Each product is regulated separately. “Contested grey area” means the activity operates without a state gambling licence and its status can change with a single bill.

Vermont Gambling Laws allow legal online sports betting but not real-money online casino play. Like most of the country, Vermont treats each online product on its own, so the honest answer depends on which one you mean.

Online sports betting is legal and regulated by the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery. Online casino games, meaning real-money slots and table games, are not legal, and neither is online poker. You’ll see offshore sites advertise to Vermont players anyway. They hold no license and no consumer protection here, so skip them.

Vermont launched online sports betting on January 11, 2024, and it’s entirely mobile. The Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery licenses the operators, and you have to be 21 and physically inside the state to bet.

The operators

Three sportsbooks are live: FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics. The law allows up to six, but no others have joined yet. Vermont has no physical sportsbooks or casinos, so everything legal here happens through the app.

Tax and what it means for you

Vermont taxes sports betting at 20% of revenue. Operators pay that, not you, but it shapes how generous promotions run. It’s a small market, so expect fewer options than in a big state.

No. Online casino is not legal in Vermont, and the sports betting law didn’t include it. For real-money casino play, Vermont residents cross into New York or Massachusetts to visit a retail casino.

Where that leaves you

If you want to play real-money online casino today, the nearest legal option is a state where it’s regulated. Online casino is live in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but you have to be physically inside those states to play, not just a resident. For the full national picture, see our US online gambling laws guide.

Legal online poker doesn’t exist in Vermont. It travels with online casino in almost every place that has it, so if a future law passes, real-money poker would arrive alongside slots and tables. For now, any legal poker is live, in person.

Vermont has no casinos, commercial or tribal. It’s one of the few states with no casino industry at all, so legal gambling here means the state lottery and the three sports betting apps. The nearest casinos are across the border in New York and Massachusetts.

Daily fantasy sports is legal in Vermont, so DraftKings and FanDuel contests run without trouble. The lottery is legal too and sells draw games, with online options in many places. Neither counts as online casino play, and both sit under their own rules.

Sweepstakes casinos, the gold-coin and sweeps-coin sites that try to sidestep gambling law, sit in a grey zone that’s shrinking fast. Regulators across the country have started warning against them and moving to ban the model. Treat any sweeps or social casino in Vermont as legally shaky, and never as a stand-in for a licensed real-money casino.

You must be 21 to bet on sports in Vermont. Every legal sportsbook offers deposit limits, time-outs, and self-exclusion, and there’s a self-exclusion list you can join across licensed operators.

If gambling stops being fun, help is free and confidential. Reach the Vermont helpline at 1-800-522-4700, or the national helpline any time at 1-800-522-4700. You don’t have to be in crisis to call, and reaching out early is easier than most people expect.

Gambling winnings are taxable in Vermont by both the IRS and, where one applies, the local income tax. Sportsbooks issue a federal Form W-2G once a payout crosses the reporting threshold, but you owe tax on winnings whether or not you get the form. Keep your own record of wins and losses, because if the numbers are ever questioned, the burden of proof sits with you.

Primary sources

• Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery (licensing, operator list, self-exclusion)
• Vermont sports betting enabling law and its tax terms; any 2026 online-gaming bills noted above
• Lottery and DFS rules; federal IRS Form W-2G rules for gambling winnings
• Vermont helpline at 1-800-522-4700; National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-522-4700)

Methodology

Legal status is compiled from the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery and enacted law, product by product, and cross-checked against current operator availability. This page is reviewed on a 90-day cycle and the review date is stamped at the top.

Corrections

Gambling law changes quickly. If any status here is out of date, email corrections@casinos.org. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.