Montana Sports Betting

Montana has recently changed its laws on sports betting. There are now several Montana sports betting establishments to choose from. There is also only one app and one site currently available. This might however change in the near future, as Montana sports betting online is still relatively new to the state.

In this article, we will take a look at the history of Montana sports betting, as well as the current laws and regulations surrounding the industry. We will discuss what Montana’s future seems like regarding Montana sports betting in-person and online, as well as Daily Fantasy Sports, horse racing, and more. We will talk about the different types of gambling available in the state, as well as some of the top sites for online and retail sports betting. Finally, we will take a look at some of Montana’s most popular sports teams and horse racing.

Legal Online Montana Sports Betting

Is online sports betting legal in Montana? Yes, Montana sports betting is legal. Players must be over 21. Sports betting was made legal in Montana in May 2019. The first betting providers became available in March 2020. However, there is only one app and website that is legal to use in the state. It is called Sports Bet Montana. There is a condition in order to use the app. All players must be within distance of a nearby retail sportsbook in order to participate.

The conditions for using the app have faced some opposition from Montanans. The app’s critical reviews are due to its odds, user-friendliness, and other characteristics. That makes Montana sports betting difficult online. Since there is only one app and betting site available, there is no choice for Montanans regarding their odds and features. The Sports Bet Montana site and app is the only one that is available for Montana sports betting on the internet. However, this may change in the future as additional providers enter the market.

More betting sites could be coming to Montana. In November 2020, the Lewis and Clark District Court found that Montana’s sports betting law was not intended to limit operations to the extent it did. However, the system around Montana sports betting online has not changed as of yet.

Betting restrictions have only been lifted in Montana recently. Montana sports betting is still in its early stages, having only been legalized in 2019. The market is still small, with only one betting site available. However, it’s possible that more Montana sports betting sites will become available in the future. Additionally, the current site (Sports Bet Montana) may improve its features and user-friendliness over time, and so improve the Montana sports betting online experience.

How to Pick a Montana Sports Betting Site

To pick a Montana sports betting site, customers must be within a physical gambling site. Customers are not legally permitted to book online outside of these premises. An online site they can use to book on these premises is Sports Bet Montana. This site is operated by a company called Intralot, Montana Lottery’s supplier.

Sports Bet Montana is still too recent in the market to be significantly analyzed. The Sports Bet Montana app is still in the process of being customized, as customers have fed back issues with user-friendliness, odds, and other features.

The history of gambling and sports betting in Montana is long and complicated. It has been legalized and banned multiple times over the years. Currently, Montana sports betting is legal in the state, but there is only one betting site available. This may change in the future, as more apps and sites become available. As many Montanans are unsatisfied with only having one option when it comes to betting sites, there is a chance that more apps and sites will become available with time. Possibly, they might also be usable outside of the range of physical locations.

History of Betting in Montana

It’s important to learn about Montana’s betting laws if you want to comprehend how Montana sports betting laws came into being. In Montana, various types of gambling have been restricted and then legalized multiple times.

At one point in the history of the United States, gambling, including Montana sports betting, was completely forbidden. This was in 1910, after a boom of multiple gambling spikes among the population the year before. After 23 years, the prohibition was repealed. Since then, every state has been able to choose whether or not to legalize sports betting and gambling. Some states decided to ease the restrictions, whereas others did not.

In 1950, Montana Supreme Court recognized that gambling addiction was on the increase in Montana. As a result, they banned slot machines. During the 80s, video poker machines were legalized.

The Indian community was recognized to benefit from the legalization of regulated gambling. As such, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, aka IGRA, was passed in 1988 by Ronald Reagan. This affected many tribal communities.

In 1992, after issues were raised over the impact of sports betting, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (also known as PASPA) was passed. Montana was always one of the four states that were exempt from this law and could offer Montana sports betting if they chose to do so.

New Jersey played a role in opposing the PASPA legislation. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (popularly known as PASPA) was repealed in 2018, allowing other states to legalize sports gaming if they choose.

The Montana Lottery Commission approved the regulations for what then became Sports Bet Montana, in November 2019. Governor Steve Bullock signed the H275 bill which enabled Montana sports betting.

Customers still aren’t fully satisfied with their options at this stage, as the only betting site they can use is Sports Bet Montana. There are multiple downsides to this. Sports Bet Montana has no competition, so Montanans who want to bet have to use the only odds and teams that are available. The Sports Bet Montana has been widely critiqued on the App store. Its features, odds, and user-friendliness are not ideal. However, Montana has still been collecting much revenue after the new site was released.

In the future, Montana sports betting may further expand and develop.

Montana Sports Teams

Montana is home to many sports teams, including:

The Missoula PaddleHeads

The Missoula PaddleHeads are a team of the Pioneer League. It is independent of Major League Baseball, also called MLB. It has won five times when competing for the Pioneer League championship between 1999 and 2021.

The Great Falls Voyagers

The Great Falls Voyagers is a baseball team of the Pioneer League from Great Falls in Montana. It is an independent team that is not partnered with Major League Baseball or MLB. The team has been participating in the Pioneer League since 1969.

Montana State Bobcats

The Montana State Bobcats represent Montana State University in college athletics. They compete in NCAA Division I. They are thirteen teams made up of both male and female teams, all a member of Montana State Bobcats. The Bobcats are members of the Big Sky Conference. Some sports they include for men are basketball, football, cross country, track and field, tennis, and skiing. The women’s sports include volleyball, skiing, tennis, cross country, golf, and basketball.

The Billings Mustangs

The Billings Mustangs are a baseball team of the Pioneer League which it first joined in 1948. It is based in Billings in Montan. It is independent and not a part of Major League Baseball or MLB. When competing for the Pioneer League championship, they won three times in a row between 1992 and 1994.

These are all Minor League baseball teams. There are currently no professional Montana sports teams in any major league. However, there have been multiple professional Montana sports teams in the past. All of them have however since folded.

It’s possible that with the recent legalization of sports betting in Montana, a new professional team may be formed in the future. Only time will tell whether or not this happens.

Alternatively, one of the current minor league teams may be promoted to a major league. Either way, this would provide Montana sports bettors with more options and teams to bet on.

Retail Sports Betting in Montana

Montana was always exempt from the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). As a result, it could always legalize basic sports betting. Sports betting was however legalized in 2019 and launched in March 2020. Many retailers have since been approved to provide Montana sports betting.

There are several retail sports betting places. Here are only a few examples with their addresses.• B & H Casino: 6505 Jackrabbit Ln, Belgrade, MT 59714,

  • Play Inn: 1432 Main Street, Billings
  • Rhino Casino: 11 West Main Street Unit 108
  • Tall Boys Tavern: 122 Central Avenue, Hobson
  • Caboose Saloon: 704 West Main Street, Laurel
  • The Gaming Garage: 2120 West Broadway Street, Missoula
  • Fish Tale Tavern: 209 Broadway, Townsend
  • Pop’s Inn: 117 First Ave Sw, Park City

Tribal Casinos

There are also multiple tribal casinos in Montana. There are a few tribal casinos owned by seven tribes. These tribal casinos include:

  • Silverwolf Casino and Tribal Express Casino: Home of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation
  • Apsáalooke Nights Casino: Crow Tribe owns this Casino. It has had an expansion in 2017. There are recreational activities available.
  • Fort Belknap Casino: This is owned by the Gros Ventre and Assinobine Tribes.
  • Northern Winz Hotel and Casino and Northern Winz Casino II: owned and operated by the Chippewa Cree Tribe.
  • Charging Horse Casino and Bingo: Northern Cheyenne Tribe are in charge of and own this casino.
  • Glacier Peaks Hotel and Casino and Glacier Lil Peaks Casino: a casino of the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Reservation. The casino has a Class II license. It does not need a compact with the Montana state. It offers bingo games and similar, where players can play against one another.
  • New Polson Casino Project, Gray Wolf Peak Casino, and KwaTagNuk Resort Casino: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation own these casinos. They have Class II licenses. It does not need a compact with the state, as the only games it offers are games like bingo, where players play against each other.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports are a type of fantasy game. A fantasy sport is an activity in which participants are made up of virtual teams. Some team members may be fictitious. DFS is a sped-up version of standard fantasy sports.

Montana is one of the nine USA states that have passed laws to specifically outlaw Daily Fantasy Sports or DFS. That makes playing Daily Fantasy Sports in Montana illegal. There have been efforts to reverse this. In December 2016, there was an attempt to pass a bill to loosen these laws, but it did not succeed.

Although Montana has loosened its rules around sports betting relatively recently, so far, there have been no changes to the Daily Fantasy Sports laws.

Offshore Betting

There are a variety of in-person Montana sports betting sites now available, with the first online option now released as well. There should be no need for offshore gambling. The only two government-recognized authorities that may authorize offshore sports betting are Curacao and Costa Rica, both of which are in the United States. Offshore betting is always a danger.

Horse Racing & Off-Track Betting

Horse racing is a favored activity in Montana. Many people see horse racing as a fun activity. Horse racing has been permitted in almost every state since the 1950s.

Horse racing has a long history that goes back to the ancient past. For many individuals, watching horses race is an exciting experience. The horse racing industry in Montana is regulated by the Montana Board of Horse Racing.

Montana has been home to two world-class equestrian facilities. These are Yellowstone Downs and Metrapark. Unfortunately, their historic buildings have been demolished as of 2020. This is because they were deemed unsafe. Many opposed this decision, saying there was no real evidence.

There are many places to place an off-track bet. Those are:

  • Belgrade Lounge, Belgrade
  • Play Inn, Billings
  • BB’s Casino, Butte
  • Halftime Sports Bar, Great Falls
  • Bull’s Eye Casino, Helena
  • Motherlode Sport’s Bar, Helena
  • Sawbucks, Kalispell
  • Golden Spur Casino, Miles City
  • Lucky Strike Casino, Missoula

Summary

Montana is a state that has recently loosened its laws around sports betting. There is now a variety of in-person and online Montana sports betting sites available. The online Montana sports betting site and app are only available when in close location to the physical sites. There is also only one app and one site currently available. This might however change in the near future, as Montana sports betting online is still relatively new to the state. Gambling that is still illegal in Montana is Daily Fantasy Sports, as well as any other online betting. This is apart from the permitted online gaming using the Sports Bet Montana app or website when close to a physical location. Horse racing is a popular activity in Montana, and there are many off-track betting options available.

With the recent loosening of laws around sports betting, there are now a variety of ways to gamble legally in Montana state. Betting, gaming, and gambling should always be done responsibly.

There is help available to those who are struggling with addiction and require support. The national problem gambling helpline number is 1-800-522-4700.

About Joe Kizlauskas

Joe is a seasoned iGaming copywriter and speaker who has been in the business since 2015. He's written more words on all elements of Casinos, Slots, Bingo & Sports Betting than he likes to remember, and he's contributed material to a number of well-known brands. Joe may be seen playing 5 a side, at the gym or playing games on his Playstation when he is not writing.