Montana Gaming Commission – Gambling Regulator
Gambling in the USA is a very controversial theme because each state has a different policy towards it. You must be aware of the rules set by the Montana Gaming Commission and what is allowed in the state. Today, you have the chance to learn all of that, including a short revision of the Montana gambling history.
Now we want to shortly explain what you should expect from the content in this article. First, we intend to show you all the legal and illegal types of gambling in the state of Montana, then to familiarize you with the work of the Montana Gambling Control Commission. Right after, we will turn some more attention to the future and the eventual changes that might come in the following years. At the final, we will show you the gambling history in the state and how it developed through the centuries.
Montana Gambling Control Commission – What is Legal to Play?
Montana gambling has been banned for over 30 years, but it slowly makes its way. In fact, in the 1950s, there were several super popular gambling games among the citizens of Montana and the Native American tribes in the state, but they quickly got banned. Of course, some forms of gambling are available nowadays in Montana, but not all. Like many other states, currently, plenty of people fight for the legalization of traditional and online gambling because they are potential financial pens in the state annual revenue.
| Type of Gambling | Legal/Illegal |
|---|---|
| Casino Gambling | ❌ Illegal |
| Online Gambling | ❌ Illegal |
| Tribal Gambling | ✔️ Legal |
| Horse Racing | ✔️ Legal |
| Dog Racing | ❌ Illegal |
| Poker | ✔️ Legal |
| Lottery | ✔️ Legal |
| Social Gambling | ✔️ Legal |
| Charitable Games | ✔️ Legal |
| Daily Fantasy Sports | ❌ Illegal |
| Sports Betting | ✔️ Legal |
As you can see from the element above, some forms of gambling are legal to play or organize on the territory of Montana, but for some, you need permission or proper licencing to do it. Unfortunately, there are no land-based casinos in the state, while online ones are also considered illegal. Keep in mind that playing in any offshore top-rated online casinos in the US is still regarded as criminal activity.
You must also know that tribal casinos are legal, and this is where you can spend some money on gambling. Option B is to visit any of the available sports bars because sports betting is legal, and there are plenty of places where you can conduct bets.
State of Montana Gambling Control Commission Licencing
If you start researching more about gambling in Montana, you will find out that this is one of the most liberal states for some types of gambling like social or charity. On the other side, when you see the annual lottery revenue, you will be surprised because it is one of the lowest in the USA. The information you can find might confuse you at first, but when you investigate the matter in detail, you will see that gambling is generally popular in Montana.
Therefore comes the need for a regulator to audit and supervise all gambling actions. The name of this legal body is the gambling control division Montana. It is responsible for all licensing and control of all gambling establishments and activities in the state. It is interesting to learn that this is one of the few states where gambling is allowed at the age of 18, not the standard US legal age of 21. Let’s overview now all available types of gambling separately.
Charitable Gambling
Charitable games like bingo, keno, bridge, poker, rummy, hearts and others are allowed and super popular among local businesses in the whole state. To organize such, you need permission from the state of Montana Gambling Control Commission, and you need to follow some particular rules like:
- Owning a permit – costs $250
- Must be organized between 8 AM and 2 AM latest
- The charity must go to a state cause
- Provide a report of all expenses and proceeds
- For bingo or keno, tickets cannot cost more than $0.50
- Maximum prize for keno and bingo can’t exceed $100
- Raffle prizes cannot go above $5000
Such events could be publicly organized and available for all Montana citizens as a public charity campaign, or they could be set up in a working environment from big corporations with many employees. Anyway, if it is a charitable gambling event, the Montana Gambling Commission must be aware of it, because otherwise, the whole activity will be accounted as illegal.
Horse & Parimutuel Racing
Horse racing is one of the first sports known to humankind and one of the first types of gambling that appeared in the world. It is extremely popular in the USA, UK and Australia, where you can find some of the finest breeders of racehorses. In Montana, you can find several great racetracks that accommodate rodeos and other similar contests. There are plenty of sports bars and bookies where you can bet on such races internationally.
Tribal Casino
While standard US casino resorts are illegal in Montana, Native American tribal casinos are the only establishments that come close to the definition of land-based casinos. Inside, you will find slot games and other table games like blackjack, roulette and others, but you should mind that they are all video/electronic ones. Of course, there are some positive sides– you can play some local Native American gambling games. Another advantage or disadvantage is that smoking inside is allowed.
Montana Loterries
We mentioned it already; citizens of Montana are not into lotteries at all. This is why the state is in 45th place by annual lottery revenue. You can find all types of tickets there, including the interstate MegaMillions and PowerBall. Scratch cards are also available, but still, none of them is among the preferred types of gambling.
Social Gambling
The law allows all citizens of Montana to play card gambling games privately with minimum wagers. Nobody has the right to organize gambling events or tournaments unless the Montana dept of justice gambling control knows about it. In case you want to do it publicly, you must set up a particular charitable purpose. In the same sense, nobody can organize games to play the bank/house and upkeep a particular percentage.
Poker Live Games
To organize and set up live poker games available for the public, you need to acquire gambling licenses from the Montana Gaming Commission. This is the most popular charitable game in the state. Of course, there are several poker rooms approved by the state of Montana Gambling Control Commission, where you can play poker with more experienced players and such willing to stake more.
Sports Betting
Sports betting in Montana is maybe the second most popular type of gambling in the state. It was legalized relevantly soon, in 2019, but keep in mind that online betting is still not available for the citizens of Montana. However, to organize a sportsbook bar, you need to get the necessary licenses from the Gambling Commission for Montana.
Future of Gambling in Montana – What Can You Expect?
In all of the USA, there is a growing tendency of legalizing online sports betting and gambling in general, not only because the people demand it, but also because this brings good revenues to the state economics. However, the truth is you cannot set up an online casino on the territory of the state, but nothing obstructs you from playing in any of the best online casinos in the US.
Online gambling falls into the grey sector, as in many other states. Due to the pandemic, many of them reconsidered the legislation of such activities, but still, there are no news for any expected changes in Montana. You can only take advantage of what the Gambling Control Division Montana regulates on a regional basis.
History of Gambling in the State of Montana
Gambling has been popular in the USA and Montana long before the assembling of the Gambling Commission for Montana. The below-located history timeline will give you a brief idea about the development of gambling in the state of Montana and how the law evolved through the centuries up to our modern age.
| Montana Gambling History Timeline | |
|---|---|
| 1860s | Gambling on card games became widely popular due to the gold rush and the increasing population in Montana. With the end of the civil war came the prohibition of gambling in all states by federal law. |
| 1889 | The Montana state constitution banned gambling. But the truth is that illegal gambling was an issue back then and many years after. |
| 1937 | Montana passed the “Hickey Law”, which allowed citizens to play domino and blackjack. |
| 1940s-1950s | Due to the slot machines mania in the state, many such machines were taken and destroyed. |
| 1960s | Bingo became super popular in all states, but it was quickly considered a form of gambling, and it was forbidden because of the use of cards and prizes. |
| 1970s | In 1972, poker machines, bingo, poker, raffles and some other card games were legalized. In 1976 all types of lotteries were legalized. |
| 1980s | Montana considered video poker games the same as slot machines and banned them again. Most importantly, the state of Montana Gambling Control Commission was assembled in 1983. In 1886, the official Montana state lottery was founded. In 1987, video gambling machines were legislated, and a 15% tax was applied to their revenues. In 1989, the Montana dept of justice gambling control was assigned to take care of all regulations and taxations in the state. |
| 1990s | In the first half of that decade, many improvements in the gambling regulations were made to increase limits and make them more business-friendly. In the second half, most proposals, like the automated accounting and reporting system, failed and were never accepted. |
| 2000s | The first five years of that decade were essential for the control of gambling in the state. First, the gambling licencing and liquor ones were now united and regulated by the Montana Gaming Commission. Then, in 2005, the state prohibited all types of internet gambling and improved the gambling conditions in the tribal gambling establishments. In 2007, a new digital system was approved, and now all establishments dealing with gambling or liquors were able to sort licensing online. In 2009, raffle prize restrictions were waived. |
| 2010s-Nowadays | Some changes were made in the legislation of video games and the prize limits of different games were updated. The most significant change was done in 2019, when sports betting was officially legalized. |
Further changes are also expected due to the massive digitalization and optionality for remote control of everything nowadays. Unfortunately, we can only assume what changes the Montana Gambling Control Commission will carry out in the nearest future. Follow your platform if you want to be one step ahead and know all gambling news on time.
FAQ
Asking questions is something natural, and in fact, the thing that brought humanity so far in its development. Therefore, we have gathered the most frequently asked questions about Montana Gaming Commission, its history, licencing and everything you need to know about. Do not hesitate to use the provided jump links in case you decide to refresh your memory and reread more about the subject.
