Tennessee

Sportsbooks

Most forms of gambling are, in fact, illegal in Tennessee. However, online options have been slipping through the cracks the last few years and online sportsbooks may be available in the state sooner than not. You won’t find any brick and mortar sportsbooks operating anytime soon, but by 2020, there may very well be online sports betting and gambling options in Tennessee.

Casinos

Tennessee has very strict gambling laws and casinos are completely illegal. No riverboats, no Tribal Casinos, no nothing. This does not look to change anytime soon either as their statehouse has shown zero interest in pursuing the matter.

Online Poker

Tennessee comes down hard on poker and part of this is because their anti-gambling laws are so old, poker was the only game in town. You can’t play poker live in the state and playing online is difficult. Players can access off-shore sites but this comes with the usual drawbacks.

Lotteries

Tennessee is such an anti-gambling state they didn’t even have a lottery until 2003. Now that they do have a lottery, they keep it simple and offer the basics. You can find all the national brands such as Powerball and Mega Millions. There are scratch-offs as well as drawings. You have lottery options in Tennessee but there are only a few.

Fantasy Sports

One area Tennessee absolutely nails it is with their fantasy sports industry. Playing at DFS sites is totally legal in the state and it is one of the most highly regulated. However, all of that regulation is on the operator’s end, not the players. Sites must be licensed by the state and then follow very strict rules to keep their site running. Other states would be wise to include such consumer protections in their regulations.

Horse Racing

Again, Tennessee is a bit different than most states when it comes to legal gambling. Usually, live gambling options are usually much easier to find than online options. Not in Tennessee. Live horse race betting? No way. Online horse race wagering? Sure, go crazy. Online horse race wagering is totally legal and regulated in the state and you can play at any of the major sites like TwinSpires, TVG, or BetAmerica. Of course, you can’t run a website, but feel free to access one.

10 Biggest cities in Tennessee for online gambling:

  1. Memphis
  2. Nashville
  3. Knoxville
  4. Chattanooga
  5. Clarksville
  6. Murfreesboro
  7. Franklin
  8. Jackson
  9. Johnson City
  10. Bartlett