Top Online Gambling Sites Usa
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- Top Online Sports Gambling Sites Usa
Best US Gambling Sites. With real money gambling sites becoming more widely accepted in the United States, online casinos and sportsbooks have become the preferred methods of gambling online for US residents. USA Gambling sites are now offering more ways to place bets and play casino games than ever before.
Debunking US Online Gambling Myths. There are some players who are under the impression that the UIGEA bill, also referenced to as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, has rendered all USA friendly gambling sites illegitimate by blocking Visa deposits accepted by online casinos. This is definitely not the case. This online poker casino lets you play poker online for real money. It’s consistently rated as one of the best online poker sites for US players. The reason why it’s rated as one of the best online poker sites US players is due to its various features. Some of the features it has included a 100% casino match bonus that goes up to $1000.
Finding the best US online casinos should not be a gamble in itself. In this day and age, many real money casino sites are battling it out, but not all of them have good intentions.
Therefore, finding a safe and reputable online casino should be top of your priority list. After all, you should be leaving the risk to the tables, right?
Rank | DE Gambling Site | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
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#1 | Las Atlantis | 280% Up To$14,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#2 | Super Slots | 300% Up To$6,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#3 | Red Dog Casino | 225% Up To$12,250 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#4 | Vegas Casino Online | 100% Up To$11,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
#5 | Wild Casino | 250% Up To$5,000 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
If you’re wondering how to choose the best US online casino for you, chances are you’ll need a little help doing so. Luckily for you, we just happen to have your back.
With some rogue operators out there, who hide behind big promises and shiny colors, it’s better to leave the work to the experts. We put a great deal of time and effort into ranking the best real money online casinos for the USA, and our recommendations are genuinely of the highest quality.
On this page, we have not JUST highlighted the best online casinos for Americans. We’ve also explained how we go about choosing which casinos to recommend, and covered a few other related topics.
- Las Atlantis Casino – An excellent US online casino with generous bonuses
- Super Slots – Relatively new US casino with a great welcome bonus
- Red Dog Casino – Easily one of the best online casinos for US players
- Vegas Casino Online – Another popular casino with a great reputation among American players
- Wild Casino – A very popular online casino among Americans
Top Online Sportsbooks
We’re happy to share our list of the best US online casinos operating today. Our recommended casino sites come with the GamblingSites.com seal of approval, which is only awarded to real money gambling sites that meet an extensive list of our demands.
We don’t recommend any sub-par sites and don’t expect you to sign up with one either. But the difference between the best online casinos and the others can be hard to detect, unless you know what to look for.
Now, there are the middle-of-the-road casinos that try to pass themselves off as industry leaders. Not to worry, as we can also spot these places a mile off. Excellence is not something that can be imitated.
Looking to find out more before you sign up with one of our top real money online casinos for US players? That’s cool. We have provided all the information you need to know about our recommended sites below.
Let’s begin with some insight into how we rank our top-rated US online casinos.
You might be wondering how we analyze our recommended US online casinos. Well, allow us to explain what really stands out for us when it comes to a great online gambling website.
First of all, there is the importance of safety and security to address. If you’re a responsible and aware individual, protecting yourself from sites that don’t operate in an equally responsible fashion should be key.
For added peace of mind, you should know that we extensively scrutinize every site we recommend before we present them to you as a safe option.
It’s a prerequisite for any of our recommended real money casinos to meet the following criteria.
- The online casino must operate legally and be above board
- It must be fully licensed and regulated
- Any online casino we recommend must be safe, secure, and reputable
Of course, there is more to industry-leading online casinos than security and reputability. Players want to have fun and make money while playing casino games, and the best way to do this is by gambling through a site that has an exceptional all-around product.
There are a number of things that separate the best US online casinos from mediocre ones.
Modern gamblers tend to play more than one game. As such, the best US casinos spend time creating an environment where a player can do just that.
So, whether it’s slots, roulette, blackjack, video poker, craps, baccarat, or any other game for that matter, our recommended online casinos for US players provide you with choices. This applies to games produced by the top slots providers out there.
Numerous Payment Methods and Fast Processing Times
What do you want from a top-rated US online casino? When you think of all the things you could say to answer that question, a wide range of payment methods and fast processing times will probably rank pretty high up there, right?
And so they should. After all, if we can find a site that offers options that include debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, pay by phone, and money transfer, we can’t really complain, especially if we don’t have to wait what feels like an eternity to be paid out.
Many of the best US casinos do just that. In recent times, many have even taken to offering Bitcoin as a viable payment method.
Top bonuses and promotions don’t necessarily make for excellent online casinos, but the best of the best usually have stellar offers. By stellar, we mean the type of bonuses, free bets, and rewards that are actually obtainable.
These days, you’ll see some extravagant free bets and promotions that might be too good to turn down. It’s only until you read the fine print to find the excessive wagering and turnover requirements that you realize they aren’t worth using.
Let’s imagine that you have an urgent query regarding a payout, but you can’t reach a site’s customer support team. You wouldn’t be too happy, would you?
Or how about playing a game that crashes suddenly, only to kick you out of the site and compromise your winnings? Yup, you wouldn’t be happy at all.
The top online casinos for US customers come with customer support services you can rely on.
Now, these factors we’ve discussed here are easily among the most important when it comes to find the best US casinos. There are many more we have to consider, too, though. Check out the following page for a more complete look at how we identify the very best real money casinos online.
Can you believe that there are still some players who have never experienced the joy of using a top-class online casino? There are just so many things that make playing casino games online so much easier and more convenient than any other alternative available.
Not convinced? Read more below.
You Can Play From the Comfort of Your Home
That’s right. Providing you have an internet connection, you can play at our recommended US online casinos from the comfort of your couch, under your duvet, in the kitchen while you cook, or even in the bath!
Before the internet was a thing, some casino enthusiasts would have to travel super long distances to play casino games. For many, this would be an annual trip to Vegas or Atlantic City.
Seriously. Think about it this way, if you frequent just one land-based casino, you are stuck with the games they have. This means that you can’t play anything else other than what’s there. If that casino offers you no perks such as free chips or other bonuses, tough look, kid.
Here’s the great news about playing through the best US online casinos—you don’t have to play at just one! This means that you can avail of all the different games, slots, software developers, and bonuses out there by playing at numerous casinos. Some will even have sportsbooks, which is great if you’re also into sports betting.
The Mobile Casino Experience
The opportunity to play your favorite casino games from anywhere you can get an internet connection is one that you can’t pass up. Sometimes, there’s nothing better than accessing a library of the leading US online casino games while commuting to work or simply lying on the couch and digesting your Thanksgiving turkey.
Some sites even have specific bonuses and promotions available for players who prefer the mobile casino experience. Whether you are playing via a gambling app or a mobile site, fun is guaranteed.
Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about our recommended real money casinos for Americans.
Are there legal US online casinos?
Yes, there are plenty of legal online casinos for US players. Because we don’t know what state you live in, we can’t say for sure whether it’s legal to gamble online in your state though.
However, we do have a page dedicated to US Gambling Laws and Online Regulation that will help you find out more.
The online casinos we recommend have all been vetted and approved as safe, secure, and reputable. However, not all casino sites are as trustworthy as those we recommend.
It can sometimes be a very risky process just signing up and playing at a casino that hasn’t been thoroughly tested and researched. We would strongly recommend avoiding these casinos, as they could be dangerous.
What are the gambling limits on online casinos?
It depends. Different casinos have different limits.
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You can approach a customer support agent to find out the limits before you sign up or check the site to see if they have this information published.
How long will I have to wait to receive my winnings?
It depends on the site and the withdrawal method you use. The best US online casinos are typically pretty good at processing cashouts as quickly as possibly. This is especially true if you use Bitcoin.
You can find out more about the processing times of any online casino by visiting the site’s payment information or contacting customer support.
Aside from ranking the best online casinos for US players, we also like to provide sites based on a specific specialty.
Below, you will find even more fantastic, reputable online gambling sites to choose from. Alternatively, check out our full list of the best casinos by category.
Skip the Headaches and Play at a Legitimate Site
You’re looking for a legitimate U.S. gambling site, but can’t decide which site to trust with your hard-earned money?
Good news! We’ve been in the online gambling industry for over a decade (several decades, really, if you add all of our experience together), and we’ve spent countless hours to bring you a list of the most legitimate sites.
Here’s what all of these sites have in common:
- 10+ years in the business with strong reputations.
- Attractive promotions for first-time customers.
- Quick money withdrawals (relative to the U.S. market).
Rank | Site | Play | Bonus |
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100% up to €250
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200% up to €500
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100% up to €400
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100% up to €300
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100% up to €400
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Why Bovada Is #1 in the U.S.
#1: Fastest Check Cashouts
Bovada gets 10 times as much traffic as its second best US competitor and still delivers check payouts faster than any of them. Bovada processes check withdrawals in 7 days; many of its competitors take weeks, some more than a month to do the same. (There are other fast options, like the #3-ranked BetOnline, which delivers checks in 14 days.)
#2: Service
An equally important aspect of Bovada’s operations is its customer service. If there ever was an indication of how much a company respects its customers, it’s the level of customer service the company provides. I haven’t found any US-friendly site doing this aspect of the business better (although 5Dimes is a worthy runner-up).
#3: All-In-One
Finally, all parts of Bovada’s business (sportsbook, casino, poker, racebook) are popular. Bovada is best-known for sports betting and casino games, however, even its online poker room has around four times as many players online as the second biggest US poker site. You can access all of their games with one player account.
… But You Should Know This
Bovada is recreational-friendly, perhaps more-so than any other US site. You’ll find few golden opportunities in their sportsbook (read more about their use of dual lines), they have a relatively high overall house edge (especially after recently increasing house edge in video poker games) and their online poker room only has “anonymous” tables.
Although not everyone agrees with me, the recreational-friendly part is an advantage for skilled poker players. Since Bovada appeals to recreational gamblers, you’ll be like a shark among regular fish.
Bovada charges a 4.9% fee for credit card deposits (a lot considering how most sites charge nothing). The impact of the deposit fee is slightly compensated by their welcome bonuses, which are better than average.
All online gamblers look for entertaining games, attractive promotions and aesthetically pleasing software. To have a safe experience, however, you want a site to:
- Serve its customers with safety and respect,
- Operate with a reasonable house edge, and
- Handle money transactions promptly.
Yes, the third point is included in the first point but it’s also such an essential part of the customer experience that it must be mentioned separately. Many online gambling websites operate without an adequate level of service so these points are worth considering. It’s rare to find a combination of all three points.
Bovada fulfills all of the above criteria better than other sites but 5Dimes does well, too. In fact, I’m confident in ranking those two as the best USA gambling websites specifically because they deliver so well in the areas related to safety and trustworthiness. A site without proper customer service and safety measures is not one you should deposit money to, regardless of its promotions and whatnot.
What Are Some Alternative Options?
For Sports Bettors
5Dimes.eu is the best betting site in the US for the following reasons: they’re professional-friendly and offer reduced juice betting lines (in other words, less house edge). Before betting on any game, I recommend taking a look at the odds 5Dimes is offering. They’ve been a reliable sportsbook for over 10+ years — you’ll find few complaints about 5Dimes online, and the ones you find have been resolved quickly.
For poker and casino games, I would go with Bovada. But for sports bettors, it makes the most sense to have an account at 5Dimes.
Another Solid Option
BetOnline.ag is my third suggestion. It’s not significantly better than the others in any area but they’re simply a solid option. Prompt cashout processing, decent poker traffic, good sports betting options and entertaining casino games. Additionally, I’ve had good experiences with their customer service.
For sports bettors, BetOnline is worth signing-up at simply to be able to compare betting lines among a few sites. For poker players, BetOnline may offer some good games every now and then (keep in mind: you can bet on sports and play casino and poker games with the same account, so plenty of gamblers will stumble on the poker games eventually). For casino gamblers, BetOnline has a basic but reliable offering.
BetOnline charges a 6% fee for credit card deposits.
Is It Legal to Play?
The definition of ”gambling” and the laws surrounding vary depending on which state you live in.
In Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey, some forms of online gambling have been legalized and regulated (only state-licensed sites are allowed to operate legally). In other states, it’s likely (although not widely agreed upon) that playing – and certainly operating – online gambling games for real money is illegal.
On a federal level, sports betting is the only form of prohibited gambling via the Wire Act of 1961. For several years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) maintained that the Wire Act applies to all forms of online gambling, but in December 2011, they corrected that stance by stating that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting – a result of a 13-page memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel to the Criminal Division of the DOJ (source).
State laws, however, often indirectly prohibit gambling. Or to put it another way: it would be difficult to claim any forms of online gambling legal with absolute certainty in most states (lotteries and such aside). Most state laws indirectly prohibit gambling simply by making all forms of gambling unlawful that have not been made lawful.
Purely based on history, it’s unlikely you’ll get into legal trouble; then again, if something is illegal, you can get into trouble, and someone probably will. Gambling online may be illegal where you live. Contact a local gaming lawyer to get a better idea of your local laws.
Legal Troubles
Industry-changing events have taken place in the online gambling world – mainly concerning online poker – such as the UIGEA and Party Poker’s exit from the US market, or PokerStars’ exit from the US market in 2011.
Those crimes were committed by online poker operators, though, not players. Still, the mere fact that online poker companies were targeted was enough to cast a shadow over the legality of US online poker, and furthermore, players grew more and more worried about one of these sites getting shut down along with the money on their player accounts.
In fact, there is a legitimate reason to worry about dishonest US gambling sites taking your money. Some sites have indeed taken off with the money – a recent example is Lock Poker, which currently may owe its customers over $15 million. I created LegitGamblingSites.com mainly to give more exposure to the sites with strong track records of honest business practices.
The lawmakers, in that regard, have a point about not allowing unlicensed sites to provide online gambling games to US citizens. While that may not be the reason, it’s likely one of them. (If I had to guess, I’d say they’re more concerned about losing out on tax dollars and protecting the interests of brick & mortar casino owners such as Sheldon Adelson, although through the RAWA – Restore America’s Wire Act legislation – he tries to do that by himself.)
How to Move Money Around
Ever since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) became a law, US citizens have had a more difficult time finding a suitable deposit method.
There are only a few left, actually.
The most common deposit method for US citizens is still credit card deposits, out of which VISA is the most widely accepted brand, followed by Mastercard, with American Express being a distant third. Cards must be eligible for both international and online transfers.
The alternative method is to use a money transfer service such as Western Union. Western Union is mostly a deposit-only method. (Bovada is an exception since they only allow you to withdraw money via a check.)
Why to use a money transfer service instead of a credit card?
- A card deposit fails to go through. This happens every now and then, and the only way to know if your card will be accepted is to try. According to various forum reports, Vanilla VISA is declined at most sites while Netspend VISA has been successful.
Surprisingly, players have had problems with card deposits even at state-licensed sites due to banks like Bank of America outright declining all gambling transactions. Things will likely get better with the new MCC codes for VISA, Mastercard, American Express and Distant which will help casinos to identify gambling transactions more accurately. It’s unclear how much of a help this will be since banks still have the right to decline transfers marked with the new MCC codes, and due to not wanting to violate the UIGEA (according to which they’re prohibited from knowingly processing unlawful gambling transactions), banks may decide it isn’t worth it and keep cancelling transactions even if they were for state-licensed sites.
This is expected to change once bigger states – perhaps even the biggest of them all, California – join internet gambling, since declining the transactions will then affect such a large percentage of any bank’s customer base.
- You want a faster cashout. While money transfer services cost more (many sites, like Bovada, allow one free check cashout a month), the money is usually delivered to be picked up at a local Western Union location in five days or less.
- You don’t want a check cashout. You need to go to a cashier to cash a check. Most people would rather avoid doing this, especially since banks aren’t allowed to knowingly process online gambling related transactions (unless in Delaware, Nevada or New Jersey, but people have had problems in those states as well).
In general, you’ll have higher transaction costs with money transfer services than with a combination of credit cards and checks. BetOnline and Bovada are the only major USA sites charging for credit card deposits and most allow one free check cashout per month – some, like True Poker, allow a free check withdrawal every seven days.
How to use a credit card/check combination?
- Enter your credit card details online after which you have the money on your player account instantly.
- When done playing, order a check cashout, which will take from a week to over a month depending on which site you’re dealing with.
- Go to your local bank to cash the check.
How to use a money transfer service (like Western Union)?
- Go to their website or a live Western Union location and send money to the gambling site. (You’ll need to contact the gambling site first to get their transfer details.)
- When done playing, initiate the withdrawal from your player account.
- Go to a live location to collect the money.
State-Licensed Sites
As mentioned, Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey have legalized and regulated some forms of real-money online gambling. Delaware started with online poker but has since expanded into casino games as well; Nevada offers online poker games only; New Jersey offers online poker and casino games.
As you can see, not a single one of these states offer online sports betting. In New Jersey – clearly the biggest market of the three – there’s a clause according to which sports betting may be considered to be added in the future.
Requirements
You must be physically located within a state’s boundaries to play at the licensed sites. If you’re currently located in California but live in Nevada, you’re unable to play until you return to Nevada; if you’re currently located in Nevada but live in California, you can play as long as you stay within Nevada’s state boundaries.
Licensed sites have to make sure nobody outside of the state can participate in the games. Geolocation – identifying exactly where a person is located – has been difficult, and there are still people who are unable to play even though they’re located within those states. This is one of the reasons licensed online gambling sites have done financially worse than expected.
Only existing brick & mortar casino owners within those states can apply for licenses, although they can apply together with an existing online gambling site in a software-licensing agreement, like Caesar’s Interactive and 888.com have done. If a poker site kept operating in the US after the UIGEA of 2006, it will be subjected to a ”bad actor” clause in Nevada and be prohibited from operating in the state for now.
Performance
Each state has had a rocky start, although New Jersey is doing OK. In March 2014, they did $11.87 million in revenue, which grew into $13.16 million in March 2015. A growth rate of 14.57% year-over-year is better than nothing, but still a far cry from the $1 billion within the first 7 months of operating Governor Christie expected (New Jersey gambling sites were launched in November 2013). In other words, his expectations were a little over $140 million a month on average, or about ten times the current revenue.
According to PokerScout.com, Nevada’s online poker revenue is going downhill. Year-over-year decrease in revenue of around 44% (from February 2014 to February 2015) is, no matter how you look at it, a disappointing result. Problems with card deposits and geolocation – both of which exist in other states as well – and player liquidity have undoubtedly contributed to the significant decrease. Players have to deal with fewer problems when playing at offshore sites, and as long as that continues, it will be difficult for state-licensed sites to gain major traction.
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In Delaware, the state keeps all yearly revenue up to $3.75 million. Since total revenue for 2014 was around $2.1 million, gambling operators have made nothing. The main reason for such a low amount of revenue is Delaware’s population of 0.94 million (in comparison, New Jersey has a population of 8.9 million). Liquidity is important for online poker since you need lots of players to run games at various stakes, in several forms and throughout the day. Delaware is trying to improve its poker liquidity by combining player pools with Nevada but so far there hasn’t been a significant improvement to its online gaming revenue.
If all of the three states were to combine their player pools, it would create a poker economy of around 12 million people, which could add significant liquidity to the games and thus bring in more revenue to each of the states.
Offshore Sites
Gambling sites accepting US customers from outside of the three states are all ”offshore” sites, meaning they operate from outside of the US and have no license to operate within the US. They have obtained a license in some other jurisdictions – such as Antiqua & Barbuda or Panama – but many of those jurisdictions have less-than-stellar reputations.
The disadvantage of gambling at offshore sites is the lack of safety. For an outsider, it’s impossible to know how strict testing measures these sites go through to prove their legitimacy, and hypothetically, if one of them were to disappear from the internet tomorrow along with your money, what could you do about it?
Lock Poker, as already mentioned, is an ongoing example. They’ve now lost their license in Curacao (weirdly, they were able to keep the license easily over a year after refusing to process customer cashouts) and there’s nothing anyone can do to make sure Lock Poker’s customers have their money returned. All we can do is spread the word to the people who are considering signing-up and depositing money to their site.
The best thing you can do is consider the reputation of the site rather than the jurisdiction since all jurisdictions have had dishonest sites. The longer a site has been fully operational, and the fewer complaints it has generated, the better. Essentially, Bovada has been in the online gambling business since 2000 when Bodog.com was founded (the US-friendly operations of Bodog were re-branded as Bovada in 2011), and as mentioned, they’ve achieved an excellent reputation with a high level of customer service.
But there are advantages to playing at an offshore site, too, and you can legitimately argue that the advantages override the disadvantages. Offshore sites place fewer restrictions on customers, need less personal information and have to compete with lots of other sites (within US states, competition is limited) which forces them to be at their best in order to succeed. There are no geolocation issues either.
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Safety and legality aside – although obviously, both are big considerations – offshore sites are the better option in almost every area. Since only three states have legalized some forms of real-money online gambling in the US, they’re the only places for internet gambling for around 96.4% of US population.
What’s Next?
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US online gambling is in a transitional phase: after a long wait of legalization, three states have done it, mostly with lackluster success. Suggesting geolocation and deposit issues are resolved, revenue streams may grow. With online poker, though, most likely at least one of the bigger states has to legalize it and combine player pools with the others to create a meaningful poker economy.
A federal legalization would create much-needed competition and player pools, which in turn creates a bigger incentive for operators to participate and, in many ways, a better environment for gamblers. If internet gambling was to be legalized nationwide, every operator and their grandmother would want a license. As of now, it’s more beneficial for most operators to stay outside of the US.