AFP via Getty Images
The Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight might end up being one of the most bet-on events of 2024.
Although you can’t bet the fight at traditional sportsbooks in a handful of states (including New York), almost everyone in the U.S. can put money down in some form of fashion.
Here are the three ways you can play this fight:
How to play Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson
- Traditional, regulated sportsbook (~25 states):Sports betting apps like DraftKings, FanDuel, bet365 and more are offering odds on this fight (albeit not in every state they operate in).
- Social/sweepstakes sportsbooks (40+ states): This new type of operator allows you to purchase an on-platform currency, and use it to make picks on most of the same sporting events you would at a normal sportsbook. Fliff is the market leader in this space, while Rebet is an upstart app.
- DFS Pick’em (30+ states): DFS sites like PrizePicks and Underdog allow you to choose fight stats and build lineups. You can make entries with stats like total punches landed, fight time, fantasy score and more.
What’s available in each state?
By our count, Idaho and Montana are the only two states with none of these options available. Some states require different rules for DFS pick’em — in New York, for example, there’s only free-to-play games, and in Florida there’s a new PrizePicks mode called “Arena” in which you compete against other players.
It should be noted that not all apps in each category operate in the exact same states.
Thrillzz, a social sportsbook, for example is only in about 30 states, while Fliff and Rebet are in 40-plus. States like Oregon and New Hampshire have a single operator (DraftKings), while other states like New Jersey have 15-plus legal, regulated sportsbooks.
| State | Sportsbook | Sweepstakes | DFS |
| Alabama | X | ✓ | X |
| Alaska | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arizona | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arkansas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| California | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Colorado | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Connecticut | X | ✓ | X |
| Delaware | X | ✓ | X |
| DC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Florida | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Georgia | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hawaii | X | ✓ | X |
| Idaho | X | X | X |
| Illinois | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Indiana | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Iowa | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Kansas | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kentucky | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Louisiana | X | ✓ | X |
| Maine | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Maryland | X | ✓ | X |
| Mass. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Michigan | ✓ | X | X |
| Minnesota | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mississippi | X | ✓ | X |
| Missouri | X | ✓ | X |
| Montana | X | X | X |
| Nebraska | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nevada | ✓ | X | X |
| New Hampshire | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| New Jersey | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| New Mexico | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| New York | X | ✓ | X |
| North Carolina | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| North Dakota | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ohio | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Oklahoma | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Oregon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pennsylvania | X | ✓ | X |
| Rhode Island | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| South Carolina | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| South Dakota | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tennessee | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Texas | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Utah | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Vermont | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Virginia | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Washington | X | ✓ | X |
| West Virginia | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Wisconsin | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wyoming | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Why aren’t DraftKings and FanDuel offering this fight in every state?
Seven states with legal online gambling are not allowing bets on the fight, for similar reasons (though they didn’t all put out statements like New York).
Even though the fight is sanctioned, which is generally the bar that a boxing match needs to clear to be listed by sportsbooks, the non-traditional rules are making some regulators skeptical.
Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps
- Check out the best sports betting sites
- Download the best sports betting app
The fight will be eight, two-minute rounds instead of three-minute rounds like normal. They’ll also be using 14-ounce gloves instead of 10-ounce gloves.
“Boxing matches approved for wagering in New York must follow Unified Rules as set by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports, which call for three-minute rounds and 10-ounce gloves,” the New York State Gaming Commission announced, via communicators director Brad Maione.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Doug Ziefel has been betting for more than a decade, and with U.S. operators in his native New Jersey since the market launched in 2018. He helps new bettors get the most out of their sportsbook promos and welcome offers for the New York Post.