Two state institutions taking care of regulating Montana’s gambling industry are the Department of Justice and the Gambling Control Division. They act in accordance with the Montana Code, Title 23, Chapter 5.
According to some summaries, Montana places 44th among all 50 states when it comes to being interested in gambling and spending money on either of the allowed activities. On average, an adult in Montana spends about 76 USD per year on casinos and lotteries, as opposed to an adult in Nevada that spends around 5,000 USD. Of course, when looking at these stats, we also need to understand that Montana is a state not populated densely, and Nevada is one where the amount of tourists that come to gamble exceeds the local population.
Land-Based Casinos in Montana
The state allows commercial casinos but the number of electronic machines per location can not exceed 20. This number can include slot machines, video poker games, and video keno. The maximum bets are capped at 2 USD, and the highest jackpots — are at 800 USD. The state’s tax cut on revenues from machines is 15%.
Tribes can operate gambling businesses. There are quite a few Tribal Casinos, including Apsaalooke Nights, Charging Horse, Fort Belknap, and Glacier Peaks Hotel & Casino. These act in accordance with the Class II and Class III gaming licenses and offer between 100 to 350 electronic machines, including slots, video keno, and video poker.
The state also allows poker rooms, and there are slightly more than ten of these across Montana. The list of allowed games includes Omaha, Stud, and Texas Hold’em.
Pari-Mutuel Betting in Montana
Historically, Montana was one of four US states that qualified for exemption from the federal prohibition on sports betting under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act 1996 (PASPA).
In 2019, the Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act was signed into law. Montana’s sports betting is managed directly by the state with Intralot being the main contractor to provide services. Intralot aligns its actions with the Montana Lottery Commission.
Pari-mutuel betting is legal in the state, too. There are a few race tracks but those are not as active as fans of this activity would’ve wanted to. Horse races are held on a few days of the year. Greyhound racing is illegal. As of lately, horse tracks can also offer historical horse racing machines to visitors.
Simulcast wagering can be done across 5+ locations across the state.
Lotteries in Montana
The state legalized lottery gaming back in 1986. As across most other states in the US, in Montana lotteries cannot be operated commercially. So, the government does it.
Residents of the Big Sky Country can enjoy lotteries upon reaching 18 years. Scratch tickets are available for purchase. National events, including Powerball and Mega Millions, are also allowed. The RTP of lotteries is somewhere around 59%, based on the annual payouts and wins statistics.
