Montana sports betting officially went live in March 2020, but it did so with little fanfare. There aren’t any major sportsbooks available in the state, even though Montana online sports betting is currently legal.
Though Montana online casinos remain unlawful, unfortunately.
The Montana Lottery regulates the sports betting industry in the state, and they have partnered with Intralot to provide the betting. Intralot has a monopoly over the market as there aren’t any other approved operators.
While much of the US has seen tremendous sports betting growth, that same thing has not occurred in Montana. Bettors in the state do have more than 100 in-person betting options, but it’s all the same sportsbook.
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Montana Sportsbooks
There are over 100 different retail sports betting locations in the state of Montana, but you won’t find any large sportsbooks at these sites. Betting kiosks have been established by Intralot, and that company is continuing to add more of these locations each month.
Montana online sports betting is offered through the Sports Bet Montana mobile app or online site. Even though you can technically place a bet online, you must be physically located at one of the retail locations before you are able to make a wager.
Since you cannot access the Sports Bet Montana app from anywhere in the state, in-person registration is required to create sports betting account. You can then use this account to access any of the retail kiosks throughout Montana.
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MT Sports Betting Rules
Montana sports betting rules are pretty wide open, and there isn’t any real set of rules prohibiting any specific betting markets. The Montana Lottery has left that up to Intralot to determine what they are willing to offer on the site or through the kiosks.
Montana is not home to any professional sports teams, but football and basketball are two very popular sports in the state. The NFL drives sports betting throughout the United States, and that is expected to be the case in MT as well.
There is no rule prohibiting betting on college sporting events in Montana, but there aren’t many of these bets offered by the sportsbook. Montana has just a handful of Division I athletic teams, and they are not usually strong teams.
At this time, all FBS football betting markets are listed as future betting options, and betting on each game is not yet offered. The state has not made a decision on esports betting markets, but there aren’t any betting markets available for this type of competition.
MT Sports Betting Regulations
There were a pair of MT sports betting bills on the table in 2019, but Governor Steve Bullock quickly made his intentions clear when he vetoed SB 330. SB 330 would have allowed bars and other retail establishments the opportunity to partner with a sports betting operator.
In May 2019, Bullock signed HB 725 into law, and Montana was the first state to legalize sports betting that year. This gave MT sports betting authority to the Montana State Lottery, and it also placed severe limitations on the market.
There is a betting limit of $250 at the sports betting kiosks and a limit of $1,000 through the online site.
Summary
Montana sports betting has some very strange rules in place that really restrict the potential of this market. Bettors are limited to just one online sports betting option, and that doesn’t allow for any healthy competition in the state.
Montana sports bettors can find retail options throughout the state, but they are also faced with strict betting limits at these locations. Until a change is made to the current MT sports betting rules and regulations, this state will continue to put up low handle and revenue numbers.
