US Online Casinos in 2024
The current state of online casino play in the United States is extremely confusing and full of misconceptions for a lot of players. Because there are so many laws that have influenced online gambling and so many false claims by politicians and other figures, there's a thick layer of myth that surrounds the entire industry. We want to clear that up for players here so that there's a very clear idea of what the current state of online casino play is like in the United States.
What are the Federal Laws?
There are two relevant federal laws for online casino play. The first is the Wire Act that was passed in the 1960s to combat organized crime operations. This law made it illegal to accept sports bets over telephone lines, and a later court ruling had this include wagers placed over the Internet. However, the Department of Justice came out in 2011 to make it ultra clear that this law only applied to sports betting and no other forms of gambling.
The second law, and the one that's probably the most important at this point, is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Known as the UIGEA for short, this law made it illegal for foreign companies to offer online gambling services in the United States without a license. The two problems with this is that the US does not have jurisdiction over foreign companies offering services online, and it scared banks into blocking a lot of transactions for legal forms of online gambling because of threats of major fees and penalties if they accidentally let an illegal transaction slip through the cracks.
To be clear on this, the bottom line is that no federal law makes it illegal to play in online casinos in the United States. With that having been said, some states do have laws that make it illegal including Washington State, which ridiculously has online casino play as the same level of felony as punching a child in the face.
Software Company Issues
The UIGEA law came out in October of 2006, and it offered a period of compliance before it went into effect. Several software vendors decided to be safe and pull out of the US market, and this included major names like Microgaming and Playtech. The main motivation for most of the companies that left the US is that they are publically traded in other countries, and not adhering to the UIGEA's prohibition on offering games without a license would get them in trouble with those stock exchanges.
However, many others have continued allowing their operators to accept players from the United States. The current list of US-friendly online casino software developers includes Realtime Gaming (RTG), WGS, Slotland, Rival Gaming, Saucify (previously BetOnSoft), Nucleus Gaming, Arrows Edge, BetSoft and Vista Gaming.
What are the banking options for US Players?
For players in the United States, the single most-reliable way to make deposits and withdrawals is probably a pre-paid debit card or credit card such as Visa or Mastercard. Visa seems to be the preferred option, though MasterCard is also a good option. The key to choosing the right card for this and keeping your deposits from being blocked is choosing a card that says it allows international transactions. If you have any doubt about what you're getting, the support team for your online casino will be more than happy to help you out.
It's really important to note that you should keep up with your pre-paid card after you make your deposit. The reason for this is that many online casinos will pay back your withdrawals to the same card you made your deposit with, and you don't want to toss the card after your deposit and be stuck with no way to receive withdrawals.
Money transfer services like Western Union and MoneyGram are also used by some online casinos. This is a reliable option that isn't quite as convenient as pre-paid cards, but most online casinos that use this method will give you very detailed instructions on making deposits and receiving withdrawals that make it really easy on the player to get started.
Some newer options are Zelle which is an electronic transfer service that can be used on your mobile to make digital payments and depoit at online cassinos, it is only avaiable for US players and there are a variety of bank options so it should be avaiable to almost all US based players with a bank account. Another option is Ria, which is a money transfer method and can be used for deposits and withdrawals at a select few casinos.
Cryptocurrency is another option - Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Dogecoin. BTC seems to be the favourite, here is a list of casinos allowing crypto deposits, make sure to check player ratings first and avoid sites with warnings.
US Allowed Casinos
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- Free Spin Casino
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300% UP TO $3000
New customers only. T&C apply. 18+. This offer is not available for players residing in Ontario. New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 19+. Welcome Crypto Bonus includes CRYPTOSPIN300, CRYPTOSPIN200 codes, giving 300%, 200% match bonuses on crypto (BTC, LTC, ETH, USDT) respectively in amount of up to $1000 deposits, playthrough 35x(the deposit + bonus amount), no max cashout. Bonuses are valid for slots, specialty games, and cards only. Please note that the combined bonus amount of $7000 is granted for maximum deposits of $1000; if the deposit amount is smaller, your bonus amount will be accordingly lower. - + 2 software
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Rating
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- Lucky Tiger Casino
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250% UP TO $1000
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. 250% bonus is valid for slots, table games and specialties on the first deposit of $25+ (Neosurf $10+) and up to $1000; WG x35, max cash out x20.Get extra 50% for crypto deposits. Valid once. 2nd deposit: 200% Bonus. 3rd deposit: 150% Bonus. - + 13 software
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- Las Vegas USA Casino
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+ 25 free spins
New customers only. T&C apply. 18+. This offer is not available for players residing in Ontario. Canadian customers must be 19+ to participate. Play Responsibly. Slot: Copy Cat Fortune. Deposit of $25 needed to verify the account and request a withdrawal. Deposit must be wagered 5x. Max cashout: $100. Wager of winnings from free spins x70. Players from Europe, Australia, and Asia: require double wagering play-through before cashing out or processing any withdrawal request. Can only be redeemed if coming from a partner site. - + 2 software
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- Gossip Slots
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250% UP TO $2000
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. 250% up to $2,000, or 200 Free Spins on each of your first 4 deposits. Minimum deposit: $25. Maximum Bet Allowed: $10. Please be advised - the use of bonus credits to place wagers on Baccarat, Craps, and European Roulette is not allowed. - + 8 software
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- 888casino NJ
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$20
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. $10 free play for selected casino games + $4 worth of money bonus that shall be credited to the player’s bankroll which can be used on 888poker and 888casino + 6 Tournament Tickets with a value of $1 each. The free play granted under the Promotion may be used on the following casino games at 888casino.com: Panda Manga; Party Pigs; Casino Reels; Cafe de Paris; Bella Italia; Ultimate Genie; Dino Jackpot Stampede; Irish riches; Steampunk Nation; Saved By the Bells; Pirates Millions; 4th of July; Easter Bunnies; American Roulette; Classic Blackjack. - + 24 software
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- PlayCroco Casino
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AU$10
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Coupon can only be used once. Maximum cashout: $180. Players from the following countries do not qualify for any bonuses: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Ontario. - + 1 software
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Rating
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- CryptoWins Casino
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77% UP TO ₿1
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. This offer is not available for players residing in Ontario. New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 19+. Min deposit: 5$. Maximum cashout: $30,000. Selected games only: See the website for a list of online slots. Playthrough for the bonuses is 10 days. - + 5 software
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- Cherry Gold Casino
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250% UP TO $5500
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. This offer is not available for players residing in Ontario. Canadian customers must be 19+ to participate. Play Responsibly. Min deposit: $25+. No max cashout. Deposit with crypto and get 300% up to $7000. After playing with CHERRYSLOTS you will have a chance to play another bonus of 150% twice (deposit with crypto and get 200%), - + 2 software
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- Drake Casino
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300% UP TO $2000
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Min Deposit: $25. Redeemable 3x. Max Bet: $25. Get your 300% up to $2,000 each or 540 free spins on your first 3 deposits! On each of your first 3 deposits you can claim one of these bonuses: Receive a 300% bonus up to a $2,000 bonus; Deposit $50 or more for 60 Free Spins - $180 value, the max that you could win is $160; Deposit $75 or more for 90 Free Spins - $270 value, the max that you could win is $240; Deposit $100 or more for 120 Free Spins - $360 value, the max that you could win is $325; Deposit $150 or more for 180 Free Spins - $540 value, the max that you could win is $475. - + 9 software
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Rating
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- Super Slots
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250% UP TO $1000
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. First Deposit: 250% up to $1,000. Next Five Deposits: 100% up to $1,000 (code: SS100). Minimum deposit: $25. This bonus is not valid in the Live Dealer Casino. Bonus will only be available for 30 days after redemption. The maximum release amount is 10X the bonus amount up to $10,000. - + 11 software
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- ComicPlay Casino
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$30
New players only. T&Cs apply. 18+. This offer is not available for players residing in Ontario. New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 19+. $30 Free Chip. Players need to sign up from our link, activate bonus code in profile (email should be verified). Maximum cashout: $60. Restricted games: No. Max bet amount for no deposit bonuses: no restrictions. - + 14 software
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- Island Reels Casino
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300% UP TO $1000 + 100 free spins
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. PLUS 100 Free Spins, 20 spins per day for 5 consecutive days on Fortunes of Olympus; Bonus Code: WELCOME-SPINS. Min deposit: $10. Get an extra 25% when you deposit with Crypto or Mastercard. Max Bet: $10. No Max Cashout. Claimable 3 times only. Players from Denmark, Hungary, Slovakia, and Spain are restricted to make crypto deposits. - + 2 software
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Current State of US Online Gambling
At this stage in the game, online gambling is basically decided on the state level. While no states can allow online sports bets because of the federal Wire Act detailed above, a number of states have decided to regulate the industry. New Jersey and Delaware have regulated most forms of online gambling, and Nevada has regulated online poker only. Because these jurisdictions have government-mandated licensing process in place, software companies are allowed to offer games there since they aren't in violation of the UIGEA.
Most people from most states will have no problem connecting to an online casino, putting up deposits and receiving withdrawals. The main issue any player will run into now is one of the available banking methods because of how the aftermath of the UIGEA has worked out in terms of some banks continuing to block transactions, but the landscape has gotten much more favorable in recent years, especially after the 2011 clarification of the Wire Act not applying to online casino play by the Department of Justice.