Top Las Vegas Sportsbooks for Fight Betting

For decades, Las Vegas has been the king of world-class entertainment, including renowned music shows, glittering nightlife and of course the high-stakes gambling scene. Nevada has a thriving sport betting infrastructure that continues to cement the state as one the best sports wagering scenes in the U.S., both for people who like to try their luck at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and those who prefer to bet online.

Thanks to the state’s rich history of legislation supporting gambling, it has the most legally regulated avenues to bet on sports out of any state by far. This detailed guide will tell you everything you need to know about sports betting in Nevada, including how to use Nevada’s betting apps and all the legal ins and outs.

The Legal Status of Sports Betting in Vegas

Nevada’s laws allowing sports betting were the first to be passed in the U.S. In the more than 70 years since, the legislation has evolved into a potpourri of various policies and amendments added throughout the decades, some of which make more sense than others.

Although gambling is legal and encouraged in the state, it’s far from a free-for-all potluck where anything goes. The detailed regulations are strictly enforced, and you can get into trouble if you try to wager outside the lines.

Nevada first made general gambling legal in 1931 in an attempt to wiggle out from under the thumb of the Great Depression, which was in full force at the time. Almost 20 years later, they finally extended the regulation to cover sports betting, which was legalized statewide in 1949.

In 2010, as the internet started to become ubiquitous, Nevada officially legalized online sportsbooks. By 2013, all forms of online gambling were legal, including poker and other interactive games.

Today, you can legally bet online on almost any sport but only via an app after an in-person registration process. This means that none of Nevada’s sportsbooks allow betting through a website on your desktop computer. You must use a smartphone or tablet to place online sports bets.

All sports betting apps have to work in conjunction with a sportsbook that has a physical location. This is to help verify customer fidelity when opening a new account, and it also helps keep sports betting in orbit around the casino scene. Anyone who wants to use a sports betting app in Nevada has to pay a visit to one of the app’s brick-and-mortar partners to sign up and deposit their first balance face to face.

If you prefer to place your bets in person, the entire state is stuffed full of casinos and racetracks that run legal sportsbooks. The Las Vegas Strip is at the center of these, with miles of casinos and their sportsbooks, one after the other.

Most sporting events are fair game to bet on in Vegas. The law only prohibits “amateur non-collegiate sport or athletic” events. This is meant mostly to exempt minors playing high school sports from betting pressures. The law was worded that way to also prohibit betting on certain Olympic sports.

While some states have betting taxes as high as 10%, the state of Nevada only imposes a 6.75% tax on gross revenue made from sports betting. There’s also a federal handle tax of 0.25%.

How To Start Betting on Sports in Vegas

App or Physical Sportsbook

Whether you prefer to bet on sports online or at a retail sportsbook, either way, you’ll have to make the trip to one of Vegas’ physical sportsbook locations to get started. Even with the in-person requirement, it’s a simple process.

You don’t have to be a resident of Nevada to open an account with sports betting app. Anyone within the state’s borders can bet on sports online or in person, even tourists who are just visiting.

Pick a Sportsbook

Shop around for a land-based or online sportsbook. Read some app reviews or check out photos of the casinos and racetracks near you.

If you decide to install an app, you’ll need to visit one of the physical locations affiliated with the app before you can start placing bets. Most apps are connected to only one or two physical options, but a few have multiple physical venues in strategic locations around Vegas to make signing up as easy as possible.

Create an Account

When you get to the land-based sportsbook, you’ll start by filling out the paperwork to open your account. You’ll need your basic information for the application and your tax information, including your Social Security number, for the W-9 form. You’ll also need valid identification, although it doesn’t need to be from Nevada, and to be at least 21 or older.

You’re required by law to make your first deposit face-to-face at the physical sportsbook. Most sportsbooks have a minimum deposit of $50 – $100.

All legal sports betting apps available in Nevada use geo-targeting to limit their functionality to within state borders only. As soon as you leave state lines, you won’t be able to use any Nevada-based betting app.

Place Your Bets

If you want to bet online, depending on what app you’ll be using, you might be finished with the physical sportsbook. A few of the available sports betting apps let you withdraw any winnings or deposit more funds remotely after your first in-person visit. If that’s the case with your app, you’re free to go wherever you want in Nevada and use the app to place bets whenever you’re ready.

If you prefer to bet in person, find a seat in the casino or other physical sportsbook, and claim it as your office for the day. Make sure you have a good line of sight to the screens so you can watch the games or fights you bet on.

The sportsbook’s betting sheets will list all the contests available that day to bet on, along with their lines and start times. Grab a few to help you plan your betting strategy.

Once you’ve found an event you want to bet on, find the shortest line to a cashier. Have your cash ready, and make sure you know all the exact details of your bet to avoid frustration. Read over your receipt before leaving the counter to check that all the info is accurate.

If you win a bet, go back to the cashier with your receipt, and collect your winnings!

Future Interactions With Your Account

The safest and most effective way to deposit funds and withdraw winnings is at the same casino where you opened your account. In Vegas, as a general rule, sports betting app deposits and withdrawals are made either at a casino affiliate or using a payment processor like Play+.

One notable exception is the William Hill betting ecosystem, which allows you to deposit funds at any of its hundreds of PayNearMe kiosks in strategic locations around the state. Another popular option is to use one of the branded debit cards offered by various Vegas casinos. Locations like Westgate and BetMGM have their own in-house cards, which you can fund via your debit or credit card or through an online transfer.

Las Vegas Fight Schedule

Comparing Sportsbook Apps and Locations in Vegas

The state of Nevada boasts around 200 sportsbook locations, although over 50% of those are William Hill’s PayNearMe kiosks.

Nevada’s first online sportsbook, the STN Sports app, launched in 2010. Today, there are about a dozen sportsbook apps that you can use in Vegas.

Atlantis Sports Nevada

Atlantis is Nevada’s only sports betting app based in Reno. To use the app, you’ll have to sign up at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, which can be quite the journey if you’re based out of Vegas.

Atlantis Sports is a trustworthy sportsbook with a long history of independent lines set by its own experts. It’s usually the first to announce baseball predictions at the start of MLB seasons. The app is easy to use. It has a simple interface, although it sometimes takes a while to load.

B-Connected Sports

Also known as Boyd, the B-Connected Sports app works in conjunction with multiple Vegas casinos, including Aliante, Cannery, Eastside Cannery, Gold Coast, Fremont, Sam’s Town, Suncoast, The California and The Orleans.

The app has one of the widest varieties of betting options in Vegas, with a huge selection of prop bets all offered with independently generated odds. The interface is attractive, and the app engine works fast.

BetMGM

The BetMGM app is affiliated with all the MGM casinos, including ParkMGM, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Circus Circus, Aria, Luxor, Bellagio, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay and The Mirage. The Mirage was Vegas’ first super-casino, with 10,000 square feet of games to play, including two walls of screens and individual booths or couch and lounge seating for hundreds of bettors. Rumors say it’s one of Vegas’ most comfortable sportsbooks.

BetMGM’s sportsbook app is widely used not only in Vegas but across the U.S. It has one of the most flexible bet editing features we’ve seen in a sports betting app, allowing you to add to your bet or cash out mid-contest.

Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill

All the Las Vegas casinos from the Caesars Entertainment empire use the Caesars Sportsbook app. This includes Harrah’s, Bally’s, Paris, Flamingo, The Cromwell, The LINQ, Planet Hollywood, Harvey’s and Caesars Palace. Caesars Palace is one of Vegas’ swankiest sports betting spots. It’s not the biggest operation, but the high ceilings and opulent trimmings make it one of the most luxurious.

The app itself uses the same engine as the William Hill app. It has a solid selection of bets without many bells and whistles.

Circa Sports

Circa is one of the newest apps on the Vegas sports betting scene. It works together with the Circa and Golden Gate casinos. The Circa location claims to be the world’s biggest, with three stories holding 1,000 seats and 78 million pixels in the main viewing screen.

This sportsbook is designed for sharps. Some of its best lines are in the college football market. The app is sleek and ideal for making large bets, although you’ll need an account even to see the lines.

Golden Nugget NV Sportsbook

The Golden Nugget NV Sportsbook is linked to the Golden Nugget casino. It makes its own lines, offering some of the most interesting NBA action available.

Golden’s owner, Tilman Fertitta, also currently owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets, so the sportsbook is barred from generating lines that involve Rockets games. This makes Golden’s NBA futures consistently different from other sportsbooks, sometimes better and sometimes worse.

Nevada Sports Books (South Point and Rampart)

The odds set by the Nevada Sports Books group is used by two otherwise unconnected casinos, South Point and JW Marriott’s Rampart. South Point’s app is called South Point, and Rampart’s app is called Rampart Sports, but the odds they offer are always the same.

The Nevada Sports Books’ odds makers have a long history with lots of experience. The odds they offer are some of the favorites of Vegas insiders. The retail sportsbook in the South Point casino always gives their physical customers first dibs on these odds, opening them to bettors on-site before posting them in the app.

Unfortunately, you won’t be allowed to make any mobile transactions on the app. All deposits and withdrawals must be done at either of the two physical locations.

STN Sports

STN Sports was Vegas’ and the U.S. in general’s first online sportsbook. It links to the 11 casinos in the Red Rock Resorts family, including El Cortez, Wildfire, Boulder Station, Palace Station, Santa Fe Station, Texas Station, Sunset Station, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Green Valley Ranch and the Red Rock Resort.

The STN app has more live betting action than most other Vegas sportsbooks, with lots of detailed prop bets centered around Vegas-based teams. It comes with biometric identification, so you can use your face or fingerprints to access the app.

TI Sports

TI Sports is another sport betting app with independent lines. Its physical location is the Treasure Island casino on the Strip.

Although it also has biometric login, this app doesn’t have as many betting choices as most others. You won’t be able to make live bets or parlays.

Westgate Superbook

Westgate Superbook, based out of the Westgate casino, is one of the most famous sportsbooks in the world. The sports betting lounge has a reputation as a Mecca for some of the planet’s top sports bettors.

The app is functional, and not flashy, but the odds makers behind it are some of the most trusted on the sports betting scene. Many of the lines you may have seen at other sportsbooks actually originated with Westgate. They have a giant selection of choices and aren’t afraid of accepting large bets.

William Hill

The William Hill app has more physical locations in Vegas than any other app. Originally from the U.K., William Hill now connects with Binion’s, Tuscany, Downtown Grand, SLS, Four Queens, Silver Sevens, OYO, Plaza and all the CG Technology locations. Nevada’s in-person registration requirement makes the massive William Hill coverage a huge point in its favor.

The app’s proprietary software has a user-friendly design, a fast interface and a giant selection of betting options, including parlays and live bets.

Wynn Sports

The Wynn Sports app connects to the Wynn and Encore resorts. Not made for serious sports bettors, the app acts more as a convenience for guests staying at boutique resorts.

FAQ: Sports Betting in Vegas

Is fight betting legal in Vegas?

The state of Nevada, including Vegas, legalized all sports betting in 1949. At the time, boxing was one of the only legal fighting sports in the U.S. As other kinds of fighting contests, like MMA and BJJ, became legal around the country to participate in and watch, they also became legal to bet on in Nevada. Nevada was the first U.S. state to legalize sports betting as well as the first state with legal sports betting apps where you can bet on fights.

Does Las Vegas allow mobile sports betting?

Mobile sports betting is allowed in Vegas. You are required to register and make your first deposit at a physical location affiliated with the mobile provider. Once signed up, you can use your app to make wagers from anywhere you like in Vegas.

Can you bet on fights online in LV?

As long as you use one of the licensed apps mentioned in this article and have registered and deposited in person, you can bet online on any legal fighting contest while you’re in Las Vegas. Sports betting websites, however, remain illegal in the state of Nevada. All online fight betting must be done on a tablet or smartphone.

What is the legal age to bet on sports in Nevada?

The legal age for sports betting in the state of Nevada is 21 and older, the same minimum age requirement as gambling at a casino.

What is the minimum bet in Nevada?

The minimum bet in Nevada depends on which sportsbook you use. Sportsbooks set their own minimum betting amounts. Most online and physical sportsbooks in the state have a minimum bet of somewhere between $2 – $5.

What is the minimum deposit at Nevada sportsbook apps?

The minimum deposit varies depending on which app you use. The William Hill family has a $5 minimum deposit. Most other books have a minimum deposit of between $50 – $100.

Las Vegas Fight Results

Top Sportsbooks in Las Vegas for Fight Betting