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Idaho is a bit of a forgotten state. Aside from making potatoes — lots of potatoes — the average American sort of forgets they exist. Not that locals’ minds, though, as they get to enjoy the state’s beautiful scenery all to themselves free of visitors (what Wyoming and Montana probably wished).
We do think of Idaho through the lens of legal sports betting. Idaho is one of 11 states without any kind of legal market. No sports betting apps, nothing! And dare we predict that it’s never, ever going to change? It certainly feels that way to us.
Across the country, including Idaho, states are in the middle of a legislative session. This is where brand-new betting bills usually pop up. Here in Idaho? Not a peep. No proposal. Absolutely zero movement on the issue.
This is why we say Idaho sports betting is probably a fever dream. Increasingly, it’s one of the few states we can say this about. Even Hawaii, which we wouldn’t thought would be the same, flipped its tune recently on sports betting. Read on cause this explains just how far removed Idaho is from doing the same.
Hawaii Likely To Beat Idaho To Sports Betting
Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, and Utah — these four states, we’d argue, are most against legalized betting, not just sports, but also casino and lottery. But get this, among the four, only Idaho has a state-run lottery. So you’d think, maybe, just maybe, they’d be most receptive to sports gambling? Eh, probably not.
We would’ve said the same about Hawaii, which has no lottery to speak of, but they’ve recently made progress towards creating legal sports betting. The news shocked us when we first heard it, but it’s 100 percent true.
The island state recently introduced House Bill 2570, legislation that would open the door to sports gambling. It already cleared a key committee 5-2, and even though a couple of those yes votes came with hesitation, it was still a yes. For a state that doesn’t even have any form of legal betting, that’s not nothing.
The framework itself is narrow. Online-only betting. No casinos. No in-person sportsbooks. A 15 percent tax. At least six operators. It’s not some Vegas-on-the-beach vision — it’s controlled, limited, and structured. And more importantly, lawmakers are actually debating the details instead of killing the idea on arrival. That’s a shift inside the state.
Is it a lock? Not even close. Opposition is loud and rooted in cultural concerns. But the fact that Hawaii is even entertaining the idea tells you how much the national landscape has changed. If Hawaii — of all places — can inch toward sports betting, then Idaho being completely silent starts to look even more stubborn.
Utah Is Closest Comp To Idaho
Perhaps the Hawaii comparison doesn’t make sense for Idaho. While both states are historically opposed to gambling, the similarities between the two pretty much stop there. A better comparison would be Utah, which neighbors Idaho. But more than just geography, the states share similar demographics: a strong population of Latter Day Saints (Mormons, as they’re often called).
Utah isn’t talking about legalizing sports betting at this moment either. But you know what they are doing? Fighting to keep prediction markets out of its state, and that’s really important.
The state of Utah is actively moving along a bill that would ban prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket from its borders. As it stands, these sites have access to the state thanks to federal rules. Utah and many other states think it ought to be a state decision.
Kalshi has already sued the state in federal court, and here’s the wild part: the Utah law we mentioned hasn’t even passed yet. But that’s how confident Kalshi is that Utah plans to block them. The company fell back on its federal regulation. Per usual, they are arguing that event contracts fall under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission — not state gambling laws.
Utah doesn’t see it that way, of course. Governor Spencer Cox has been blunt about it, recently writing this on X:
“These prediction markets you are breathlessly defending are gambling — pure and simple. They are destroying the lives of families and countless Americans, especially young men. They have no place in Utah.”
Cox didn’t stop there either.
“I will use every resource within my disposal as governor of the sovereign state of Utah… to beat you in court.”
Idaho’s Future On Sports Betting
All this is to say if Utah bans Kalshi and other prediction markets, we’d fully expect Idaho to follow suit, too. Right now, prediction markets are one of the easiest ways for locals in Idaho to get action.
But… if that door closes, then there’s still offshore sportsbooks. Since these betting sites are hosted and run outside the United States, they can skirt around local laws more easily. Not only that, but these sites are as good as “traditional” betting apps. Our favorite offshore bookies are listed below:
So yeah, that’s the state of betting in Idaho. Not just today, but for the foreseeable future because we don’t see much, if anything, changing anytime soon. Things are more likely to become more restrictive than open to betting.
Online betting sites 