The States Where Betting On 2024 NBA Draft Odds Is Legal

With the 2024 NBA Draft tipping off on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC), sportsbooks have directed their attention toward Bronny James props and the like. Despite the rising interest in draft betting, particularly NFL odds, NBA Draft odds aren’t available in every state that offers legal sports betting.

Unlike a game with no surefire way of projecting a guaranteed outcome, the NBA Draft is a decision-based event.

Therefore, many states have banned betting on NBA Draft odds. Take New York, which launched legal sports betting in 2021. During the last three years, bettors have wagered on their fair share of NBA odds. Still, customers can’t bet on the NBA Draft in the Big Apple. Other states allow it but have heavy restrictions. So, where exactly can you bet on 2024 NBA Draft odds?

Where Is NBA Draft Betting Legal?

Of the 30 states that offer online sports betting, 15 (plus Washington, D.C.) allow wagers on the NBA Draft without restrictions. These states permit operators to offer an extensive catalog of NBA draft odds, ranging from the first overall pick to player-to-team-specific props.

Legislation green-lights the event as a whole. Notable states in this category include Colorado, Illinois, and recently-minted North Carolina.

Here’s a full list of these states:

• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Florida
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Maine
• Maryland
• Nebraska
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• North Carolina
• Oregon
• Tennessee
• Washington, D.C.
• Wyoming

Louisiana also allows betting on the draft. Nevertheless, this state handles sports betting on a parish level, currently the only one with these jurisdictions. As of 2024, all parishes that legalized sports betting authorize NBA Draft markets. The following parishes have yet to grant online wagering:

• Caldwell
• Catahoula
• Franklin
• Jackson
• La Salle
• Sabine
• Union
• West Carroll
• Winn

Related: NBA Mock Draft By Sportsbook Odds

States That Somewhat Offer NBA Draft Odds

Several other states allow sportsbooks to post NBA Draft betting markets — but not without individually approving each one. For example, Matt Schuler, the Ohio Casino Control Commission Director, individually signs off on every market offered.

In 2023, Ohio offered among the country’s widest range of draft props. However, those betting markets were severely trimmed down for the 2024 NFL Draft. Gov. Mike DeWine has been a proponent of stricter restrictions, banning college prop betting for March Madness odds.

States like Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada paved the way for this trend. These states recognize the possibility of insider trading and restrict markets that aren’t determinant of other outcomes.

Below is a full list of states that enforce restrictions on NBA Draft odds:

• Arizona
• Iowa
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Nevada
• Ohio
• West Virginia

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States That Ban NBA Draft Odds

The remaining seven states with legal sports betting ban markets on the NBA Draft. Most are concentrated in the northeast. New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are the states with the largest betting handles to outlaw wagering on the event. As noted, New York prohibits these markets because “the NBA draft does not fit into the definition of sports wagering as defined by statute.”

In short, these states don’t classify it as a sporting event.

The complete list of states that ban 2024 NBA Draft odds includes:

• Connecticut
• Kentucky
• New York
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Virginia

Many states that have banned NBA Draft betting were among the first states outside Nevada to legalize sports betting. Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia launched in 2018. Kentucky and Vermont, two states that recently introduced legal wagering, followed suit.