We Decode Betting in America - So You Don’t Have To
The U.S. betting market is like the Wild West - fragmented, fast-moving, and full of confusing rules. If you’re new to betting, even figuring out what’s legal in your state can feel overwhelming.
Sports betting might be fully legal in Colorado but banned in neighboring states. Some states allow fantasy contests, others don’t. Some have prediction markets quietly growing under the radar. Most Americans have no idea what their options even are - let alone how to choose the right one.
BettingScanner.com exists to fix that.
What is Betting Scanner?
BettingScanner is a one-stop resource for U.S. bettors - especially newcomers - who want clarity, not noise.
Whether you’re interested in betting on your favorite team, testing your knowledge in fantasy contests, trying out social sportsbooks, or exploring innovative formats like prediction markets or betting exchanges, we’ll help you understand your legal options, how they work, and which platforms are best for your goals.
The bets part? Every site we review or recommend operates legally and is available to U.S. users through proper, state-regulated channels or legal gray areas.
In short: If you're looking for EVERY legal, smart, and safe way to bet in the U.S., we’ll show you how.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple but ambitious:
To help U.S. bettors understand their legal betting options and find the best way to play - based on where they live, what they like, and how they want to bet.
We believe that betting can be a fun, social, and rewarding experience - when it's done right. But too often, new bettors get steered down the wrong path. They land on shady sites, get lost in overly technical jargon, or are pushed toward one-size-fits-all recommendations that don’t reflect the reality of their situation.
At BettingScanner, we do things differently. Our mission is to:
- Make the U.S. betting landscape understandable. Every state has its own rules, and the types of platforms available vary wildly. We break it all down - clearly and accurately - so you know exactly what’s legal and what’s not.
- Help users find the right platform for them. Whether someone wants to bet on live sports, compete in fantasy tournaments, make predictions on political events, or play in social sportsbook games, we guide them to the best legal platform for that specific experience.
- Democratize betting knowledge. Betting shouldn’t be reserved for industry insiders or stat-heads. We explain every format - from moneylines to market liquidity - in plain English.
- Provide honest, user-first content. We never push products we wouldn’t use ourselves. And we’re not here to funnel you to the site that pays us the most. Our focus is long-term trust - not short-term clicks.
Our Vision
To become the most trusted guide for American bettors by offering clear, honest, and up-to-date advice across the full range of legal betting formats.
We envision a future where every U.S. bettor, no matter their state or experience level, can easily understand their options and make confident, informed decisions about where and how to bet.
The U.S. market is still in its early days. While regular sports betting gets most of the headlines, other formats are growing fast - like fantasy games with real payouts, social sportsbooks with sweepstakes mechanics, and prediction markets offering real-money opportunities. Yet most users still don’t know these exist, or how they work.
Our long-term vision is to:
- Be the most trusted, go-to guide for all legal U.S. betting options - not just regular sportsbooks.
- Champion new formats that offer legal alternatives to traditional sports betting, especially in states where legislation is lagging.
- Create a resource hub that users return to over time, not just for one-off reviews, but to learn, explore, and evolve as bettors.
- Lead with transparency, not hype. We’ll always tell it like it is - even if that means saying “this site isn’t worth your time.”
BettingScanner is a passion project for us. Every one of us have been gambling in different shapes and forms for at least a decade, and we want to use our expertise to help shape the next generation of smart, informed - and winning - U.S. bettors.
What You’ll Find on BettingScanner
- ✅ State-by-State Legal Guides - Know what’s legal where you live - and what your best alternatives are if regular sports betting isn’t.
- ✅ Honest, In-Depth Reviews - Unbiased, detailed, and hands-on reviews of the most popular betting platforms of every type in the U.S.
- ✅ Beginner Guides - Whether you're new to betting or switching to a different type of betting format, we walk you through the basics and beyond.
- ✅ Comparisons - Betting exchanges vs. sportsbooks? Social books vs. DFS apps? Best sites for parlays? We help you pick what's best for your goals.
- ✅ Tips & Tools - From bankroll management to spotting value, we offer strategies that help you bet smarter, not harder.
How We Work
The team at BettingScanner specializes in ranking and reviewing every regulated betting site operating in the United States.
- All Betting Formats Covered - Most sites focus only on traditional sportsbooks. We go beyond. From sports betting and fantasy contests to online casinos, social sportsbooks, prediction markets, and betting exchanges, we cover it all - because U.S. bettors need options.
- No Offshore, No Nonsense - We never promote sketchy sites or illegal offshore books. We believe in helping users find safe, legal, and regulated ways to bet in their state.
- Tailored to Your State - Our guides are customized by state, so whether you're in New York or Nebraska, you'll get relevant, accurate info based on what’s actually available to you - and the best platforms you can bet on 100% legally.
- Beginner-Friendly, Expert-Led - Confused by terms like “round robins,” “staking plans,” or “liquidity pools”? You’re not alone. We explain everything in plain English - without dumbing it down.
- Updated Constantly - The U.S. betting market changes fast. We track legal updates, product launches, and rule changes so you don’t have to.
Who We Are
We’re a small, passionate team of analysts, writers, and betting veterans with deep experience in the online gambling space. We’ve been in this industry for over two decades, and we’ve seen every trend, trap, and transformation. Our mission isn’t limited to just ranking sites. We want to build trust by delivering useful insights and education to our readers with zero fluff.
Our goal is to build a long-term relationship with our readers that keeps them coming back by giving them the real picture - good, bad, or mixed.
Cole cut his teeth as a sportswriter in Texas, covering everything from Longhorns games to small-town Friday night lights. A lifelong bettor stuck with offshore books for over a decade thanks to Texas' slow path to legalization, he eventually found his way into the world of social sportsbooks - where he uncovered a fast-growing, community of bettors.
Today, he writes for the millions of Americans in states without legal books, helping them explore safe ways to bet without running afoul of the law.
As editor-in-chief, he keeps BettingScanner honest, human, and grounded in what bettors actually care about: fairness, fun, and finding your lane - even when the state won’t give you one.
Main Expertise: Social Sportsbooks, Sweepstakes, Alt Formats
Location: Austin, Texas
JD has been betting since 2009, back when his bookie was a guy named Vin who ran lines out of Philly. He survived the sketchy offshore days (barely) and made the jump to regulated sportsbooks the second New Jersey legalized in 2018. Since then, he’s turned hunting bonuses and exploiting odds boosts into an art form.
These days, JD specializes in helping new bettors skip the rookie mistakes, as well as showing seasoned ones how to play the promo game like a pro. If there’s a bonus to be had or a line that doesn’t look right, JD’s probably already on it.
Main Expertise: Traditional Sports Betting, Bonuses & Promos
Location: New Jersey
Ari started out as a poker grinder, then a crypto trader, before stumbling onto prediction markets. He’s now deep into platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, betting on everything from politics to pop culture to tech layoffs. If it has uncertainty and odds, Ari’s in.
Skeptical by nature, Ari is fully convinced that the weirdest bets often hide the sharpest edges. If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to beat the market by reading the news better than everyone else - Ari’s here to show you how.
Main Expertise: Poker, Speculative markets, crypto trading
Location: Online nomad (currently NYC)
Nate is the guy in your league who drafts three RBs in the first four rounds, fades the consensus TE pick, and still beats you in the playoffs. Every year.
Living for data, matchups, and micro-edges, Nate doesn’t just play daily fantasy sports - he breaks them down like markets. With a background in data analysis and a decade of grinding DFS and pick’em formats, Nate’s built a reputation for spotting inefficiencies before the crowd.
Whether it’s NFL, NBA, or MLB, if it involves player performance and real money, Nate’s tracking it, charting it, and finding edges.
Main Expertise: Season-long fantasy, DFS, pick’em, best ball
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Marcus has spent over 20 years navigating the legal side of online betting - from his early days consulting for offshore operators to helping licensed U.S. sportsbooks launch in regulated markets. He’s worked with compliance teams, reviewed licensing frameworks in 15+ states, and advised on some of the biggest regulatory shifts since PASPA was repealed.
At BettingScanner, Marcus serves as the voice of reason - translating legalese into plain English and helping bettors understand what’s legal, what’s risky, and where the gray areas live. If you’re ever unsure about the rules, Marcus is your man - as he probably helped write them.
Main Expertise: U.S. gambling laws, licensing, compliance
Location: Washington, D.C.
As Scanner's lead webmaster and design guru, Johan works closely with the rest of the team to ensure everything behind the scenes stays fast, secure, and user-friendly.
Away from the screen, he's usually found on the golf course or obsessively following his beloved Blackhawks - counting on Connor Bedard to spark Chicago's next hockey dynasty.
Main Expertise: Web design & development, shenanigans
Location: Chicago, IL
You don't want to learn more about Johan Fransson. Trust us.
How We Make Money
At Betting Scanner, we believe transparency matters. That's why we openly share how our business works: our content remains free to you because we rely on affiliate marketing partnerships.
When you sign up with any betting platform featured on our site, we may receive compensation from that company. Importantly, this arrangement never adds extra costs or fees to your account.
These partnerships support our ability to deliver high-quality, unbiased content and enable us to build a team dedicated to providing you with the best possible experience.
We're Just Getting Started
The U.S. betting space is ever evolving - and so are we. As new formats emerge, laws shift, and technology advances, BettingScanner will continue to adapt. Our goal is to be your go-to resource for everything legal betting in the U.S., no matter how the game changes.
Let’s Make Betting Smarter Together
Whether you’re betting to win, for fun, or just to be part of the conversation - you deserve clear, honest, and helpful information. That’s what we promise to deliver.
Ready to explore your options?
Start with our state-by-state guide →
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, don't hesitate to reach out and contact us.
