Real Money Casinos for US Players
There are plenty of online casinos for US players which have a great selection of games, track records of fast payouts and are compatible across many different devices. This page covers US Casinos from several different angles.
First below I have cleared up the legal situation, which is often misrepresented by the popular press. After that some of the biggest and best US online casinos are examined. More detailed information follows that, including payment methods, software and the ever improving selection of slots and casino table games that you will find online nowadays.
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US Casinos – Offshore and Legal
The popular press is happy to tell you that online gambling is illegal under federal law. This is incorrect. The act they usually refer to is the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) f 2006. If you were to read the wording of this act, you would find no reference to individuals gambling online being illegal whatsoever.
In fact, the UIGEA only targets banks (or other financial institutions) and operators of gambling sites. It forbids them from transacting with each other financially. This was enough to cause the major (regulated) gambling brands to move out of the US back in 2006. Since they could not legally take money from players inside the country, their business became non-viable.
With players not even covered under Federal law, many casinos opted to move to places where online gambling is legal – and to continue their business from there. This is the reason that you will find so many US casinos located on Caribbean Islands, in Central America or on tribal lands – specifically the Kahnawake territory located in Canada.
Some individual States do prohibit playing on real money online casinos. To date, no player has ever been prosecuted anywhere in the US for simply enjoying real money gambling online.
Interestingly, the islands that host online casino brands are currently fighting with the US via the World Trade Organization. They claim that the US is illegally denying them the right to offer games to US players under international free trade agreements!
The biggest effect of the UIGEA is to make payment processing – both depositing and withdrawing – from US casinos more difficult. As you will see below, there are some easy solutions for this.
The Biggest and Best US Online Casinos
There are some trusted and long-running casino brands located offshore. Below are two which have a track record of looking after their US players really well.
Bovada: This casino is owned and operated by the Morris Mohawk group, based in the Kahnawake tribal lands in Canada. Bovada is part of the global Bodog group of sites, famously setup by Calvin Ayre. With a solid track record for fast payouts, 3 types of software giving you more than 200 games and some of the best casino promotions anywhere – Bovada is a hugely popular choice for US casino players.
Planet 7 Casino: While some casinos focus on multiple types of software, Planet 7 take the solid RealTime Gaming portfolio of games – and then make their unique selling point huge (and regular) bonus offers. As part of the Ace Revenue Group portfolio, this casino has been accepting deposits from US players since 2007.
Payment Options at US Casinos
With the standard banking transactions restricted, US casinos use a variety of high-tech and international methods to get money on board – and good old fashioned paper checks to return player winnings.
As a player you need to be aware that credit cards are the most popular casino deposit option. These will often go through first time, giving you instant access to the tables. These payments are international (so you’ll need to make sure your card can make international purchases). Visa is the most commonly accepted, with MasterCard also in use at many casinos – AMEX is less common, though some casinos do still accept this.
If your card does not work then it is sometimes just a matter of trying again later. The networks and processors which the casinos use to manage their payments change all the time. A popular alternative is to buy a pre-paid Visa card from a convenience store. Make sure that you check with your casino first – as some brands work better than others for this.
Other payment options include money transfer services line Western Union or MoneyGram. You can also use Bitcoin at many casinos – your balance will be transferred into dollars as soon as you make your deposit.
Games and Software at US Casinos
When the regulated global giants like MicroGaming and PlayTech left the US after the passing of the UIGEA, they took their software with them. These companies used to license their extensive game libraries to US casinos – though now do not. Instead there are some casino software producers which are also based offshore which allow their games to be used by US online casinos.
These include some very popular – and very innovative – options.
RealTime Gaming is the most popular. They are well known for their solid table games, video poker and slots library. RealTime Gaming slots feature 7-figure jackpots, which can pay out randomly at any time.
You will also find games from Rival Gaming (which include the excellent iSlots), BetSoft (amazing 3D slots with animated ‘hosts’) and WGS (formerly known as Vegas Technology). While many companies which operate live slots in the US like IGT and WMS are not available to US players – there are still plenty of great choices of games to play.
US Casinos – Summary
Once again, there is nothing in the federal statutes which stop players enjoying real money casino games online. What is more there are trusted brands with great software and a lot of experience in getting your deposit made waiting for you to play.