New Sportsbooks (Updated September 2026): What’s Actually New Right Now
If you’re hoping to find a brand-new sportsbook to sign up with, the honest answer is that there isn’t one. The newest legal sportsbook in the US is theScore Bet, PENN Entertainment’s rebrand of ESPN Bet, and it’s held that title since December 1, 2025. Missouri was the last state to bring a sportsbook online, also on December 1, 2025.
Neither milestone has been topped since. Here’s what actually happened, what’s stalled, and why the next wave of “new” in this industry isn’t a sportsbook at all.
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The Newest Sportsbook: theScore Bet
theScore Bet launched December 1, 2025 as PENN Entertainment’s rebrand of ESPN Bet. It isn’t a startup: theScore has operated as a sportsbook brand in Canada for years before making the jump south, which is part of why it arrived with stronger app store ratings than most first-year US books manage.
The Last New State: Missouri
Missouri went live with retail and online sports betting on December 1, 2025, becoming the 39th state to legalize it. Only two operators hold Missouri’s “untethered” licenses, meaning they didn’t need to partner with an in-state casino or sports team to enter: DraftKings and Circa Sports. Every other operator, including BetMGM, bet365, Caesars, Fanatics, FanDuel, theScore Bet, and Underdog, entered through a casino partnership instead.
What’s Next: Wisconsin, and Not Much Else
Wisconsin signed sports betting into law in April 2026, but it still isn’t live. The holdup is that the state needs signed compacts with its 11 tribal nations before any sportsbook can take a bet, and there’s no firm timeline on when those wrap up. Beyond Wisconsin, the map is mostly settled: 39 states plus D.C. now have some form of legal sports betting, and most of what’s left, including the two biggest remaining prizes, California and Texas, requires either a ballot measure or faces entrenched political opposition. Don’t expect a wave of new states before 2027.
Why “New” Now Means Prediction Markets, Not Sportsbooks
With state expansion stalled and no new sportsbook operator since December, the growth in this industry has moved to prediction markets, contracts on game outcomes and props that trade more like a stock exchange than a traditional bet. Platforms like Kalshi, Polymarket, and FanDuel Predicts have added more real product movement in 2026 than any sportsbook launch. If that’s the “new” you’re actually looking for, see our prediction markets guide for how they work and which platforms are worth using.
FAQ
Missouri, live since December 1, 2025. Wisconsin signed its law in April 2026 but isn’t live yet.
39 states plus Washington D.C..
theScore Bet, PENN Entertainment’s rebrand of ESPN Bet, live since December 1, 2025.