Montana Sports Betting and Casino - Poor Timing and Low Cultural Appetite
On May 3, 2019, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock signed into law a bill that authorized the state Lottery Commission to operate a legal sportsbook.
Six months later, the commission approved a set of rules for what was to become "Sports Bet Montana."
Then on March 11, 2020, the sportsbook went live. But across the globe, that date is far better remembered as the day that the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a universal pandemic.
Sports Bet Montana had no online presence, with gamblers only allowed to place wagers at kiosks located at casinos, restaurants, and bars - the very places that shut down for months in efforts to reduce the spread of the disease.
Of course, the shutdown of nearly all professional and collegiate sporting events left would-be gamblers with few options to choose from anyway.
Mobile sports betting still not available Montana
Montana, as of spring 2026, remains an outlier in that it still does not offer mobile sports betting - a severe limitation, given that many state regulators report that more than 90% of betting handle and sportsbook revenue occurs remotely on devices such as smartphones and laptops.
As a result, the total handle in all of 2025 was a modest $68.1 million. Only $300 million was wagered in the six-year cumulative period from 2020-2025.
By comparison, four U.S. states average more than $12 billion in annual handle - working out to an average of $1 billion per month.
Casino offerings also limited in Montana
The state has 10 legal tribal casinos, and more than 100 retail locations that also use the term "casino" - even though out-of-state visitors to any of these sites might beg to differ.
There are no craps, roulette, blackjack or other table games that make up a significant portion of a traditional casino floor. Technically, there aren't even any slot machines at those locations. "Video line machines" are featured, however, and they offer much the same experience.
Video poker, video keno, and video bingo are among the entertainment offerings at these sites.
A cultural history of anti-gambling
Montana voters in 1950 overwhelmingly rejected a ballot question about legalizing gambling. In 1991, a bill that would legalize blackjack at casinos never got out of committee in the state Senate. Similar measures failed in the state House of Representatives in 2017 and again in the Senate in 2019.
It took until 1986 before the state finally authorized a government-run lottery - more than a decade later than most U.S. states already had done so.
An ambitious proposal in 2003 to create "Destination Montana" in the city of Butte - an entertainment district with full-scale casino gambling - was defeated in the legislature.
In another example of Montana's cultural resistance to gambling, it is one of the few states that specifically outlaws daily fantasy sports on the internet.
So while family and friends can meet up in person to hold drafts and compete for money, Montana residents cannot play DFS on the major platforms such as FanDuel.
A bill was introduced in the state Senate in the spring of 2025 to legalize DFS, on the premise that it is a game of skill and not a chance, as a way to avoid running afoul of the state's strict gambling laws. But the bill has yet to move forward.
Current outlook on gambling in Montana
Horse racing, a standard offering in most states, only takes place in Montana on six to 14 days per year in late spring or summer. Part of the reason is that Montana winters are long and snowy, but the larger reason is that same reluctance to encourage gambling in the state.
There is little reason to believe much or even anything will change in the near future.
