The Montana Lottery takes applications to offer sports betting

The Montana Lottery began taking applications over the weekend from businesses that want to offer sports wagering, the lottery said Monday.

The Montana Lottery Commission approved rules for betting on the outcome of college and professional sports on Nov. 21. They were published in the Montana Administrative Register last week after a public comment period, clearing the way for licensing to begin.

Licensing is the first part of the Lottery’s rollout of Sports Bet Montana. As businesses become licensed, the lottery will begin statewide training followed by placing new Sports Bet Montana equipment in licensed locations.

“Today is a big day for Sports Bet Montana,” said Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong in a news release. “We’ve been working a long time for this and we’re excited to see that hard work pay off and excited to start the process of launching sports betting.”

The 2019 Montana Legislature in early May authorized the Montana Lottery to offer sports wagering. Since then, the lottery has been working on all aspects of designing and creating the new product. Bets can only be placed through a Sports Bet Montana terminal inside a licensed location, either at the terminal or via a mobile app when it is connected to the main Lottery system.

Locations meeting the requirements for licensing can complete the license application at the State of Montana’s eStop licensing portal.