Vermont Casinos and Gambling

Short summary: The US state of Vermont is among those that are not very favorable towards gambling activities, neither land-based nor online. Most forms of gambling are prohibited in this country.However, SPORTS BETTING IS NO LONGER LISTED AMONG PROHIBITED GAMBLING ACTIVITIES! As of early 2024, the state of Vermont has officially permitted a select number of online sports operators to legally operate within its market.

But, when it comes to other forms of gambling…

There are no plans for land-based casinos or online casino games in the near future. Charitable gambling, which includes games such as raffles, bingo, card games is permitted with relatively relaxed regulations, and the state’s lottery is the main gambling option available to residents. The state’s approach to gambling reflects its financial stability and cautious stance on expanding gambling options.

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Vermont is one of the least-populous and smallest American states. Three-quarters of the state’s tiny land mass (smaller than the island nation of Jamaica) is covered in thick forests.

Vermont is best-known as the maple syrup capital of the world. If none of these facts call gambling to mind, you’re not alone – the state is devoid of land-based and online casinos, offering traditional casino games. But, starting 2024, sports betting platforms, including three operators, were officially approved to operate within the state of Vermont.

Thus interesting state in that it skews Liberal and is nearly surrounded by states with legal forms of Commercial Gambling, (even tiny New Hampshire has legal card rooms—which are actually kind of neat if you ever get the chance to check one out) but they don’t seem particularly interested in commercializing gambling at this time.

They say that, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and if that’s true, it’s also the grandmother of regulated gambling. In the case of slots at the racetracks to essentially save them—which later would evolve into full casino gambling. Other states have used gambling as a means to correct budget deficits or to shore up their budgets, so that’s why you see gambling beginning to take hold nationwide in recent decades. It finally occurred to many states that it’s a good little moneymaker for them.

In the case of Vermont, it operates with quite solid annual budgets, which cover the state’s needs. In the economic sense, it seems that there is no need for the development of new industries, such as opening of the land-based or online casino sector in the interest of revenue inflows. It’s also possible that they would like to have a major casino, if they were to have one at all, but there’s not really a market in the area that would justify such an endeavor.

So, if there are going to be any casinos at all, they will likely be smaller local casino type places, but even that is not something we expect to see anytime soon.

Even video lottery terminals in bars (and the creation of slot parlors) seems pretty unlikely. The closest the state has ever come is to offer little machines in various locations that have games that can be played immediately, but none of these games are similar to video poker or slots. In fact, traditional lottery drawing tickets can also be purchased from those same machines.

Online Gambling

Although, as mentioned, Vermont maintains a solid annual budget and does not necessarily need to develop new economic sectors, the state followed in the footsteps of its neighbors, New York and New Hampshire, to assess the potential economic boost from the sports betting industry. After years of careful deliberation, Vermont finally entered the legalization process in 2023, officially completing it by June of that year. With this move, Vermont became the last state in New England to legalize sports betting, a decision that was met with enthusiasm from sports bettors across the state who had eagerly awaited this opportunity.

This development also sparked hope among casino enthusiasts, raising the possibility that traditional casino games might eventually be legalized as well. However, as mentioned earlier, the chances of Vermont embracing this broader form of gambling in the near future remain quite slim.

Sportsbetting is now legal in Vermont, but to minimize potential issues related to online gambling, it remains a highly regulated activity. Currently, only three sportsbook operators hold licenses to operate in the state market: DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics. Before tackling what these brands offer, let’s first discuss their economic impact.

Each of these operators is required to contribute at least 20% of their revenue to the state in taxes. Specialists predicted that Vermont will accumulate more approximately $2 million in tax revenue from online sports betting in 2024, with an upward tendency leading to projections of up to $10 million annually by 2026 Part of these tax funds will go toward promoting responsible gambling practices. Interestingly, it turned out that the amount of 2024 tax is even higher than expected.

For years, the state claimed there was no need to legalize gambling activities due to a stable economy. However, by observing the economic development in neighboring states that have legalized sportsbetting, Vermont recognized the potential financial benefits of this industry. With clearly defined laws, their implementation, and establishing that the rules are followed in practice, Vermont can keep this industry under control, without major risks of social problems in connection with gambling. Vermont can, so to speak, have one’s cake and eat it too.

The green light has been given to three of very popular operators, who are also successfully working on other US sportsbetting markets. Thanks to the rich offerings of DraftKings, FanDuel and Fanatics, sports enthusiasts have access to a wide range of sports content.The available content covers popular options such as NFL, NBA, and college football, as well as a variety of other sports markets. s can enjoy typical features like live betting, promotions, and bonuses, similar to what is offered in other US states where these platforms operate.

We emphasize that the sports content provided by these brands is exclusively available online, with no physical locations for placing bets in person. Additionally, the minimum age for sports betting in Vermont is 21 years. s unable to their legal age will have their deposits rejected, and their s will be closed. This enforcement aligns with the Responsible Play policy, which is strictly adhered to by each of the three licensed sportsbook operators.

Despite the progress in the sportsbetting area, we are still very skeptical that there will be any changes when it comes to the legalization of content such as slot machines, poker, board games.

We still believe that it is highly unlikely that Vermont will authorize regulated casino-style games anytime soon, so we would encourage you to check out our top picks below if that’s more your flavor!

Fortunately, there are a number of offshore casinos who would be interested in having Vermonters as players, so those interested can find our top recommendations above!

Basically, any gambling activity that is not specifically regulated by the state is considered illegal, as we have found on Wizard of Odds:

Other than State-Sanctioned forms of gambling, illegal gambling of any sort is punishable by a fine of $10-$200, though there are no apparent penalties that would result in incarceration.

The fine is pretty miniscule, so players who wish to gamble online shouldn’t be too alarmed. Besides that, we have encountered no instance of a player actually facing such a fine for the mere act of playing from home at an online casino.

Of course, state laws would have various penalties for operators who are conducting unlawful gambling. Naturally, online casinos that would offer their services in Vermont are located overseas, and therefore, out of the state’s jurisdictional reach.

Charitable Gambling

The Attorney General’s site summarizes the most relevant aspects of charitable gambling as well as I could, so let’s take a look at what it has to say:

Who may operate games of chance?

Only bona fide nonprofit organizations that have engaged in charitable, educational, religious or civic activities in Vermont may operate games of chance. Bona fide nonprofits include nonprofit corporations that qualify for tax exempt status under federal law (501(c) status), churches, schools, fire departments, municipalities, fraternal organizations and agricultural fairs.

In addition, to be able to legally organize such activities, non-profit organizations must also submit the necessary documentation to the authorities, including proof of existence and financial records.

What types of gambling are allowed?

The gambling law allows nonprofits to operate games of chance like raffles, bingo, card games and “break-open” tickets. Slot machines and other mechanical gambling devices such as “Cherry Master” or “Money Machines” are prohibited.

What prizes are allowed?

As a general rule, prizes are limited to $400 per game. A $1,000 prize may be offered at one game each day. A $5,000 prize may be offered once a month. A motor vehicle, boat, or firearm worth up to $50,000 may be offered as a prize once a year. Exception: A nonprofit organization may exceed the prize limitations four days per year, so long as the days are at least 20 days apart. The total prize money offered for all games on that day must not be more than $20,000.

How often can bingo, lottery, and raffle events be held?

An organization may hold games twice a week. Nonprofits can operate games on three consecutive days twice a year, so long as there are at least 90 days between each three-day event. Generally, the same location cannot be used for gambling activities more than twice a week. However, nonprofits in existence on January 1, 1994 can share a location and each may use it twice a week for ordinary gambling events.

How often can “Casino Night” events be held?

A nonprofit organization may organize and execute no more than one casino night in any calendar month. A location owned by a nonprofit may be the site of no more than two casino events in any calendar month as long as there are at least 10 days between each event. A location not owned by a nonprofit may be the site of no more than one casino event in any calendar quarter or three casino event in any calendar year as long as there are at least 15 days between each event.

Is there a licensing or advance approval requirement to operate and execute games of chance to conduct gambling events for nonprofits?

There are no licensing requirements to simply operate any of these games in Vermont. However, you should review the applicable statutes concerning the operation and execution of these games, or consult with a private attorney to ensure compliance with all laws.

A license must be obtained from the Commissioner of Liquor Control prior to manufacturing or selling and distributing break open tickets for resale.

Furthermore, an individual who possesses a liquor license who wants to conduct games of chance on licensed premises must first obtain a permit from the Department of Liquor control and will be subject to financial disclosure requirements.

We’re calling this fair use under research purposes and also it comes from a Government website, so while we normally wouldn’t quote to such an extent, we’re just sharing publicly-available information.

Anyway, Vermont is actually fairly generous when it comes to the conduct of Charitable Gambling. They don’t have any licensing requirements in particular and basically just allow the entities involved to make sure that they are both qualified and abide by all of the state’s rules. The state also does not appear to take a cut of proceeds, so all monies are either returned to players, go towards expenses or benefit the organization in some other way.

Even actual, “Casino Nights,” with Vegas-style table games are permitted once a month, which is something that a lot of states (Texas is one example) can’t say for themselves.

Organizations and bars (with permission of the liquor board) are even permitted to sell Pull Tabs, which are referred to by the state as, “Break-Open tickets,” and even then the state itself does not take a cut of the proceeds directly. Licensing is required for manufacturers and distributors, but not for the entities directly selling the Pull Tabs to the customers.

All things considered, Vermont has some of the more…um…charitable charitable gambling laws in the entire country!

Pari-Mutuel Betting

The first thing that we should mention is that Vermont was once home to active horse racing and greyhound racing tracks. However, dog racing was made illegal (awesome!) quite some time ago. Horse racing (and betting on same live) remains legal, but there are currently no active horse racing tracks in the state and have not been for several years.

In of simulcast wagering, the law is pretty ambiguous when it comes to off-track betting. As a practical matter, these are very few in number and are mostly located in bars.

There was a bill to officially legalize off-track (simulcast) wagering in 1991, but that bill was vetoed by then-Governor Richard A. Snelling and no equivalent has ever made it that far. While nobody officially voted in favor of the veto, there were insufficient votes against it to overcome.

Snelling cited, at that time, that the state would essentially be collecting revenues to distribute to only one town, which he felt would set a bad precedent. In addition, he stated that Vermont had no real interest in expanding their gambling footprint, in general. It seems not much has changed in this regard in the last nearly three decades.

Anyway, any bars that offer off-track betting are doing so in a legally ambiguous way, but it’s doubtful that the state really cares that much. There are easily accessible websites where horse race bettors can do the same thing, so as long as it doesn’t get too big, chances are nobody will notice.

It’s theoretically possible that a new horse racing track will open, or an existing one come back to life, but we very much doubt it. Most other states authorized casinos and racinos, amongst other reasons, to save their existing tracks. It’s really just a sport that has reached the final years of its life cycle, but it had a good run.

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If you want to get extremely technical, social gambling (such as a home poker game) would also be illegal according to the letter of the law. Naturally, the cops aren’t going to break into someone’s house and fine a bunch of people for sitting in some guy’s living room having a friendly game, but you definitely want to avoid advertising it or having anything that can even be construed as a rake, or you might draw some unwanted attention.

Vermont Lottery

Even some of the most (but not all) gambling-averse states have a lottery, and Vermont is no exception in this regard. We’ll take a look at the most recent Vermont Lottery Annual Report available to us, which can be found here.

The most recent available is for Fiscal Year 2022, so let’s check out some numbers:

In total, the Lottery sold $151,483,632 in tickets for 2022 against $104,532,470 in prizes.

This is a a 6% decrease from 2021. Those responsible in the Lottery justify this drop in lottery sales to the lack of interest of buyers in jackpot tickets – during 2022, no major jackpot wins occurred.

Land Casinos In Vermont

Sorry, no luck here and it’s not likely anytime soon.

The most recent modicum effort was an effort in 2012 to get the legislature to consider the possibility of casinos, but that didn’t even make it out of committee. Vermont might well have saved the horse racing tracks by allowing them to have video lottery terminals, but the state didn’t even make an attempt. They were content to just let horse racing live or die on its own.

In short, Vermont is probably going to have to face a serious cash crunch (at the state level) before you see any consideration of a meaningful expansion to the legal gambling offerings.

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Conclusion

Vermont’s a truly lovely state with some terrific people, but it is not the place you want to be if you like casino-style gambling.

But if you are a fan of sports betting, this country, though new to the scene, now offers excellent opportunities!

Any chance online casinos will soon become available to Vermont players?

Again, there’s also the question of necessity. The answer to the question is that there isn’t any necessity. The State of Vermont is doing just fine financially, especially with the recent opening of the market to online sports betting. Things might change if that situation ever changes, but when gambling is first authorized commercially, it’s usually a state that needs money that points to the states with legal gambling and says, “Look how much money we could be making!”

But while there’s life there’s hope, and the example of sportsbetting shows that even long-standing, rigid attitudes can change over time.