Vermont Sports Betting + VT Online Sports Betting

The legalization of sports betting continues to pick up steam around the United States. Many states have embraced the change, welcoming the added economic boost to the state. Others have seen their bills meet opposition, as the legal battle has halted the fun. It seems Vermont is in the “firm no” camp, however, the governor did say he is “willing to listen.” Now, that doesn’t make it any clearer on whether or not sports betting will be legalized sooner rather than later, it’s at least a start. Here are the five things you need to know about Vermont sports betting and VT sports betting apps.

1) Is Vermont Sports Betting Legal?

For the most part, sports betting is not legal in Vermont. Outside of charitable wagers and pari-mutuel horse race betting are the only legal gambling scenarios in the state.

2) What Bills are Currently Before the State Legislature?

There are a few bills on the table that could advance Vermont’s progress towards legal sports betting, including a potential institution of mobile sports betting. However, those bills will not advance further until the state legislators convene on the matter this year. Like many states without formal legal gambling, there are ways to circumvent the laws via offshore books, but as for the state of Vermont proper, there is no legal avenue. Governor Phil Scott has described sports betting as “not the answer to Vermont’s fiscal issues, but I am willing to listen.”

The latest bills waiting in the state legislatures would open up betting considerably in the state, but still have some restrictions. The general direction laws appear to be moving in Vermont is to allow online/mobile sports betting first, with the industry being overseen by the State’s Board of Liquor and Lottery. As is the case with most states moving towards legalizing sports betting, high school sports will be off the table as a gambling option. Esports also appear to be a no-go in that department, as will collegiate athletics involving teams based in Vermont or sporting events taking place within the state.

3) What are the Next Steps for VT Sports Betting?

Vermont approved S 59, a bill that will create a sports betting study committee. The bill was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which moved the bill a day after returning from a 10-day hiatus due to COVID-19. The bill would call for the creation a committee to study how to tax and regulate legal sports betting, and could possibly bring Vermont between $1.1-$4.2 million in tax revenue.

4) What are the Most Popular Teams to Bet on in VT?

Vermont has no major professional sports teams. Because of this, most of the fan — and betting — support can be found for professional teams from around New England area. Thus, naturally, the New England Patriots have plenty of support. As do the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins.

The Vermont Catamounts do get a decent amount of buzz, however. Mostly from the hockey squad, having appeared in the Frozen Four of the NCAA twice since 1996. Outside of that, the Catamounts basketball team gets a small bit of attention if they can sneak into the NCAA Tournament every now and then.

5) Is There Anything Else to Know About Vermont Sports Betting?

In the strict sense, no. Daily fantasy sports is legal if you want to widen the parameters of online gambling, and offshore books like Bovada are accessible to Vermont residents. But any online casinos or bookmakers within the state of Vermont or the United States are not legal for residents.

What are the Most Common Types of Bets I Can Make in Vermont?

Straight bet

This is the most common bet type and it is just a straight up single bet on a game. A point spread is determined by the oddsmakers with one team being favored by a certain amount of points. Let’s take a look at an example line below to give a clear indication of what a straight bet would be:

Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110), moneyline -320

at Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110), moneyline +260

O/U 206

The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points in this example. This means that if you bet the Cavaliers, you are getting 6.5 points, so if the Cavaliers win the game, or lose by fewer than seven points, you will win the bet because of your 6.5-point cushion. On the other side, when you are laying 6.5 points as the favorite, you would need the Celtics to win by seven or more to win the bet.

Final Score: Celtics 102 Cavaliers 98. Cavaliers would cover even though the Celtics won the game because the +6.5 point spread is enough to cover a four-point defeat.

Moneyline Bet

The moneyline is a bet where there is no spread; you are just picking the winner of the game. In the example above, the Cavaliers ML is +260, which means that for every $100 wagered, you win $260 if the Cavaliers win the game outright. They receive the plus side of the moneyline since they are the underdog and picking them rewards you with nice odds since they are projected to likely lose the game. On the flip side, if you bet the Celtics ML at -320, you have to bet $320 to win $100. They are the favorites so if you decide to bet the moneyline instead of the point spread, you are forced to bet additional money to win $100.

In the example above, the Celtics ML would be the winner as they won the game outright. The spread is irrelevant for a moneyline wager.

Over/Under

This is a straight bet wagering on how many total combined points will be scored in a game by both teams. For example, an NBA game may have an over/under of 210 points, which means that the oddsmakers are projecting a combined points total of 210 between the two teams. If you think the teams are going to score more than 210 points total, you bet the over, and conversely, if you think it’s going to be a defensive struggle, you can bet the under hoping that the total points scored equals 209 points or less.

Parlay

A parlay is a bet where you combine multiple bets into one bet and you get increased odds because you only win your parlay wager if all of your bets win. If you do a three-team parlay, you select three different teams from three different games and if you win all three of the bets you hit your parlay for longshot odds (6-1 so $100 to win $600). Going 0/3, 1/3, or 2/3 is all the same and you lose the parlay bet. It’s all or nothing which makes them tough to hit and is more of a home run type bet than a regular straight bet since there’s a chance for a big payoff.

Vermont Sports Betting FAQs