Online Casinos For United States Players
Since the big crackdown on online gambling in the USA in 2006, fewer and fewer Americans actually know how to navigate the field of online gambling websites. They have questions about gambling, and many simply fear that playing online poker or blackjack is going to put them under heavy surveillance by the feds until which point they come kicking the door down.
If anything, we hope this site can shed some light on the genre of gambling in the USA. What you’re going to find on this site is 100% accurate, fully updated information pertaining to the state of legal gambling in the United States.
Most Reputable Online Casinos For United States Players In 2024
Each of the following casinos are all licensed and accept players from the U.S. And when we say reputable, we actually mean it. All of these casinos we consider to be 5 star rated with a proven track record of paying winnings to players the fastest and being a staple in the online gambling industry.
| Site Name | Bonus Offer | Rating | USA Friendly? | Visit Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovada Casino | 100% Max $3000 |  |  | Visit Casino |
| Slots.lv Casino | 100% Max $5000 | | | Visit Casino |
| Cafe Casino | 325% Max $3125 | | | Visit Casino |
| Ignition Casino | 100% Max $1000 | | | Visit Casino |
What We Are Here For
As United States Casinos Online, we’re here strictly to clear up the misconceptions about online gambling for Americans. As we mentioned above, some Americans are outright living in fear that the government is watching their every move online, and others simply do not know how to figure out the legality of online gambling. After all, if you go to most state-based and federal online resources, it flatly tells you that gambling is illegal. But no further context is provided, and so it’s a colloquial rumor flying around America that gambling is illegal and banished by the government, and thus millions of Americans stop trying to learn about their options.
That’s why we’re here, to hopefully clean this mess up and to give you the news straight and without filter, filler or bias. We hope to do a good job in this realm, providing Americans with a trusted online gambling resource, and we also hope that you can use our information and our suggestions to find the best sites with which to gamble.
The Legality Of Gambling Online In The USA
So, is it legal to gamble via websites in the USA? Let’s not make this complex or drone on about it. The fact is that it is perfectly legal, unless you live in Washington State, to gamble online. This might seem a bit confusing to you. How can gambling be illegal yet legal? It all has to do with the act of gambling. This is what you’re doing as the gambler; you’re placing wagers and participating in gambling.
This is not illegal in 49 of 50 states, and it is not prohibited by federal law. If you can find a location at which to place wagers, you are allowed to place wagers.
And think about it; it really does make sense. Just because you might live in Virginia, and that state has bans against on-location casinos, there’s no state or federal law keeping you from traveling to Las Vegas to gamble. You’re still a resident of VA while in Nevada, but there are no laws prohibiting this. It’s the same principle online. Just because you’re a resident of a certain sate (outside of WA), there’s nothing stopping you from gambling where gambling is legal.
What becomes illegal in the gambling realm is the act of offering gambling to people. For instance, if you want to gamble on a website, you’re free to do so. Though if you wanted to start a gambling website and have it licensed in America, you would be likely be shut down (outside of New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada for poker and sports betting only).
This is the effect of the Federal Wire Act and the UIGEA, which we’ll speak about below. But all you need to know as a gambler in the USA is that you’re allowed to place wagers where places are allowing you to do so. This information can be confirmed here and on wikipedia.
Federal U.S. Regulations To Consider
So, why is it illegal in the USA to offer gambling to people? This is due to the trifecta of federal regulations against gambling. Starting with the earliest, these federal acts are: The Federal Wire Act, PASPA, and the UIGEA.
Federal Wire Act Of 1961
For the Federal Wire Act, you’re looking at something that arose back in 1961, basically as a way for the federal government to enforce its interstate gambling laws. Say you lived in Tennessee and bet with some bookie somewhere in Wisconsin. How could either state really do anything about it? Tennessee couldn’t punish you for gambling because you did it in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin couldn’t punish you because you were outside of their jurisdiction.
So, like a microcosm of American history in one law, states needing to keep atop their moral high horse against gambling actually encouraged the federal government to create and enforce the Federal Wire Act back in ’61, and this law was so strong and popular that it actually helped shape a new act in 2006, almost 50 years later.
Paspa Law
PASPA, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, also known as the Bradley Act, is a piece of legislation that came about in 1992 with the stated purpose to help protect the integrity of sports, particularly amateur sports. People who take a moral stance against gambling tend to protect their societal-collapsing fears onto soft targets, and amateur athletes potentially being corrupted by mob-like sports industrialists looking to force them to shave points was the fire lit underfoot of many who supported this ’92 act.
The end result was that all but four states (Montana, Colorado, Delaware and Oregon) were not allowed to offer any sort of sports betting at all, whether at the professional or amateur level, and this act is still in place today keeping states from offering sports betting.
UIGEA Law
The most recent was the biggest and scariest of all, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, or the UIGEA. This is the one that President George W. Bush signed into law, and the one that sent people to prison, cost billions of dollars in lost revenue for gamblers, and all but killed the online gambling industry in the USA.
After all, if you think Americans have trouble wrapping their heads around the fact that gambling is still technical legal in 2015, just think about back in ’06 when this first happened. Nobody knew they were still allowed to gamble, and it didn’t help matters any that most offshore sites were scared to death that America might carpet-bomb them or something for allowing Americans.
This law, and the Federal Wire Act, were actually recently rebutted by the Department of Justice in 2011, with a ruling that basically said, outside of sports betting, it’s unlawful for the federal government to tell states how they can handle their own gambling laws. And this is why Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada, soon to be joined by states like California, have started to again offer online gambling options to residents of those states.
How To Find Reputable Online Casinos Accepting US Based Players
While we could really expand on this section and give you a long list of tips to use while searching Google and Bing for gambling sites, we want to make it abundantly clear that you don’t have to go through a lengthy process to find acceptable gambling sites. At United States Casinos Online, we put in the legwork for you. We find sites that are accepting US-based players, and we hold them to a strict list of criteria to ensure that they’re fair, safe, fun and lucrative. Some of the things we’re looking for in a site before suggesting it to you is a website that must:
• Be a respected brand by its members
• Be lucrative and offer plenty of bonuses and promotions
• Be very, very safe, with awards and certificates
• Be transparent with its licensing and regulation information
• Be state-of-the-art in how the software operates, it’s mobile-friendly nature, etc
• Be very keen on offering high-quality customer support
• Be varied in its range of games
• Have a high payout rate for most games
• Offer plenty of banking options that Americans can use without hassle
• And other important criteria to ensure the site is worth your time
If a gambling website available to those in the US matches on our criteria, we will promote to you. So you don’t have to roam around looking for sites. We’ll drop them in your lap.
Advantages Of Casinos Accepting Americans
Most websites that offer gambling and allow Americans to play will be located offshore. This simply means that the website is licensed and regulated outside of the United States’ jurisdiction, so there’s nothing that the USA can do to regulate it or shut it down. But how do you know that a website operating somewhere in the Caribbean or in Europe will be on the up-and-up?
Keep in mind that market parity is what dictates the success of gambling sites. There are so many online casinos and poker rooms that if one isn’t up to snuff, it will quickly fold and bust and the sites that do well and that are fair will remain profitable. In fact, offshore sites typically offer even more to Americans than sites in a state like New Jersey offer to its own in-state residents.
These offshore sites are seriously vying for your business, and so they’re going to try to sweeten the pot. Some of the advantages of going with an offshore site include but are not limited to:
• More overall games you can play
• Games that give you the European and American version (roulette, blackjack, etc)
• Better bonuses and promotions to entice you over
• More expedient banking options like PayPal and Bitcoin to draw you in
• Better customer service to help with your issues
• Tighter security so a site can boast that it’s the safest place around
• Better RNG software to offer true fair-play options
• Live casino options to offer you a true-to-life gambling experience
• And more
United States Casinos Online isn’t here to sell you any woof tickets about “guaranteed” gambling strategies or “must-use” sites that will make you rich. We’re here to tell you the truth about the legality of gambling and to point you in the direction of websites whose services are premium in today’s marketplace. We want to be your go-to gambling resource if you’re an American gambler, so we stick to the facts without the filler, and describe the genre accurately without any thrillers.