and online casinos?

Authorization is tied to the form of wagering. Pennsylvania’s board, for example, keeps separate lists for sports wagering, iGaming, online poker and fantasy contests, so a name on one list does not establish a license on another.

What do status entries such as surrendered or withdrawn mean on a list?

They are regulator-assigned statuses. Ohio’s September 2026 proprietor and service provider list uses entries including active, inactive, surrendered and withdrawn, which indicates that a name appearing on a list is not necessarily an active license.

What does a state do about unlicensed operators?

Regulators can act against them. The Michigan Gaming Control Board announced cease-and-desist letters to 33 offshore operators on October 8, 2026, after letters to 45 operators announced in April 2026, and publishes a non-exhaustive list of recipients.

Does this article give legal advice about a particular sportsbook?

No. It describes how state regulators publish licensing information as of October 2026. For questions about a specific operator or situation, a licensed attorney in the relevant state and the state’s gaming regulator are the appropriate sources.

Legal disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Gambling laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently; the information above reflects our research as of October 2026. For advice about your own situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state and check the official sources of your state’s gaming regulator.