Sports betting finally went live in Vermont on Jan. 11, 2024, in time for the start of the NFL playoffs. Three sportsbooks have already been approved by the Vermont's Department of Liquor and Lottery: DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics. We’re taking a look ahead at everything you need to know about the new sports betting industry in Vermont, including the best Vermont betting bonuses you can claim in 2024.
🥇Our best VT sportsbook in December 2024 is FanDuel🥇
Sports betting is legal in Vermont
Free play options
Special contests for newbies
Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins
21+ and present in OH. T&Cs apply.
Best for: Mobile app
FanDuel is, by market share, the most popular sportsbook in the US. If you're looking to be part of the top community in Vermont, go with FanDuel.
FanDuel has a great welcome offer for new Vermont bettors. If you make a deposit and place your first bet of just $5 or more and that bet wins, you’ll receive $150 in bonus bets.
It’s a great offer and the perfect way to ease yourself into the new industry in the Green Mountain State.
Apart from their welcome offer, FanDuel is an extremely impressive platform across the board. The range of betting markets is up there with the best, deposit and withdrawals are very smooth, and the software is nice and user friendly. To top it off, FanDuel has our favorite (and the best-reviewed) mobile app in the country.
Check out our complete review of FanDuel Sportsbook.
💰Sign-up offer: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins.
⭐ WSN Rating: 4.5/5
⭐ Apple App Store: 4.8/5
⭐ Google Play Store: 4.7/5
⭐ Trustpilot: 1.3/5
Best for: Tons of features
DraftKings is more than just a sportsbook. If you want the most versatile platform in the industry, including a world-class sportsbook, DraftKings is perfect.
DraftKings has an excellent welcome promo worth up to $250 in Bonus Bets. All you have to do to claim is deposit $5, and place a $5 bet on any market. Simple, isn't it? DraftKings offers great bonuses for Vermont bettors that are worth checking out.
Apart from the promos, DraftKings is an excellent modern sportsbook. The range of bets and markets is second to none, but it’s arguably its non-sports betting features that really set it apart. From the Daily Fantasy Sports options to pools and even a social platform, DraftKings covers a lot of different bases. The DraftKings Dynasty rewards are great, too.
Find out more in our in-depth DraftKings Sportsbook review.
💰Sign-up offer: Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets
⭐ WSN Rating: 4.8/5
⭐ Apple App Store: 4.8/5
⭐ Google Play Store: 4.6/5
⭐ Trustpilot: 1.3/5
So far, three sportsbooks have been confirmed for launch in Vermont on Jan. 11, 2024:
Online Sportsbook | Retail Partner | Mobile App | Online Casino | Launch Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
FanDuel | N/A | ✓ | x | Jan. 11, 2024 |
DraftKings | N/A | ✓ | x | Jan. 11, 2024 |
Fanatics | N/A | ✓ | x | Jan. 11, 2024 |
Vermont Online Sports Betting Industry To Go Live Tomorrow
11 months ago | Michael SavioVermont Receives Five Bids for Sports Betting Licenses
1 year ago | Michael SavioVermont to Launch Online Sports Betting Ahead of 2023 NFL Playoffs
1 year ago | Michael SavioSports betting went live in Vermont on Jan. 11, 2024.
Gov. Phil Scott signed Vermont’s sports betting bill - HB 127 - into law on June 14, 2023. The bill allows for up to six online sportsbooks in the state, with no allowances for retail betting. Betting on college sports and Daily Fantasy Sports will also be legal under the laws.
The industry is to be overseen by the Department of Liquor and Lottery, which invited potential sportsbooks to apply for licenses in late 2023. Five sportsbooks applied. FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics were ultimately successful, while BetMGM and ESPN Bet were unsuccessful.
Pre-registration for Vermont sportsbooks is already open, and the process is very straightforward. Sportsbooks are legally required to gather more or less the same information about their users in every state, so signing up is fairly predictable. Here’s our beginner-friendly guide to sign up and start betting in Vermont:
Choose a legal sportsbook. There are three licensed sites available in Vermont, and more are likely to arrive down the line. We strongly recommend you avoid playing at unlicensed, unregulated offshore sites, which are risky and unpredictable.
Create your account. You’ll need to provide some personal information, including your name, email address, date of birth, address, and SSN. Your identity must be verified to legally bet in Vermont to ensure you are over 21 years old and allowed to gamble. To complete this process, you may need to also include a copy of your ID.
Claim your bonus. There are different ways to trigger a welcome bonus, including using promo codes, making a qualifying deposit or sometimes simply creating an account. Check out our reviews for more instructions, to get the latest codes if needed, and to make sure you don’t miss out.
Deposit some money. Vermont sportsbooks offer a variety of digital-friendly deposit methods to top up your account, including bank transfers and e-wallets. However, according to Vermont’s sports betting laws, credit card deposits are not allowed.
Place your bets. You can browse through the different sports and betting markets to find what you want to bet on. Click the bet to add it to the digital bet slip, type in your stake, and click the button to confirm.
Sportsbook | Sign Up Offer |
---|---|
FanDuel | Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins |
DraftKings | Bet $5, Get $250 in Bonus Bets |
It’s early days for the sports betting industry in Vermont, but we’re expecting to see the full range of sports betting bonuses we’ve come to know from other states available in the Green Mountain State, too. In this section, we’re running through the most popular welcome offers for bettors in Vermont.
Bonus bets are like betting vouchers, which sportsbooks hand out to encourage people to sign up and start betting. Normally, you’ll need to sign up, make a deposit, and make a qualifying first bet in order to trigger your bonus bets. If you win with a bonus bet, you get to keep the winnings only.
This welcome offer mitigates a lot of risk when you first sign up. All you need to do is register and place your first bet. If it loses, you’ll get a full refund in the form of a bonus bet or bets of the same value. If it wins, you effectively don’t get a welcome bonus, but at least you’ve won your first bet!
In this case, the sportsbook will match some or all of your first deposit up to a maximum amount. Basically, it means you normally get to start with double the bankroll. The matched portion comes in the form of bonus bets or site credits, and you can’t withdraw it until you’ve used it to bet.
This is any kind of promo or bonus that the sportsbook hands out with no need for you to spend any of your own money. Usually, you’ll receive a small bonus bet of $10 or $20 in exchange for registering with the sportsbook. No deposit bonuses can potentially lead to you winning real money without ever putting your hand in your pocket.
Each of the three sportsbooks poised to launch in Vermont on Jan. 11 will do so with mobile apps ready to go on both iOS and Android. Check out the list below:
FanDuel - 4.8/5 (iOS); 4.7/5 (Android)
DraftKings - 4.8/5 (iOS); 4.6/5 (Android)
Fanatics - 4.7/5 (iOS); 3.7/5 (Android)
Vermont sports gambling will launch with a full menu of betting markets and no restrictions on what you can bet on in major pro sports. We’ve got a rundown of all the different ways to bet in the Green Mountain State below.
Moneyline bets are a simple bet on which team will win a game. They are just about the simplest and most popular way to bet on sports in the US. The sportsbook assigns each side of the bet odds according to their likelihood of winning. Here’s how it might look:
LA Lakers (+170)
Minnesota Timberwolves (-210)
With moneyline odds, the team with the plus sign in front of their odds is always the underdog, which in this example is the Lakers. +170 means you would need to bet $100 in order to win $170, for a total payout of $270. The favorite is the team with the negative odds, in this case the Timberwolves. -210 means that a $210 bet would win $100 for a return of $310.
Betting on the spread is about betting not just on the winner but also on the margin of victory. The sportsbook sets a line of points, and to win your bet on either side, they need to cover the spread. If you’re betting on the underdogs, that means you can still win your bet even if they lose the game, provided they cover the spread. The odds are generally close to -110 for both sides.
Here’s what it looks like:
LA Lakers +5.5 (-110)
Minnesota Timberwolves -5.5 (-110)
In this case, the spread is set at 5.5 points. If you bet on the Lakers, they need to get within 5 points of the Timberwolves for you to win your bet. Losing by a couple of points would be enough, for instance. To win a bet on the Timberwolves, they need to beat the Lakers by six points or more.
This is a bet on the total number of points scored in a game by both teams. The winning side is not relevant. Here’s what it looks like:
LA Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Over 224.5 (-110)
Under 224.5 (-110)
All you need to do is select the Over or the Under, depending on how many points you think will be scored in total. Again, the odds for both sides of the bet tend to start at -110.
A futures bet is simply a bet on an outcome a long way in the future rather than the next game in a competition. Normally, we talk about futures in relation to the winners of tournaments and competitions, like picking the winner of the Super Bowl or the US Open in tennis.
Proposition bets or props, are bets on things that happen in a game, which don’t necessarily determine the overall outcome. The most common props are based on the performance of specific players or teams in a certain statistical category. For instance, betting on rushing yards in the NFL, total points in the NBA or yellow or red cards in soccer.
This is simply betting on games as they happen, with the odds changing second to second depending on what is happening on the field. It’s a dynamic and exciting way to bet, with big swings in the odds possible from moment to moment. Most sportsbooks provide live text or graphical updates from games in their live betting sections, and some actually let you stream the game live right there on the platform.
The sports betting laws in Vermont include some betting restrictions:
Using credit cards to fund your sportsbook account is not legal.
Sports betting in Vermont will be online only, with no retail sportsbooks.
You can’t bet on in-state college teams.
Betting on high school sports is not legal.
Yes, betting on college sports is legal in Vermont. However, there is an exception: you can’t bet on on-state college programs (like the Vermont Catamounts for instance), unless they are playing in an out-of-state multi-team tournament, like March Madness for instance.
The Catamounts are the only NCAA Division 1 program in the state.
Vermont Sports Betting Quick Facts | |
---|---|
Online launch date | Estimated Jan. 11, 2024 |
Legal betting age | 21 |
Retail tax rate | - |
Online tax rate | 20% |
Retail sportsbooks | - |
Online sportsbooks | 3 |
Betting on College Sports | ✓ |
Online casino | x |
Online poker | x |
Sports betting has not officially launched in Vermont yet, so it’s difficult to compare the industry to those of other states. However, there are some quirks around the sports betting laws in Vermont that make it stand out.
For one, Vermont is set to become an online-only sports betting state, with no retail betting at all. This also means that sportsbooks don’t require a physical partner and instead petition the Department of Liquor and Lottery directly to receive a license.
Bettors in Vermont will also be banned from using credit cards to fund their accounts, pointing to high levels of awareness of consumer protection.
Vermont is bordered by two legal sports betting states. To the west is New York, which has quickly become the largest sports betting industry in the country. To the east is Maine, which is probably a more instructive comparison for Vermont.
Maine sports betting went live in November 2023, with an online tax rate of 16% compared with Vermont’s 20%. By the end of the year, Maine had hit $40 million in handle.
Legal sports betting in Vermont is finally expected to become a reality in January 2024. Check out the timeline below to see how we got to this point:
Aug. 13, 2024 - DraftKings gave up on its plan to add surcharges to winning bets in Vermont, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Aug. 2, 2024 - DraftKings announced plans to implement a “gaming tax surcharge” on users in Vermont and three other states starting on Jan. 1. The sportsbook is adding the charge in states with tax rates above 20%.
June 17, 2024 - Fanatics updates its welcome offer, still allowing players to score up to $1,000 in bonus bets while giving new players a five-day window to earn up to $200 in bonuses daily.
May 26, 2024 - Vermont's handle dips below $20 million in April, which the the lowest number since launching in January.
April 16, 2024 - Vermont sports betting handle fell to $19.9 million in March, down 6% from February.
April 9, 2024 - Vermont sees $21 million handle in first full month of legal sports betting.
March 12, 2024 - Vermont bans college player prop betting, joining Maryland and Ohio as the only U.S. states to prohibit this bet type.
Feb. 16, 2024 - Vermont sports betting revenues reach $1.1 million during its first month of legal sports betting.
Jan. 11, 2024 - Legal sports betting in Vermont launched on Jan. 11, 2024. VT bettors can now use FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics sportsbooks.
Dec. 20, 2023 - The new catalog of sports betting options has been released.
Dec. 12, 2023 - Regulators announce that sports betting will launch on Jan. 11, 2024. The same month, it is announced that FanDuel, DraftKings and Fanatics have been successful in their applications.
September 2023 - Five sportsbooks submit applications to the Department of Liquor and Lottery: DraftKings, FanDuel, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, and BetMGM.
July 2023 - Vermont regulators approve updated rules for the new industry. Potential sportsbooks have until Aug. 28 to apply for licenses in the state.
June 14, 2023 - Gov. Scott signs HB 127 into law. The sports betting industry is expected to launch in January 2024.
May 4, 2023 - HB127 is voted through the Senate.
March 24, 2024 - HB127 becomes the first sports betting bill to clear a vote in the House.
Feb. 10, 2023 - Rep. Matthew Birong introduces HB127, which would allow between two and six sportsbooks in VA.
October 2021 - The Vermont legislature completes a study on the sports betting industry in the US. The study recommends legalizing sports betting in the state.
Feb. 10, 2021 - A new bill, SB77, is introduced by Sen. Dick Spears, which would allow up to six sportsbooks in the state. It fails to make progress.
January 2020 - HB484 is reintroduced, along with two new sports betting bills that seek to legalize mobile betting only. None make it to a vote in the House.
February 2019 - Rep. Thomas Burditt introduces HB484, which seeks to legalize online and retail sports betting in Vermont. It never reaches a vote in the House.
May 14, 2018 - The Supreme Court strikes down the Professional and Amatuer Sports Protection Act, creating the possibility for each state to determine its own laws around sports betting.
Yes, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is legal in Vermont. Unlike many states, the legal age to participate in DFS is 21 in Vermont.
Sports is popular in Vermont, which is perhaps surprising given that there are no professional sports teams located in the state. Neighboring teams like the New England Patriots enjoy a lot of support in Vermont, while the NCAA Division 1 program Vermont Catamounts is probably the highest-profile sports team in the state.
Unsurprisingly, given the lack of in-state pro sports teams, there are no major sportsbook partnerships in Vermont.
We have one golden rule for every review we publish: everything is based on personal, first-hand experience. There are lots of review pages out there that simply repeat info already in the public domain - that is not what we do. Everything on WSN.com is grounded in our experts’ research and opinions. We ask them to devote at least two hours of research to each of the following factors before they begin their reviews:
User Experience - Every site is different, and we want to capture how each one feels to use. That goes for things like how easy it is to navigate around and place a bet, but also the design of the site from an aesthetic perspective, right down to things like the color scheme or how many advertisements are on screen. We always consider how usable a site is from an absolute beginner’s point of view, too.
Features - We systematically dig into everything on offer at the sportsbook, from the betting interface and live betting facilities to streaming options, casino games, and more. We particularly like to see unique features that help a sportsbook stand out from the crowd, like unique betting formats.
Promotions - We opt into and test out every single bonus on offer, evaluating how worthwhile it is, how easy it is to claim, tricky terms and conditions to be aware of, and more.
Deposits and Withdrawals - We test every single banking method available for both deposits and withdrawals, so our readers know exactly what to expect. We pay special attention to the speed and general ease of use of the withdrawal process, as well as any fees or other conditions to be aware of.
Customer Support - We have a specially designed selection of questions that we use to get in touch with the customer support team so we can compare customer support across the industry. We test out every channel, but we especially appreciate having 24/7 live chat support, which always gets a gold star in our reviews.
Responsible Gambling - We want to see sites going the extra mile to promote safe and responsible gambling. That can mean providing transparent information and advice and including links to external support organizations and state initiatives, but also tools like Reality Check and self-exclusion options.
We’re not just industry professionals; first and foremost, we are sports betting fans. Everything we write comes from having a genuine interest and experience in the world of sports betting and a desire to share that with our readers around the US and the wider world.
All of our reviews are based on first-hand experience and the information in them is never less than 100% honest. We’ll say what we like about a site and how to claim a great bonus, but equally, we’ll call it out in plain English if something is wrong or can be improved.
The gambling industry in Vermont is overseen by the Department of Liquor and Lottery, which has already taken proactive steps to encourage safe and responsible gambling ahead of its launch in Vermont. For one, the ban on credit card deposits is almost unique in US sports betting and provides an extra layer of protection for vulnerable bettors.
You can head to the sport betting section of the Department of Liquor and Lottery for more information, although we expect the resources here to grow when the industry actually launches in January 2024.
Outside of Vermont, there are lots of national resources out there if you or anyone you know needs support with responsible gambling. They include the International Center for Responsible Gaming, Gamblers Anonymous, and National Council on Problem Gambling. You can also call 1-800-GAMBLER to talk with a professional.
Finally, the sportsbooks themselves provide tools to help you manage your time and money on their platforms. They include:
Deposit and wager limits help manage your spending.
Reality Checks services, which check in with players periodically to review their gambling habits.
Self-exclusion services to temporarily or permanently ban yourself from the platform.
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