Legal Idaho Betting Sites

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Idaho Sports Betting Outlook

Sports betting in Idaho is illegal, and no efforts are underway to change that.

Idaho is one of just a few states in the Union that have expressed almost no interest in exploring the possibility of legalization.

Idaho lawmakers have not introduced a single bill to legalize sports betting in the years since the Supreme Court struck down PASPA.

Shortly after the decision, Idaho Assistant Chief Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane said in an interview that the odds of legalized Idaho sports betting were long.

“To me, it’s so uphill that I haven’t even heard a whisper of a proponent,” he said. “The Constitution is very clear.”

He went on to explain that other states have an easier path to sports betting legalization compared to Idaho:

“You’re actually seeing the states that are doing it, I don’t want to say they were predisposed to gambling, but they had a much more favorable regulatory regime to amend.”

However, as neighboring states legalize sports betting, Idaho lawmakers may be convinced to look at the opportunity as gambling dollars flow across state lines.

If that happens, lawmakers will have to overcome the challenge of amending the state constitution and receiving the approval of a majority of voters before legal sports betting in Idaho can become a reality.

Idaho Horse Racing Betting

Parimutuel horse racing betting in Idaho is legal.

Horse racing fans may place wagers in person at race tracks and off-track betting facilities (OTBs) or online through licensed advance deposit wagering operators (ADWs).

The Idaho Racing Commission is responsible for overseeing horse racing, parimutuel wagering, and ensuring licensees comply with state law and Racing Commission rules.

ID Code § 54-2501-2517 establishes the legal framework for horse racing and wagering in Idaho.

Idaho Racetracks

• Pocatello Downs
• Sandy Downs
• Rupert Downs
• Jerome County Fair
• Oneida County Fair
• Cassia County Fair
• Eastern Idaho State Fair

Idaho Off-Track Betting Locations (OTBs)

• Greyhound Park & Event Center

Idaho Online Horse Racing Betting

Most popular horse racing betting sites accept Idaho bettors.

Advance deposit wagering (online betting) is permitted under ID Code § 54-2512-10 for customers who are 18 or older.

Idaho horse racing betting sites are legally required to acquire a license from the Idaho Racing Commission before offering their services to residents.

Licensed operators must pay a 10% source market fee to the Commission. Source market fees collected are distributed to racing purses and other programs designed to support the Idaho horse racing industry.

Idaho Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily fantasy sports sites in Idaho were permitted to operate before 2016 despite a lack of legal clarity.

That changed in 2016 when the Attorney General issued a press release announcing its opinion that daily fantasy sports contests constitute illegal gambling under Idaho law.

Then-Attorney General Lawrence Wasden explained:

The concern I have is that the paid daily sports offerings provided by these companies constitute gambling under Idaho law. I have a duty to enforce and uphold that law.  I commend the companies for negotiating in good faith and agreeing not to make these contests available in Idaho.

The press release also announced that the Office of the Attorney General had reached an agreement with FanDuel and DraftKings that would see both DFS companies cease all operations in Idaho.

In return, the Attorney General chose not to pursue charges against either company for violating state law.

The upside is that the AG’s press release noted that the agreement included a legal path to resume daily fantasy sports contests in Idaho if the state legislature changes the law to legalize daily fantasy sports sites.

In the years since the AG’s notice, no serious efforts have been made to legalize Idaho daily fantasy sports sites apps.

Idaho Online Gambling

Online casinos and poker sites are not legal in Idaho.

The Idaho Constitution says this about gambling:

No activities permitted by subsection (1) shall employ any form of casino gambling including, but not limited to, blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, bacarrat, keno and slot machines, or employ any electronic or electromechanical imitation or simulation of any form of casino gambling.

As mentioned above, the state constitution clearly states that only a few specific forms of online betting are permitted.

State statute 18-3802 takes it further by making it a crime to even participate in any form of gambling not expressly permitted by the state:

(1) A person is guilty of gambling if he:

(a) Participates in gambling; or

(b) Knowingly permits any gambling to be played, conducted or dealt upon or in any real or personal property owned, rented, or under the control of the actor, whether in whole or in part.

(2) Gambling is a misdemeanor.

Because the broad prohibition of gambling is written into the state’s constitution, legalization would require a constitutional amendment.

As a result, legalizing sports betting in Idaho is contingent on lawmakers successfully passing a bill into law by a two-thirds majority, and voters approving a constitutional amendment.

That does not mean the issue of online gambling in Idaho is hopeless, though. A 2002 proposition succeeded in redefining slot machines at tribal casinos as “not slot machines.”

If lawmakers and voters were able to agree on amending the constitution in favor of gambling once before, they could do it again.

State officials haven’t officially come out against online betting in Idaho but they also haven’t committed to it.

In 2012, the state’s lottery director said this:

“It depends on how it would be structured. We want to make sure that we’re sensitive to the brick and mortar retail network for the basic scratch games. And, we would need legislative and the governor’s approval and we have not suggested that we go down that path in Idaho. But, we do support states’ rights for those that wish to do so.”

Representative Vito Barbieri said that although he doesn’t think it would be possible to expand online gambling soon, he would look at the issue closely to determine his stance.

Idaho Online Lottery

The Idaho Lottery does not sell lottery tickets online, but it does allow the third-party lottery courier Jackpocket.com to purchase tickets on behalf of customers located anywhere within state lines.

The Jackpocket Lottery app launched in Idaho in August 2022 to provide users with a convenient way to buy Idaho Lottery tickets online from anywhere in the state.

Customers 18 or older can download the online lottery app for iOS or Samsung to order tickets for all major Idaho lottery draw games.

Other Idaho Lottery games available only for in-person purchases include instant win scratch cards with prices ranging from $1 to $50, in-store InstaPlay games, tab pull games, and raffles.

Idaho Sports Betting FAQ