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Tennessee Sports Betting

Trying to bet in Tennessee and having geolocation issues? We hear you. Our sports betting geolocation troubleshooting guide is here to help you get back on with placing your wager.

Sports betting in Tennessee is now live. It officially became legal in the Volunteer State in May 2019 and launched on November 1, 2020. However, unlike other states with a legal sports betting market, all wagering in Tennessee must be done online. If you are in New Jersey, you could visit a retail sportsbook and place a bet in person, but that isn’t the case in TN. Although having the freedom to use betting apps has numerous benefits, some issues must be addressed.

One of the most annoying things when using any piece of technology is it breaking down. For example, you have chosen your sports betting app, registered for an account, and are ready to start wagering as quickly as possible. However, just as you are about to place a bet, you receive a “we can’t locate you” error message. When it comes to online gaming or mobile sports betting, this is called a geolocation error.

Read on to see what geolocation is, how it works, and how to fix it if you’re having sportsbook geolocation problems.

Sportsbooks with Most Accurate Geolocation

There are some fantastic sportsbooks available in Tennessee with extremely accurate geolocation services in place, including:

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The DraftKings mobile sportsbook is a great platform that allows bettors to bet on the go and marks their exact location wherever they are in Tennessee. However, we encountered quite a few problems with the FanDuel sportsbook. We were presented with the FanDuel geocomply no token error message too regularly and would recommend using DraftKings sportsbook or BetMGM over FanDuel. Both the operators have a fantastic live betting experience and offer the best odds and promos as well.

The BetMGM geolocation technology works very well, especially if you move in between legal states. A few players have reported seeing a message to say region fetch failed with MGM. If this happens, toggle on and off your location settings.

sportsbook geolocation problem

Other sportsbooks that could be launching in Tennessee with accurate geolocation services include the BetRivers sportsbook app and WynnBet.

The term ‘geolocation‘ or ‘geofencing‘ will be very familiar to those who have experience using online betting sites or a mobile app. Geolocation is a technology that is used to pinpoint your exact location to make sure you can legally place a wager. For example, you might have downloaded a sportsbook app in Pennsylvania or New Jersey and signed up for an account. You then travel to another state where online or mobile betting has yet to be legalized. While there, you access your sportsbook account but receive a message such as ‘DraftKings location not found’ or ‘DraftKings not working.’ This is DraftKings geolocation swinging into action and not accepting bets in states where it is illegal.

It can be very annoying if you are close to the border trying to place a bet. Let’s say you are in Memphis and trying to get a bet on but seeing a geolocation problem error message. Man, it’s annoying! There are steps you can take to fix this, which we cover below.

Current Issues with Geolocation

Nowadays, we expect that technology should work seamlessly at all times and be fast and reliable. I’m sure we all hate it when browsing on the internet and a sudden unexpected network communications error appears. Geolocation can be faulty like any other software, and all sports betting operators will have a list of troubleshooting tips to help you overcome them. Some standard warnings you may encounter when trying to place a bet on your mobile device or desktop include ‘geolocation not working,’ ‘player location check geocomply,’ or ‘Android location services not working.’ This can be irritating for the bettor, and they will want it to be remedied immediately.

The industry is aware of the issue, and there are ongoing talks about how to address these problems as mobile and online sports betting (and also online / sweeps cash casinos) continues to grow. The rules on legal sports betting in the US state that all wagering platforms must employ geolocation technology and only accept bets from players physically located within state lines or face hefty fines.

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For the location technology to work efficiently, it requires both software and hardware designed to “fence” devices. Take Indiana as an example, where online gambling is legal; the state is virtually “fenced,” meaning bettors can download a sportsbook app within state borders without hassle. Issues arise when you consider other states, such as Mississippi, where betting on sports is legal on a mobile device as long as you are located at a physical casino. Consequently, another type of ‘geofence’ needs to be used.

There are geolocation vendors available, such as GeoComply, that must be flexible to overcome recurring issues. For example, in various states, sports gambling won’t occur in a casino but in smaller venues that are difficult to find. In these small remote venues, hardware needs to be downloaded to block players from wagering until they are located somewhere with an interactive sportsbook.

When using a computer or laptop to bet, make sure you download the geocomply plugin. This will mean any unexpected network communications error messages are more unlikely to appear.

How Sportsbooks Could Overcome Location Problems

last night we encountered some issues with geo-tech and wanted to resolve them as quickly as possible. We looked into how online sportsbooks can efficiently address such problems. One option open to them is to train their staff who work at kiosks all about the technology and how it works. If one staff member wants to know ‘what is player location check’? They can be trained. As a result, any obstacles that present themselves can be overcome by knowledgeable staff.

Additionally, sportsbooks could invest in numerous multiple hardware pieces, so if one breaks down, there are still working back-ups.

Plenty of state lawmakers have expressed their concern about how geofencing will work in practice in their locations. The only way to allay these fears is for geo services to become even more accurate, to the inch, to stop any potential breaches.

Dealing with Location Issues with a Sportsbook

It is one of the most common queries we get; Why do I get geolocation warnings, and how can I fix them? Why am I getting the player location check unable to verify location error!!! If you have no idea why the sportsbook can’t ‘geolocate me,’ here are some new steps you could try:

Ensure you are physically located in a state with legal online sports betting and make sure that the location services are turned on in the settings on your cell or tablet. If they are turned on, and it still doesn’t work, try restarting your phone. If you are still having problems, try uninstalling the app and downloading it again. When you have done that, go into location services and click ‘allow,’ open the app, and log in.

BetMGM sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook geolocation

If you are in a car and moving at speed, this will hinder the geolocation software as you can be contacting different mobile towers. Pull over (when safe to do so) and try to place your wager. It’s very rare we had issues with the BetMGM location not working, but when we did, a restart was normally enough to get us going again.

These are the steps that were taken from us on several occasions, and they work more often than not.

Turning on Location Settings on your Mobile

You may not know how to turn on geolocation on your mobile device. It is vital that a sportsbook can access your location, whatever jurisdiction you are in. If you have an iOS device, you can locate this setting in:

  1. Settings
  2. Privacy
  3. Location services (toggle on)
  4. Access the app and confirm to share location

You should check that your iOS device has not used any jailbreak software, as this will stop you from using geolocation properly.

For Android users, the location settings can be found in:

  1. Settings
  2. Location (toggle set to on)
  3. App permissions
  4. Find the app
  5. Select Allow all the time or when using the app.

Is GeoComply Efficient?

They are pretty faultless, but some external factors can affect them occasionally (such as a weak signal or the Wi-Fi failing). They can pinpoint exactly where you are to within a few inches when outside; however, being inside poses more of a problem due to walls and roofs hampering the signal. You may have dropped your cell and damaged the GPS receiver, it may have water damage, and there could be lots of reasons your mobile’s GPS isn’t working effectively.

Even if you have just got a brand new smartphone with everything working, you can still see the player location check failed message. Which we know is very annoying.

Why Sportsbooks need to use geolocation

Although online gambling is growing, it is not legal to place a sports bet in every state, so online operators will need to prove you are in a state that does permit iGaming. The most straightforward way to do this is to use your location feature that is built into your mobile device. Geolocation, or GeoComply, is accurate and safe. If an operator fails to effectively offer geolocation compliance, they will lose their license.

This technology is still in its infancy, so we expect it to get better over time. This means fewer people will have encountered an unexpected network fault and can enjoy a better gambling experience. We advise against using a VPN. Players trying to use a DraftKings VPN will be blocked from utilizing all of the site’s features due to active software detecting you are using a VPN.

Instead, bettors in Tennessee can sign up today with BetMGM Sportsbook or DraftKings sportsbook and enjoy a seamless betting experience.