BetMGM Vermont: Legal Betting, Just Not Here

BetMGM Vermont: Not One of the Three Licensed Books

BetMGM Vermont doesn't exist as a product you can download, and it isn't because the brand skipped the state. Vermont legalized mobile sports betting in 2024 and ran a competitive bid for a handful of licenses, BetMGM actually applied, and the state's own scoring process is the reason it still isn't one of the three operators that launched.

Legal status in Vermont

Vermont's legislature authorized up to six mobile sportsbook licenses under Act 103, signed by Governor Phil Scott in June 2023, with the Department of Liquor and Lottery running the selection and setting a 20% minimum revenue-share floor plus a $550,000 operator fee. Five companies submitted bids by the September 2023 deadline — DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, BetMGM, and Penn Interactive (ESPN Bet). On December 12, 2023, the department named only three winners: DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics, with final revenue-share commitments of 31%, 33%, and 31% of gross gaming revenue. BetMGM's bid proposed a variable revenue share that would adjust depending on how many operators the state ultimately selected — a structure the department had already ruled out answering a bidder question earlier in the process. The commissioner said that disqualifying term, not a blanket rejection of the company, is why BetMGM's score came in well behind the other three. Mobile wagering launched January 11, 2024 with just those three books live. Vermont has not run a second licensing round or added a fourth operator since. Online casino play remains illegal in Vermont entirely — no operator, including the three licensed sportsbooks, offers it — so there is no separate casino path for BetMGM here either.

State gambling authority: Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery

BetMGM Vermont isn't a waiting-on-a-launch-date story. It's a company that put in a real bid for a real license and lost on the terms of its own proposal. Vermont legalized mobile sports betting in 2024 through a competitive selection process, and when the state named its winners, BetMGM wasn't one of them — not because it skipped the process, but because of how it answered the state's own rules.

Five Bidders, Three Winners

Act 103, signed by Governor Phil Scott in June 2023, let Vermont's Department of Liquor and Lottery license up to six mobile sportsbooks, with a 20% minimum revenue-share floor and a $550,000 operator fee attached to each license. Five companies filed bids by the September 2023 deadline: DraftKings, FanDuel, Fanatics, BetMGM, and Penn Interactive's ESPN Bet. On December 12, 2023, the department announced its picks — and only three names made the cut. DraftKings and Fanatics committed to a 31% revenue share each; FanDuel went to 33%. Mobile betting went live under those three on January 11, 2024.

The scoring problem, specifically: BetMGM's bid proposed a revenue share that would move depending on how many total operators Vermont selected. The department had already closed off that structure while answering bidder questions earlier in the RFP process. According to the commissioner overseeing the selection, that one disqualifying term is what dragged BetMGM's score below the three winners — not a judgment that BetMGM itself didn't belong in Vermont.

Is BetMGM Legit, Given It Lost the Bid?

Yes — losing a procurement scoring round in one small state isn't a legitimacy problem. BetMGM is a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain, operating under real state licenses in 23 states plus D.C., and it posted about $2.8 billion in net revenue in 2025. The Vermont result is a procurement-mechanics story, not a story about whether the company can be trusted.

Is It Safe to Bet With BetMGM From Vermont?

There's nothing to use safely or unsafely — no real-money BetMGM sportsbook account exists for a Vermont resident to open. The three operators that do have licenses, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics, answer to the Department of Liquor and Lottery directly, and that's the oversight a Vermont bettor is actually working under today.

Could BetMGM Still Get In?

The legal room exists — Act 103 allows up to six licenses and only three are filled — but Vermont hasn't reopened bidding since 2023, and there's no public timeline suggesting it will. If it does, BetMGM would need a bid that fits the state's fixed revenue-share terms, not the variable structure that cost it the first round. Online casino play isn't part of that conversation at all: Vermont hasn't legalized it for any operator, so there's no separate casino opening for BetMGM to chase here either.

Who Should Actually Wait on This

Vermont readers hoping for a BetMGM app shouldn't hold out for one on any particular schedule — there's no second RFP on the calendar, and nothing about losing the first one entitles BetMGM to a spot in a future round. DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics are the only legal mobile sportsbooks in the state right now. Treat any of them as entertainment spending, never income. 21+. Call 1-800-GAMBLER for help.

BetMGM Vermont — Frequently Asked Questions

Is BetMGM legal in Vermont?

Sports betting itself is legal in Vermont, but BetMGM specifically is not one of the licensed operators. The Department of Liquor and Lottery picked DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics in December 2023, and those three remain the only mobile sportsbooks live in the state as of this writing.

Did BetMGM apply for a Vermont license and get rejected?

It applied but didn't win. BetMGM was one of five companies that bid by the September 2023 deadline. Its proposal used a revenue-share structure that would shift depending on how many operators the state picked — a format the department had already told bidders it wouldn't accept. That disqualifying detail is why BetMGM's bid scored far below the three winners, not a decision that the company itself was unfit to operate in Vermont.

Is BetMGM legit, even without a Vermont license?

Yes. BetMGM is a 50/50 joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Entain, licensed and live in 23 states plus Washington D.C., and it posted roughly $2.8 billion in net revenue in 2025. Losing one small state's bid competition on a technical disqualification says nothing about whether the company is legitimate elsewhere.

Is it safe to bet with BetMGM from a Vermont address?

There's no real-money BetMGM account Vermont residents can open, so the usual license-and-recourse checklist doesn't apply. The three sportsbooks that are live here — DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics — operate under the Department of Liquor and Lottery's direct oversight instead.

Will BetMGM ever launch in Vermont?

Possibly — Act 103 authorizes up to six licenses, and only three slots are filled, so the legal room exists. But Vermont hasn't reopened bidding since the original 2023 round, and BetMGM would have to submit a bid that actually meets the state's fixed revenue-share terms next time, not the variable structure that sank its first attempt.

Does BetMGM have a casino option in Vermont?

No, and nothing does — Vermont has not legalized online casino play for any operator. BetMGM's casino product is a narrow four-state footprint nationally (Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia) anyway, so Vermont was never positioned to get it even if the sportsbook situation changes.