USA Legal Online Casinos. In spite of a high-profile legal decision made by the federal government of the USA, legal online casinos are still available to Americans. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement.
Out of all questions about legal online gambling in the USA, the legality of online casinos are generally ignored. It is hard to say why this is, but as far as we can tell the United States government has never seized an online casino, but there have been some brands of casino software that have pulled out of the American market in order to avoid prosecution or to insulate themselves from potential harm. The fact of the matter is that online casinos enjoy some level of protection for a variety of reasons, including the wide number of these gaming sites and the relatively small player base that these casinos include - player bases that are almost infinitely smaller than the major online poker rooms.
When the UIGEA was passed, several brands of online casino software decide that they would not bother trying to contend with the ethics and complications of federal law. In 2008, casinos that license the Microgaming software stopped accepting new players from the United States. Later, in 2011, Microgaming saw what happened on online poker's 'Black Friday,' and they cut ties with all existing United States gamblers. Similarly, PlayTech had decided to pull from the United States market, but they did so significantly earlier. Playtech ceased operating in the United States as soon as the UIGEA was passed in 2006. Though these two behemoths had pulled from the American market, several types of online casino continued to operate within the United States, including one of the best - the RTG software.
With the complicated nature of the online gambling industry, with both the inherent inability to control the Internet and regulate international businesses, the United States has not been able to effectively ban the online gambling sites. When begging the question over whether these online casinos are legal in the United States, it is somewhat easier just to say that they are not illegal, but they are also unregulated. Since every state that allows some form of gambling heavily regulates the industry, it is difficult to say whether a lack of regulation inherently makes these gambling sites illegal. A few states have banned online gambling in all forms, but this is mostly targeted at starting a gambling site rather than playing at them. In Washington state the games are illegal for the player. Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon and South Dakota also have their own laws pertaining to the legality of playing with an online casino.
What it boils down to at this point is casino software. Several forms of online casino software are still operating in the United States, including the RTG, Rival, Top Game and Vegas Technology software. There are a few others, but they are hardly worth mention - especially considering the might of the RTG software.Regulation would greatly improve the gambling atmosphere online, but for now the only thing that is illegal, as per the UIGEA, is processing payments for online gambling sites. This only applies to financial businesses, so players do not actually have to worry about being held liable for just enjoying the what online casinos have to offer.
As with any other form of gambling, we implore you to check into your state's online gambling laws, perhaps with an attorney, prior to gambling, especially if you are really concerned with whether or not you can actually get in trouble for something as harmless as online gambling. Above anything else, do not attempt to ever bypass the minimum gambling age that has been instituted in your state, as this is a great way to very quickly lose any money before you even have a chance to win.
Gambling illegal online can leave you with several penalties to pay, and depending how extensive it is, you could be looking at some big trouble with the law. That it why we have pages like this to inform you about the most important aspects about gambling online. There is no greater importance than to ensure that you do so legally and safely. Your state government will have all of that information for you, especially when it comes to the legal gambling ages in your area. Just because you might meet the requirement from the sportsbook, does not mean that you are of age in your state.
For further information about the legality of online casinos as they relate to players in the United States, check out the link below which will move you to our site on everything legal online casinos, as you will gain a sense of some of the top-rated casinos out there for the U.S. player.
See more about legal online casinos here as well as a list of all online casinos that accept USA players.
We've compiled this legal online betting guide for US players arranged by state, to provide accurate and up to date information on the legal online gambling status and gaming options available within each US state. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive state gambling directory which will empower players with the information to make informed decisions about online gambling.
This state-specific data will include a look at the state laws governing online gambling opportunities from online casinos, online poker, to online sports betting.
Each individual state is approaching the legalization of online gambling differently, thus it is necessary to detail lawfully available state-licensed options, and sanctioned licensed offshore online gambling opportunities. We also address some of the most commonly asked questions about gambling in each state and provide some helpful resources for players to access. This information can only be covered in depth within each of the state pages we offer, which you can find listed within this guide.
Legal Usa Online Casinos No Deposit
Is Online Gambling Legal In My State?
To avoid confusion, we have marked US states which offer state-regulated gambling options in the table below with a check mark. At this moment in time, eight US states have legalized and regulated online gambling in some form. For example:
Online Poker & Casinos:
- Delaware - Online Poker and Online Casino gambling
- Nevada - Online Poker
- New Jersey - Online Poker, Online Casinos
- Pennsylvania - Online Poker, Online Casinos
- West Virginia - Online Poker, Online Casinos
Online Sports Betting & Fantasy Sports
- Illinois - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
- Indiana - Offers Online Sports Betting
- Iowa - Offers Online Sports Betting
- Massachusetts - Fantasy Sports Allowed
- Mississippi - Online Allowed At Casinos Only
- Montana - Legalized Online Sports Betting**
- Nevada - Online Sportsbooks State-wide
- New Jersey - Online Sportsbooks State-wide
- New York - Allows Fantasy Sports And Domestic Sports Betting
- Oregon - Offers Online Sports Betting
- Pennsylvania - Offers Online and Domestic Sports Betting
- Rhode Island - Offers Online and Domestic Sports Betting
- Tennessee - Offers Online Sports Betting Apps
- West Virginia - Online Sports Betting Allowed State-wide
** Legalized but Pending launch
Online Lottery:
- Georgia - Online Lottery Allowed
- Illinois - Online Lottery Allowed
- Kentucky - Online Lottery Allowed
- Michigan - Online Lottery Allowed
- Minnesota - Online Lottery Allowed
- New Hampshire - Online Lottery Allowed
- Pennsylvania - Online Lottery Allowed
Is Licensed Offshore Gambling Legal In My State?
While the above-mentioned states offer regulated online gambling, they still maintain the option to utilize licensed offshore online options. Nearly all US state residents, except those from Washington or Connecticut, can legally access licensed offshore online gambling platforms to play online casino games, poker, or bet on sports.
This is because no state laws in these other 48 states specifically prohibit or allow it - thus operating in a technical grey area, it is still considered safe to use because it is not likely these states will draft and pass legislation to specifically affect domestic access to licensed offshore gaming.
What Is The Minimum Online Gambling Age in the US?
There is no one minimum gambling age in the US as this is set and regulated by each individual state. The minimum gambling age within each state is affected by various factors such as game selected and licensor. By this, we mean state-regulated online gambling options require domestic players, whether residents or visitors, to abide by the state's minimum gambling age for that form of gambling on land within the state's borders.
However, licensed offshore online platforms which offer casino games, poker, and sports betting can lawfully accept players who are at least 18 years of age or older. These licensed offshore online sites also offer players much more in the way of bonuses and perks and the platforms we recommend are all extremely reputable.
U.S. States Where You Can Legally Gamble At 18 And Up
Below you can learn more about the minimum legal online gambling age by state in the USA.
| AL Offshore Yes:18 | IL Offshore Yes:18 | NE Offshore Yes:18 | SD Offshore Yes:18 |
| AK Offshore Yes:18 | IN Offshore Yes:18 | NV Offshore Yes:18 | SC Offshore Yes:18 |
| AZ Offshore Yes:18 | KS Offshore Yes:18 | NH Offshore Yes:18 | TN Offshore Yes:18 |
| AR Offshore Yes:18 | KY Offshore Yes:18 | NJ Offshore No | TX Offshore Yes:18 |
| CA Offshore Yes:18 | LA Offshore Yes:18 | NM Offshore Yes:18 | UT Offshore Yes:18 |
| CO Offshore Yes:18 | ME Offshore Yes:18 | NY Offshore Yes:18 | VT Offshore Yes:18 |
| CT Offshore No | MD Offshore Yes:18 | ND Offshore Yes:18 | VA Offshore Yes:18 |
| DE Offshore Yes:18 | MA Offshore Yes:18 | NC Offshore Yes:18 | WA Offshore No |
| FL Offshore Yes:18 | MI Offshore Yes:18 | OH Offshore Yes:18 | WV Offshore Yes:18 |
| GA Offshore Yes:18 | MN Offshore Yes:18 | OK Offshore Yes:18 | WI Offshore Yes:18 |
| HI Offshore Yes:18 | MS Offshore Yes:18 | OR Offshore Yes:18 | WY Offshore Yes:18 |
| ID Offshore Yes:18 | MO Offshore Yes:18 | PA Offshore Yes:18 | |
| IA Offshore Yes:18 | MT Offshore Yes:18 | RI Offshore Yes:18 |
Online Gambling Laws in The United States
Gambling laws can be a rather complex topic these days as there are several US federal gambling laws to account for such as the UIGEA, and the Federal Wire Act, as well as, several individual state gambling laws. The reason for this is because the United States DOJ has said that states have the authority to determine their own destiny concerning both land-based and online gambling.
Legal Usa Online Casinos For Real
Afterward, several states moved forward with legalizing some forms of online gambling for their region. Multiple other states are currently in discussions amongst themselves regarding the possibility of embracing this virtual gaming platform in their own territories. As discussed earlier and from what can be read from our laws page, US players outside of WA and CT are permitted access to multiple licensed, certified, and regulated online gambling sites hosted outside of the United States. This is a nice alternative for those players not located in a state with its own regulated form of domestic online gambling.