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Retail Sports Betting in TN. If you know anything about gambling in Tennessee, then you must already know that there are no physical casinos in Tennessee. Players who were overcome by the desire to quench their gambling thirst had to travel to different states to take a hit at their favorite gambling games. There are no Tennessee casinos or gambling other than the state lottery. Charities may not hold bingo games but may spread low limit raffles for prizes but not cash. That is the only other form of gambling if you can call it that. There are, however, many event centers that will provide transport to casinos within nearby states. Don't miss the action and excitement at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort! We now feature live table games like Blackjack, Roulette, Craps and more of your favorites!

Tennessee, the home of country music and amazing barbecue, is extremely conservative when gambling is concerned. Without a doubt, it’s one of the most restrictive states in the US.

To further promote its conservatism, the Volunteer State doesn’t have any land-based casinos within its borders. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean its residents can’t have a legit gambling experience online. So, let’s see what is the current situation of online gambling in Tennessee.

Top 5 Tennessee Online Casinos

Is Online Gambling Legal in Tennessee?

Compared to other US states, Tennessee can be considered a bit contradictory. Let us explain — one of the conditions to legalize online gambling is to have land-based casinos partner up with online operators. Well, Tennessee has done the exact opposite.

The state doesn’t have any land-based casinos, however, it has legalized online sports betting. And, that is the only form of online gambling legal in the state. Online sports betting operators need to have agreements with national sports leagues.

First off, daily fantasy sports have been legalized in 2016, which has been an enormous step forward for the Volunteer State. In 2019, Tennessee has made online sports betting legal. By doing so, it became the first state in the US to have online sports betting as the only legal form of gambling.

We still can’t say with certainty when we will see the launch of online sportsbooks in TN, but, that will be the only possible way of placing bets — no land-based and retail sportsbooks will be introduced.

In 2017, there has been an attempt to make casinos legal, but it took the committee less than a month to turn that proposal down. Up until today, there have been no additional attempts to legalize casinos, land-based or online.

All operators willing to operate in Tennessee will have to pay $750,000 annually to renew their licenses. While it’s a big price to pay, we still believe operators see the potential of operating on the Tennessee market.

Future of Online Gambling in Tennessee

The timetable for legalizing online gambling in TN doesn’t exist. While we want to believe that the legalization of online sports betting has only been the start of something bigger, we might have to come to terms with the fact that it might not happen anytime soon.

Making any forms of casino gambling legal doesn’t seem to be a priority to the Tennessee government. Moreover, at one point, the governor Bill Lee said that he’s thankful to the state lawmakers for managing to avoid building any land-based casinos within the state borders.

With that in mind, Tennessee residents continue to travel across the borders to visit other land-based casinos in their vicinity. If the state of Tennessee were to legalize any forms of gambling in the future, we believe it would be online casinos, and no land-based casinos will be built in the near future.

Land-Based Casino Options in Tennessee

No, there are no land-based casinos in the state of Tennessee. While we expected a conservative southern state to ban commercial casinos, we were surprised to see that the Volunteer State doesn’t even have tribal casinos.

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The reason behind this goes back a long time — in the 1830s all tribes east of Mississippi were forcibly moved to the frontier. And even today, there are no federally recognized tribes that would run tribal casinos.

Other Gambling Options in TN

We have found very few gambling options available to the Tennessee residents. The state doesn’t have any race tracks or betting shops. The only form of betting that’s legal is the off-track betting on horse racing. Betting on greyhounds is forbidden in Tennessee.

Even charitable gambling isn’t completely legal — you can participate in the annual raffle and cakewalks, but these events are small compared to other states. Social Gambling is somewhat legal, but you need to be careful when choosing the type of social game because some of them can be illegal.

The only form of casino gambling that’s legal in Tennessee is a free-play social casino — there are prizes, but they aren’t money-related. You can play games in these social casinos for amusement.

The State Lottery is legal. It was established in 2003, and the first ticket was sold in 2004. Tennessee residents can now buy Mega Millions and Powerball tickets and participate in the State Lottery.

If you want to try out real money casino games, you can do so in offshore online casinos. However, you should be careful when you’re choosing which offshore casino to play in. These online gaming platforms don’t fall under the state’s jurisdiction, and therefore the state laws don’t apply to them.

On the one hand, that’s a good thing, but, if something goes wrong, you can’t rely on the Tennessee authorities for help. Because of that, you should always check out the offshore casino, and choose a reliable and trustworthy one.

FAQ

Unfortunately, online casinos aren’t legal in the state of Tennessee. The state has only legalized online sports betting, but there are no land-based casinos these online sportsbooks can partner up with.

There are no strict laws regarding offshore gambling sites. Therefore, we can’t say they are legal or illegal. They simply don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Tennessee authorities. The residents can play in offshore casinos, however, they need to be careful when choosing which site they want to play on.

If you want to partake in any gambling activity in the state of Tennessee, you need to be older than 21. This is the most common legal age for gambling throughout the United States.

Interestingly enough, the state of Tennessee doesn’t have any land-based casinos. The only legal land-based gambling options in TN are betting on horse races in certain facilities, and some forms of charitable gambling.

No, unfortunately, online poker isn’t legalized in Tennessee. However, if you want to play online poker, you can do so in offshore online casinos that accept players from the United States. Offshore gaming isn’t prohibited, and players from the US won’t be persecuted for taking part in offshore gambling activities.

Until recently, Tennessee online gambling seemed like a remote possibility. That is until Governor Bill Lee returned a landmark sports betting bill without a signature. Under state law, the governor’s failure to sign allowed the bill to become law. The first legal online sports betting apps launched in Tennessee on November 1, 2020.

Tennessee has historically been conservative in its stance on legal gambling. For many years, the lottery was the only option available to gambling enthusiasts in The Volunteer State. Currently, Tennessee players have access to online casino gaming through sweepstakes casino sites and sweepstakes poker sites. These include options to play slots online at sites like Chumba Casino, LuckyLand, and FunzPoints, as well as online poker at Global Poker.

Tennessee is unique in that its sports betting legislation authorizes online-only operators to offer sportsbooks in the state. There are no land-based casinos in Tennessee, so the push to allow online sports betting makes sense.

Legal Online Gaming Options In Tennessee

Tennessee Online Sports Betting Snapshot

Tennessee is staged to become a pioneer for online sports betting. The state’s online-only approach in the absence of land-based casinos is unique among regulated US jurisdictions. While the regulatory landscape in Tennessee will look different from states like New Jersey or Illinois, the online offering will likely mirror those of other states with digital sportsbooks.

Online sportsbooks grow in popularity by the day because they are accessible and fast. If you want to bet on a specific game, you don’t have to coordinate travel to a land-based property in time to place your wager before or during the game.

Players love online sportsbooks because they allow 24/7 access to sports betting. Whether you’re a fan of international soccer leagues or local football teams, you can place bets on your phone while mobile.

Tennessee bettors will no doubt find this positive. The Volunteer State has an NFL, NHL, and NBA team, plus a big NCAA sports fanbase. Now that online apps are live, Tennessee is a prime market for online sports betting with a wide array of sports fans across the state.

Check out our Guide To Online Sports Betting In Tennessee.

Live Tennessee Sports Betting Apps As Of November 1, 2020:

• Action 24/7

Rules & Regulations

Tennessee already placed certain regulations on sports betting for when it eventually launches in the state. Bettors must be within state lines, which will be verified by geolocation technology. Also, players need to be at least 21 years of age.

Some further rules for Tennessee online gambling will bar certain people from participating in sports betting to lower the risk of corruption. The following groups will be unable to bet on sports in Tennessee:

• Professional/college athletes and coaches
• An employee of the Tennessee Lottery (who oversees sports betting in the state)
• Anyone who can directly impact the outcome of a sporting contest or match
• An employee of any sports team or league’s governing body
• Board members, owners, partners, and officers of a license-provider, license holder, or professional sports team.

The state has a few other stipulations surrounding college betting. No prop bets on in-play wagers will be available on college matches. Tennessee bettors will have to stick to professional sports for those wagers.

Tennessee Online Gambling Status

Tennessee historically offered very little in terms of online gambling. However, with the rapid growth of sports betting across the US and the continuing adoption of other online gaming forms in various states, new options are opening up to Tennessee online gamblers.

Here’s an overview of other legal online gambling options in Tennessee beyond sports betting. Also included are those that are not yet legal but could come to the state in the future.

Daily Fantasy Sports

In 2016, Tennessee became the third US state (after Virginia and Indiana) to officially authorize Daily Fantasy Sports. DFS enjoys a solid presence in The Volunteer State. Currently, there are seven operators licensed to run DFS contests in Tennessee:

• FanDuel
• FantasyDraft
• SportsHub Technologies, Inc.
• Two Nine Gaming, Inc.
• Underdog Sports, Inc.
• Yahoo!

Daily Fantasy Sports is available to anyone over the age of 18 in Tennessee. DFS players on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings are able to log into sportsbooks from those operators now that sports betting is live in Tennessee.

Tennessee Online Horse Race Betting

Tennessee state law neither prohibits nor allows online horse race betting directly. In fact, the state has gone back and forth, legislatively speaking, on whether to allow race tracks and accompanying wagers in the state. The advent of sports betting could spurn more legal action. As of now, though, horse racing in Tennessee remains in limbo.

However, a number of operators offer online options to Tennessee bettors looking to wager on races around the world.

Tennessee hosts no race tracks within its borders, so many horse racing enthusiasts turn to the online space.

Sites like TVG, TwinSpires, and BetAmerica are the most popular online horse race betting destinations. All three (and a few others) can be found in Tennessee. These sites support races from all over the US and beyond, so even though Tennessee is devoid of race tracks, racing fans can still enjoy placing wagers.

See our comprehensive Guide To Online Horse Racing In Tennessee.

Tennessee Online Casinos

Although legal online casino gambling for real money is illegal in the state, there are some other options for legal gaming in Tennessee. These are legal gaming options that give Tennessee bettors the change to play slots and table games online for cash prizes.

Players in Tennesse have access to online gaming at these sites:

• Chumba Casino
• Global Poker
• LuckyLand Casino

Sweepstakes Casino Sites

In the absence of a legal online casino presence, Tennessee players may encounter sweepstakes casino sites.

These sites offer a variety of online casino games like slots, blackjack, and roulette. Players purchase in-game currency (which costs real money) called “coins” or similar. Those coins can be used to play casino games, but cannot be redeemed for cash. The sweepstakes model comes in with “sweeps coins” or “sweeps cash.” Whenever you purchase in-game currency, you’re given a small allotment of sweeps currency, which can be redeemed for cash prizes.

Sweepstakes sites offer a mail-in option, which allows players to receive free sweeps cash via mail-in request. This is what allows sweepstakes casinos like Chumba Casino or LuckyLand to operate legally, even in states with strict online gambling prohibitions.

These sites can be a fun alternative to real-money casino gaming especially in states like Tennessee that bar online casinos. But you should use them with caution in The Volunteer State due to vague legislation.

Sweepstakes Poker

Sweepstakes poker sites use the same model as their sweepstakes casino counterparts. In fact, the same company that runs Chumba Casino also owns Global Poker, the most popular sweepstakes poker site.

The idea is the same: players can purchase coins to use in poker games, and each purchase also gives the player a small amount of sweeps cash. Mail-in offers allow players to redeem free sweeps cash.

Like similar casino sites, sweepstakes poker can be an excellent alternative to full-fledged online poker rooms.

Online Casino And Poker In Tennessee

Online casinos are illegal in Tennessee alongside online poker.

The two often go hand-in-hand when legislation is drafted. But currently, Tennessee shows no signs of intent to legalize either online poker rooms or casinos. The state remains opposed to online gambling in these forms.

Notably, online sports betting can often pave the way for new regulations surrounding online casino and poker rooms. If Tennessee is successful in its online-only sports betting push, lawmakers could become more amenable to other forms of online gaming.

Online Lottery

Tennessee has strict rules in place with regard to lottery sales. Players cannot purchase tickets online.

Instead, lottery players in Tennessee are required to purchase tickets and draw games at a licensed retailer. Further, you can only purchase lottery tickets with cash. No debit or credit purchases are permitted.

The Tennessee Lottery does have a mobile app, though it is purely informational. It can help you find a licensed retailer. But you’ll have to actually make an in-person visit to purchase any lottery products.

The state and its legislators have given no indication that online lottery sales are a prospect for the future.

Tennessee’s Online Gambling History

Online gambling in The Volunteer State has a short history that has grown busier in recent years. Tennessee’s story begins at the federal level, then picks up in 2016 and beyond with significant developments.

Online Gaming On A Federal Level

To put it mildly, the US federal government has been wishy-washy in terms of online gambling legislation. Under the Federal Wire Act of 1961, the government prohibited all forms of online gaming.

2011 brought hope for a reversal of that stance when the US Department of Justice indicated that the Wire Act applied only to sports betting. That declaration wasn’t the end of it.

In the years following, various administrations and organizations reversed and re-reversed the decision so many times, it’s become a bit of a mess to track. In 2018, the Justice Department under the Trump administration retracted the 2011 opinion, and the Wire Act went back to covering all forms of online gambling.

After, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Justice Department are caught in a tug-of-war regarding The Wire Act, and nobody is quite sure which side will come out on top. Bottom line: the federal stance on online gaming is confusing, and it’s likely to stay that way as the government fights internally over what The Wire Act covers.

This back-and-forth has little impact on Tennessee, however, because the state still bars online gaming in its own laws. Any legitimate federal reversal would need to be followed by state-specific laws before online gaming could reasonably become a reality in Tennessee.

Tennessee’s Sports Betting Push

Tennessee gave its first indication that it would welcome sports betting in 2016 when it became the third state to officially authorize Daily Fantasy Sports. DFS legalization isn’t always a harbinger of regulated online sports betting, but a combination of federal shifts and Tennessee laws made that the case for The Volunteer State.

In 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional. This left the decision to legalize sports betting to individual states. Many, including Tennessee, have already acted to regulate and launch online sportsbooks.

In 2019, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee allowed the state’s sports betting bill to become law without his signature. The Tennessee Lottery will oversee sports betting under the bill. The state launched online sports betting by November 1, 2020.

For now, Tennessee seems laser-focused on sports betting. State lawmakers have given no indication that they intend to legalize other forms of online gambling like casinos or poker rooms. In addition to sports, Tennessee players have access to online casinos in the form of sweepstakes casino sites and sweepstakes poker.

Live Gambling In Tennessee

Tennessee is a bit of an oddball compared to other states with a gambling presence. With no land-based casinos, sportsbooks, or race tracks, the state has embraced online sports betting without any brick-and-mortar properties.

Rather than move to build properties or allow casino/race track operators to expand into the state, Tennessee effectively jumped ahead by regulating online sportsbooks. This could mean a great variety for players because online operators won’t need to spend time negotiating partnerships with land-based casino owners before they can launch.

Tennessee Gambling Quick Facts

Casino Options For Tennessee Gamblers

Tennessee’s conservative stance on gambling looks like it will hold for the foreseeable future, at least in relation to land-based gaming. Even if the state chose to allow gambling, it would be years before a casino could be licensed, built, and opened within state lines.

Tennessee may have no land-based casinos, but fortunately, a number of neighboring states have properties that are easily accessible to Tennessee residents willing to travel a short distance. Here’s a rundown of land-based casinos close to Tennessee:

Tennessee Lottery Overview

The Tennessee Education Lottery Corporation runs the Tennessee Lottery. Players can enjoy a variety of instant tickets and draw games for a chance at big prizes.

Tennessee’s lottery games can only be purchased in-person at a licensed and authorized retailer. For more information on any of the games below, you can head to the Tennessee lottery games page.

Instant Games

The Tennessee lottery offers a large portfolio of lottery instant games. They range in price from $1 to $30, and many feature prizes up to $1 million.

Tennessee Powerball And Mega Millions

These games draw twice weekly, and winners get a piece of a huge jackpot, usually exceeding $100 million.

Lotto America

This twice-weekly draw game has a prize that regularly reaches more than a few million dollars.

Cash 4 Life

There’s a winner every night in this game. The top prize? $1,000 a day for life.

Tennessee Ca$h

Win hundreds of thousands of dollars in this game that draws on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Keno To Go

Keno To Go has a drawing every five minutes with a top prize of $100,000. The game is a bit more complex than other draw games, so take a look at the how to play page before you get started.

Cash 3 And Cash 4

Cash 3 and Cash 4 feature top prizes of $500 and $5,000, respectively. They offer morning and evening drawings almost every day of the week for maximum chances to win.

Horse Racing In Tennessee

Though it has no race tracks within state borders, Tennessee racing enthusiasts can still wager on horse races.

For those willing to travel, the Kentucky Downs race track in Franklin, Kentucky, is the nearest physical race track. Otherwise, online betting is available via TVG, TwinSpires, BetAmerica, and other providers.

There have been some attempts to revive the racing industry in Tennessee, but progress is stalled. As of now, there’s no clear-cut answer as to whether Tennessee will bring physical horse races to the state any time soon.

More Information On Tennessee Gambling

Tennessee Gambling FAQ

No. Fortunately, it’s impossible to break this law because there are no casinos or even race tracks in Tennessee. The state does not allow any brick-and-mortar gambling institutions.

Tennessee gambling enthusiasts will need to travel to a nearby state like Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Mississippi, or North Carolina to find a land-based casino.

Yes. However, online sportsbooks launched on November 1.

Tennessee is unique in that it will allow online sports betting operators to launch in the state without being tethered to a land-based casino. Sportsbooks will be online- and mobile-only.

You will not need to be a Tennessee resident to participate in sports betting in the state.

Anyone within state lines (verified by geolocation technology) and over the age of 21 will be able to place a wager. When you sign up for an account, you will confirm your identity and your age with your social security number.

Anyone over the age of 21 and within state lines will be able to place a wager at an online sportsbook in Tennessee.

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Anyone over 18 can play Tennessee Lottery games or participate in Daily Fantasy Sports contests.

No. Tennessee gambling law is very broad and prohibits casino gaming across the board. This includes online casinos.

Players may find an alternative site like Chumba or LuckyLand casino. These sites operate as sweepstakes and can offer casino games online because of the model they use.

There will likely be a large number of providers. DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM are confirmed license-holders in Tennessee and launched on the first day of betting. Expect other big-name operators like Caesars, William Hill, FOX Bet, PointsBet, and many more to launch online sportsbooks in Tennessee.

Yes. Online sportsbooks care about their customers and offer high-level encryption on par with practices used by banks and online shopping retailers.

Online sportsbooks are also regulated by The Tennessee Lottery, which will put rules in place to keep your information safe and secure with any operator who offers sports betting.

Casino In Tennessee Near Georgia

Tennessee bettors have access to iOS and Android apps.

Apple prohibits gambling apps unless they’re developed in its native programming language. Most major providers do this so they can offer their app in the iOS app store. Google Play does not allow gambling apps, but players can download the Android app directly from operator websites.

This depends on your preferences. If you sign up for multiple sites, you can take advantage of each provider’s sign-up bonuses and net a few extra dollars you can use to bet.

Stick with one operator, though, and you’ll get more accustomed to how things work. If you join their loyalty program, you have an incentive to keep your betting on their site and could stand to gain more rewards from frequent use of a single site.