US Online Casinos in 2024
Show me the casinosThe 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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This Casino has a Warning!Caution Advised: Raging Bull is infamous for slow and delayed payments for players, sometimes no payments. Customers also experience poor or unresponsive customer support. Full Report Here.
- Raging Bull
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+ 1 software
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- Big Dollar Casino
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200% UP TO €/$6000 + 50 free spins
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+. -
+ 3 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Pure Casino received a warning from LCB due to poor support, they have no interest in cooperating with the LCB to resolve complaints in a timely manner. Players experience slow and often delayed payments, we encourage players to play elsewhere. Read more about this HERE.- Pure Casino
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400% UP TO $6000
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Minimum deposit: $25. Outside bets for Roulette are not allowed for this promotion. A maximum cashout of 10 times the promotion amount, plus any deposit made to activate the promotion, applies. -
+ 6 software
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- Bella Vegas
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200% UP TO $4000
New customers only. T&C apply. 18+. This offer is not available for players residing in Ontario. New customers only. T&C apply. 19+. Min Deposit: USD 20. Max Bet: USD 5. Players need not qualify for their WELCOME BONUS immediately and have up to 72 hours after registration as a Real Player to claim. Deposit bonuses of 101% or greater carry a maximum withdrawal of $1000. -
+ 4 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Players are advised to use an extreme caution upon deciding to play here. Slot Madness and sister casinos are known for extremely slow payments and poor customer support. They tend to pay the players, however payments are usually issued after a month+ , which is unacceptable business practice.
- Slot Madness
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275% UP TO $2750
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Minimum deposit: $30. Max cashout: No. -
+ 1 software
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Blacklisted CasinoUnder new management! As of November 2016, the business relationship went sour among the management of the family-owned Club World group. The partner responsible for the group's former good name was overruled and eventually walked away leaving the brands in the hands of the remaining family members/owners. They’ve since taken the business in a new direction, one of dishonour and a blacklisted status. The new regime reportedly sought the advice of the crooks associated with rogue operation AffPower, a decision that is extremely concerning. As shocking as this must be for the group’s loyal players, please heed our warning and steer clear!- Club Euro
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+ 1 software
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- Casino Grand Bay
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200% UP TO $4000 + 30 free spins
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+. Plus 30 Free Spins on Sweet Success . Min Deposit: $20. Max bet: $5.Max Cashout: $1000. Cashable. -
+ 4 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Please be advised that you can expect slow delayed payments, delayed withdrawal tactics and voided winnings from this casino group. Prism Casino is part of the Virtual group, and has been known for offering a quantity of no deposit bonuses. This is one of the reasons why they have been under attack by bonus abusers, fraudsters, multi accounters etc, making it harder for regular players. That of course is not an excuse for their long and delayed payments. They do pay eventually if the player meets all the terms and conditions. Please note that if player breaches even the slightest rules, they can expect winnings to be voided. Its up to the players discretion to decide whether to play here or not. We ask you to proceed with caution with this casino group.
- Prism Casino
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450% + 300 free spins
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 $30. Max Bet: $10. Max Cashout: 10x Deposit. Deposit with code THEBIG450, then claim 60 daily free spins for 5 days using the code FREE60. Selected games only: See the website for a list of online slots. -
+ 1 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Players are advised to use an extreme caution upon deciding to play here. Silver Oak and sister casinos are known for extremely slow payments and poor customer support. They tend to pay the players, however payments are usually issued after a month+ , which is unacceptable business practice.
- Silver Oak Casino
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260% + 35 free spins
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. 100% + 20 Free Spins. Deposit bonus must be wagered at least 30 times playthrough requirement for Slots, Keno, Scratch Cards and, Bingo; 60 times playthrough requirement for Table Games and Video Poker, before withdrawing. -
+ 1 software
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Blacklisted CasinoSeptember 2016 - Affiliate program suddenly shut and website displays a blank page. We were told in May 2016 that they were trying to sell the Refilliates brands and launching a new licensed casino BetReels. This casino and its sister brands are not to be trusted, please stay away.
- Slot Powers
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+ 6 software
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Rating
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- Lake Palace
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200% UP TO $4000
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. All match bonus offers greater than 100% need to be wagered through 60X by players before a player can make any withdrawal, and are subject to a maximum withdrawal amount of $6000. -
+ 4 software
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Rating
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Blacklisted CasinoSeptember 2016 - Affiliate program suddenly shut and website displays a blank page. We were told in May 2016 that they were trying to sell the Refilliates brands and launching a new licensed casino BetReels. This casino and its sister brands are not to be trusted, please stay away.
- Vanguard Casino
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+ 11 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Players are advised to use an extreme caution upon deciding to play here. Planet 7 and sister casinos are known for extremely slow payments and poor customer support. They tend to pay the players, however payments are usually issued after a month+ , which is unacceptable business practice.
- Planet 7 Casino
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200%
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. The games 'Banana Jones' and 'Fish Catch' may not be played with any funds from a coupon code (e.g. all bonuses). Any winnings from coupon codes on these games will be deemed void. Max cashout: $1,000. -
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Blacklisted CasinoIrish Luck Casino has been Blacklisted due to a very long verification process, extremely slow payouts or no payouts at all and unresponsive customer support. We advise you to choose an alternative casino when making a deposit.- Irish Luck Casino
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This Casino has a Warning!Please be advised that you can expect slow delayed payments, delayed withdrawal tactics and voided winnings from this casino group.Wild Vegas Casino is part of the Virtual group, and has been known for offering a quantity of no deposit bonuses. This is one of the reasons why they have been under attack by bonus abusers, fraudsters, multi accounters etc, making it harder for regular players. That of course is not an excuse for their long and delayed payments. They do pay eventually if the player meets all the terms and conditions. Please note that if player breaches even the slightest rules, they can expect winnings to be voided. Its up to the players discretion to decide whether to play here or not. We ask you to proceed with caution with this casino group.
- Wild Vegas Casino
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250%
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Min deposit: $30. Max Cashout: 10x Deposit. Max Bet: €10. Selected games only: See the website for a list of online slots. -
+ 1 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Please be advised that you can expect slow delayed payments, delayed withdrawal tactics and voided winnings from this casino group. Slots of Vegas is part of the Virtual group, and has been known for offering a quantity of no deposit bonuses. This is one of the reasons why they have been under attack by bonus abusers, fraudsters, multi accounters etc, making it harder for regular players. That of course is not an excuse for their long and delayed payments. They do pay eventually if the player meets all the terms and conditions. Please note that if player breaches even the slightest rules, they can expect winnings to be voided. Its up to the players discretion to decide whether to play here or not. We ask you to proceed with caution with this casino group.
- Slots of Vegas
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250% UP TO $2500
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Slots & Keno; 5x Playthrough. ZERO withdrawal limit. Minimum deposit: $30. Maximum Withdrawal: Maximum withdrawal amount is determined solely by the amount of the deposit. -
+ 1 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Please be advised that you can expect slow delayed payments, delayed withdrawal tactics and voided winnings from this casino group. Palace of Chance is part of the Virtual group, and has been known for offering a quantity of no deposit bonuses. This is one of the reasons why they have been under attack by bonus abusers, fraudsters, multi accounters etc, making it harder for regular players. That of course is not an excuse for their long and delayed payments. They do pay eventually if the player meets all the terms and conditions. Please note that if player breaches even the slightest rules, they can expect winnings to be voided. Its up to the players discretion to decide whether to play here or not. We ask you to proceed with caution with this casino group.
- Palace of Chance
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250% + 15 free spins
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Plus 15 Free Spins. Min deposit: $30. This bonus comes with a 10X wagering requirement (Slots and Keno Only), based on the amount of your deposit plus bonus, and no limits on how much you are allowed to withdraw. -
+ 1 software
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This Casino has a Warning!Please be advised that you can expect slow delayed payments, delayed withdrawal tactics and voided winnings from this casino group. Club Player Casino is part of the Virtual group, and has been known for offering a quantity of no deposit bonuses. This is one of the reasons why they have been under attack by bonus abusers, fraudsters, multi accounters etc, making it harder for regular players. That of course is not an excuse for their long and delayed payments. They do pay eventually if the player meets all the terms and conditions. Please note that if player breaches even the slightest rules, they can expect winnings to be voided. Its up to the players discretion to decide whether to play here or not. We ask you to proceed with caution with this casino group.
- Club Player Casino
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250%
New Customer Offer. T&C’s Apply. 18+. Max cashout.: 10xdeposit. -
+ 1 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.
