• Legal Gambling States
• Is Online Gambling Illegal In Usa
• Is Online Gambling Legal In Usa

• Online Gambling Don’t Roll the Dice. If you’ve ever thought about visiting a cyber casino, here’s something you should know: it’s illegal to gamble online in the United States. “You can go to Vegas. You can go to Atlantic City. You can go to a racetrack. You can go to those places and gamble legally. But don’t do it online.
• Casinos Legal for US Players. Online casinos are at the front of legal online gambling in the USA. These online casinos essentially began the online gambling craze. Online casino gambling is the second most commonly spoken of form of online gambling in Congress.

Wondering if online gambling is legal in your state? Looking for the best online gambling sites in the USA? TechNightOwl is here to help. We keep track of the ever-evolving legal status of online gambling across the nation, so you don’t have to!

Our expert team also researches and explores all the current legal online casinos, compiling their findings here in easy-to-follow gambling site reviews. You can trust in us to provide everything you need to know about online gambling in the United States.

Your Resource for Safe, Legal Online Gambling and Sports Betting Sites

At TechNightOwl, gambling is our passion. From simple online slots to poker, we’re experts in games of all types – and let’s not forget sportsbooks. There’s nothing quite like not just watching your favorite sports team, but also winning real money in the process!

Our team goes above and beyond to vet every gambling site we cover here. We make sure that each one is safe, legal, and not setting an unfair house advantage. Even better, we try the sites we review to ensure we can share the information you really want to know, from legal considerations to site functions. By doing your online casino and betting site research on TechNightOwl, you’re not taking a gamble!

The law is clear in the Land of Lincoln, other than State-Regulated forms of gambling, playing a game, 'Of chance or skill for money or other thing of value,' is patently illegal. It is a Misdemeanor under the law, but it is difficult to tell how strictly the law is enforced with respect to Online Gambling. Online Gambling Don’t Roll the Dice. If you’ve ever thought about visiting a cyber casino, here’s something you should know: it’s illegal to gamble online in the United States. “You can go to Vegas. You can go to Atlantic City. You can go to a racetrack. You can go to those places and gamble legally. But don’t do it online.

Is Online Gambling for Real Money Legal in the USA?

Yes and no—online gambling for real money is legal in the USA on a federal level, but at a state level, that’s not always the case. Each state has its own regulations regarding which games and forms of gambling are legal, if any. State laws also don’t prevent you from using international sites, so long as they are not on US soil.

The good news is that while online gambling was entirely illegal in America up until 2012, in just eight short years, that’s changed dramatically. Twenty-two states now have some form of legal online gambling.

As of June 2020, five states are fully legal, so to speak, and allow online casinos, poker, and sports betting:

• Delaware
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Michigan

Nevada allows both poker and sports betting, but not casinos.

Sixteen additional states allow sports betting only:

• Indiana
• Iowa
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Montana
• Colorado
• Illinois
• Virginia
• Tennessee
• Arkansas
• New Mexico
• Mississippi
• Washington
• North Carolina

Exceptions to the Rules – Fantasy Sports and Online Lotteries

Fantasy Sports

Fantasy sports are handled a bit differently than gambling and sports betting because they are excluded from some legislation. Unfortunately, that makes their legality even more confusing.

Most daily fantasy sports (DFS) providers, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, legally operate in 43 states. DFS is illegal in Arizona, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, Washington, and Hawaii, which may soon change. Some providers also ban additional states. For example, Yahoo! Daily Fantasy Sports also does not operate in Delaware, Florida, Missouri, and Montana.

Online Lottery

Most US states offer some form of lottery, which is gambling of a sort. However, only a few give you the opportunity to play online, including Illinois, Georgia, Minnesota, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire.

Alternative premium resources sources for US Gambling:

Non US resources:

How to Tell if a Gambling Site is Legal in the US

On top of the ever-changing state-to-state legality of gambling in the United States, certain gambling sites also have restrictions. Most sites will have geo-based tracking and will let you know if they detect your location as an area they can’t service, but that doesn’t always happen.

There are two ways you can find out if a gambling site you’re considering is legal in the US, or more accurately your state, the first is to look them up right here on TechNightOwl. We cover all the best online gambling sites in the USA.

If, by chance, the site isn’t here, you can also scroll down to the bottom of the site and look for a regulatory body logo. If you don’t see one at all, it’s likely either not a legitimate site or one that’s not legal in the United States.

Is Gambling Online Safe?

Legal Gambling States

Legal online gambling sites are safe. They are regulated by the same entities as brick-and-mortar casinos and betting establishments and must meet all the same safety protocols and ethics codes. Those regulations ensure that all the games are fair, your money is secure, and that you actually are paid when you win.

However, as an illegal gambling site has no reason to follow those regulations—otherwise, they’d be legal—it is vital to ensure that you’re playing on a safe, legal site. That’s why we started TechNightOwl. Scam and unregulated gambling sites give the entire industry a bad name, and worse, they hurt people. We do everything we can to make sure that online gamblers like you have all the information they need to avoid those sites.

Gamble Responsibly

On the note of safety, when gambling online, you aren’t physically looking at the money you spend—or lose—it can be easy to spend more than intended. Many players get caught up in the moment, and betting is fast online.

Always gamble responsibly, and keep in mind that you are still gambling with real money. Know when to cut your losses or walk with your winnings and be aware of gambling addiction symptoms. Gambling can be fun and even very lucrative. At TechNightOwl, we’d like it to stay that way for you.

Types of Legal Gambling in the US

Remember that not all the options listed here are legal in all 50 states unless you opt for a website outside the US.

Casino Games

You can play a range of casino games in the US, including card games like Baccarat and Blackjack, as well as slots and table games like Roulette.

US gambling sites also offer live casino games such as Live Roulette and Live Blackjack. With these games, you play in a real-life casino via a video stream. You can place bets remotely using your phone or computer.

The best online gambling sites use modern, high-tech software to deliver your favorite games and ensure you have the best experience gambling online. While you can try most online games for free to make sure they meet your needs, free games generally don’t allow you to win real money.

Poker

If you’re wondering why states break legal gambling into three classifications—casino, poker, and sports betting—when poker is offered at casinos, it’s because the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 excluded “skill games.” This point also applies to Fantasy Sports, that’s how they scored an exception and became legal in 43 states.

Many poker fans assert that poker is indeed a game of skill—including the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), which has fought hard to legalize real money online poker sites. However, the US Department of Justice flip flops a bit over whether they consider it a game of skill or chance, as it involves both. That’s why poker is not legal in as many states as Fantasy Sports but isn’t lumped in with casino games either. It gets its own gambling “category” legally.

That said, in states where online poker is legal, you’ll find a wide range of online casinos and even sites dedicated solely to playing poker to suit your needs.

Sports Betting

Until recently, legal sports betting in the US was only available in a few states, most notably Nevada. Today, in addition to the states listed above, numerous others are working towards fully regulated sports betting.

This is attributable to the Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court ruling in 2018, which laid a foundation for legal sports betting in the United States. Sports betting includes both online and mobile betting.

Online betting may include a wide range of events, including bets on NFL, NBA, college football, NHL, and MLB games. You may even get the opportunity to bet on non-sports events such as the Academy Awards — popularly known as “specialty betting.”

Fantasy Sports

Fantasy sports allow you to create your own dream team from real players. Your team’s performance is then measured based on those players’ stats in real life. Your team competes against other Fantasy Sports player’s teams, and just like regular sports betting, you can place bets on who will win, among other things.

The Best Online Gambling Sites in the USA (2020)

To get the best gambling experience, you need to find the best gambling sites. You want a site that is user-friendly and offers fast payouts. Note that as US-based gambling sites are few in number at present, and you can only bet within state lines with those sites, some of the options below are not in the US, but they do all allow American players.

Here’s a look at some of our top picks: Chumba Casino, LuckyLand and DraftKings.

Advantages of Online Gambling

While the most obvious advantage of online gambling is accessibility – not every town in the United States has a casino nearby – it also offers a range of other benefits.

Ability to Play Games Instantly

Whether you have 5 minutes at a bus stop or you’re at home relaxing, you can play online casino games anywhere, anytime, instantly. There’s no travel, dealing with other patrons, or waiting to cash in your chips.

Attractive Bonus Schemes

Land-based casinos rarely offer bonuses or rewards, and often jackpots are only available on select games. Bonus programs are one of the biggest advantages of online casinos. They are a great way to improve your chances of a big payout.

Most online gambling sites offer match deposit bonuses, bonus spins, and other bonus offers. If you’re just getting started with online gambling, you can expect a range of bonuses and rewards in the form of welcome packages for new customers.

Better Odds

Return to Player (RTP) is usually higher in US online casinos compared to their land-based counterparts. That’s because the operating costs of online casinos are much lower than brick-and-mortar casinos.

Those lower operating costs allow online casinos to offer a better RTP – and that means better odds.

Variety

Online gambling platforms give you access to a vast selection of casino games and sports events with just a few clicks on your PC or smartphone. If one site doesn’t have what you want, there are plenty of options out there. With a brick-and-mortar casino, you’re limited to what your local casinos decide to offer.

Customizable Experience

Perhaps the best thing about gambling online is that you can find the right site for your needs. Gamblers have different betting and playing preferences, and one site can’t meet all those needs.

Odds and Ends – Online Gambling FAQ

Yes. Many US gambling sites have a mobile-friendly platform that allows you to load casino games through your phone’s browser. While some offer a limited selection of games, many are comparable to the site’s desktop version.

You don’t need to download software to enjoy online gambling or sports betting. Virtually every US gambling site offers a web-based instant play platform to load games through your web browser. Some options do also offer software downloads, but they aren’t universally mandatory.

Most US online casinos accept deposits and withdrawals through credit cards and various e-wallets, such as PayPal. Payment methods vary by casino.

You can play your favorite online casino games for free anywhere in the US. However, most of these games are just for fun or practice and don’t involve any cash winnings.

Games from some developers like NetEnt, IGT, and Microgaming, aren’t available at many US online casinos. These developers only operate in licensed regions, and few casinos are licensed to offer these games in the United States.

Some online casinos do offer loyalty programs like land-based casinos. In fact, some online options are run by brick-and-mortar casinos, and the points you earn online will apply if you visit in person too! Caesars is an example of a casino that offers online loyalty point accumulation.

If you have an issue with a casino, try to contact their customer support team. If you can’t find a solution, consider voicing your concerns at one of the reputable online forums. These forums usually work with casino management and can help address your problem.

Some gambling sites will automatically reconnect you right where you left off. In those that don’t, there’s usually a standard procedure detailed in the help section regarding what to do, and you’ll get a refund. However, do not attempt to avoid losses by intentionally disconnecting if things are going badly. You may be credited a few times, but customer support will catch on, and eventually, you’ll be banned.

Yes. For in-person and online gambling, your net earnings are considered taxable income on your federal return. That applies whether you gambled at an international or US site. You may be asked for your personal information when you sign-up to meet US tax reporting requirements.
Most sites will send you a W2-G if your earnings exceed a certain threshold, but technically, you are supposed to report any earnings, whether it’s $10 or $10,000. If you don’t receive a form, you can report it under “other income.”
As far as state income taxes, that varies by the state. Currently, in states with an income tax, only New Hampshire and Tennessee do not tax gambling earnings. Many states also don’t allow you to deduct your losses from your winnings unless you file a schedule C and are a professional gambler.
If you have significant winnings online, we recommend working with a tax expert familiar with gambling income specifically to minimize your tax obligation.

Discover the Best Online Gambling Sites in the USA and More

Whew – that was a lot of information to cover – but there’s a lot more. We’ve designed our homepage to be a quick crash course in the legality of online gambling in the US, types of online gambling, and the best online gambling sites, but you’ll find all this information covered in-depth elsewhere on our site. Stick around and explore a bit. We promise you’ll find everything you need to know about online casinos and betting sites in the US. If you can’t find the information you need, feel free to contact us. We’re always happy to help.

The topic of United States gambling online is a complex one, because the laws in each state are different. However, you don’t actually have to worry about all that, because at the best online gambling sites, USA players can safely and legally join no matter where they live in America.

To gamble online for real money, USA-based sites (i.e. domestic operators) are limited to those living in states that have actually legalized the pastime. If your state hasn’t yet done so – or if you simply want the biggest selections of online casino games, online sports betting odds, online poker tournaments, or online racebook action available to players at 18 and up – the sites we recommend are your best bets.

Best Online Gambling Sites For USA Players

Is Online Gambling Legal In The USA?

Yes, but there are caveats. Legal online gambling in USA states is available, but fewer than 10 states actually allow all forms of online betting. The most widely legalized type of online betting is sports betting, with 25-30 states now hosting domestic sportsbooks accessible both in person and online.

But if you live in a different state, you cannot join any out-of-state online betting services. These services are all geo-fenced, so you have to be inside the borders of a legal betting state to participate. The typical legal gambling age in USA online betting sites is also 21 or older, which isn’t ideal for those adults aged 18-20.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: international betting sites. Because these venues operate outside of US borders, they can legally accept players from any US state, including yours! To sign up for safe, real online gambling, USA residents can simply join any of the operators recommended here, as there are no USA gambling laws that say you can’t. Tens of millions of players can’t be wrong!

United States Online Casino Gambling

For residents fortunate enough to live in one of the handful of states that has embraced locally regulated online casinos, it’s a simple matter to get started. Just pick a service, sign up, and make a deposit. However, the vast majority of Americans don’t live in these states, and most of these potential players believe they’re out of luck. But they aren’t!

That’s because offshore online casinos – that is, those USA-friendly casino websites operating over the Internet – are also legal to join. Remember, US and state gambling laws apply only to domestic gambling. There are no laws that bar the use of non-USA betting sites by American players.

Indeed, only one state in America – Washington – has specific laws on the books barring online casino gambling (and other forms of online wagering), and even these laws aren’t historically enforced. All the established and new USA online casinos listed here accept WA residents, though you are advised to follow all local regulations and join these services only at your own risk.

United States Online Sports Betting

The sports betting USA market has dramatically expanded since the overturn of PASPA in May 2018. This has given American sports fans an increased range of options for betting on their favorite players and teams. As it stands today, over half of all USA states have legalized online sports gambling. However, despite PASPA no longer being in effect, the Federal Wire Act of 1961 remains law. This means that domestic sportsbooks cannot accept bets from players across state borders.

Again, however, the Wire Act only applies to United States-based sports betting sites. If you wager on athletics using an offshore operator that’s trusted and reputable within the global gaming community, you can wager online legally 24/7. When it comes to sports betting, USA players are welcome at all the venues we recommend, and the best sports betting sites in the USA are all just a click or tap away!

United States Online Poker

Of the “Big Three” legal USA online gambling markets, online poker is the least available domestically. Even in the few states that have legalized online poker within their borders, several have yet to actually roll out these services. Unlike other types of gambling, online poker requires a tremendous technical backend, as the game is multiplayer in nature.

Of course, as with the other types of US gambling online, you’re not limited to domestic options! Safe, legal USA online poker tournaments, cash tables, and Sit-N-Go events are hosted at many of the best-reviewed gambling sites we suggest. Best of all, there’s always room at the digital felts, because online USA poker is available around the clock.

You can join pot-limit and no-limit tables with buy-ins and antes for players of all means and skill levels, and multi-hand and multi-table options are supported, too. From Texas Hold ‘Em to Omaha to Omaha Hi-Lo, you’ll never run out of online poker hands to play.

United States Online Bingo

Bingo may not be the most popular form of online gambling, but the pastime’s move to the digital space is gaining momentum. Over the last several years, USA-friendly online bingo has established a notable presence in the gambling market. Real-money online bingo games are not prohibited by any US federal gambling laws and are primarily available through legal online bingo sites operating offshore.

Best of all, you don’t need to navigate any smoke-filled bingo halls or worry about getting blotter ink all over your good shirt, because the online game is fully automated, completely interactive, and allows you to enjoy every moment from anywhere in the United States. If Bingo is your game-o, you’ve finally found the best place to play!

The UIGEA Explained

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA, is a piece of federal legislation that became law in 2006. The UIGEA simply places regulatory oversight concerning how gambling-related transactions can be processed. The law addresses payment processors, not individual players, and it does not make online gambling illegal in any way.

The primary effect the UIGEA gambling law has on American gamblers is that it can occasionally cause a credit or debit deposit to be declined, which happens about 10% of the time. It also put an end to card-based chargebacks for online betting payouts.

However, the industry has evolved to work in compliance with the UIGEA, and there are now multiple new USA gambling banking methods you can use for both deposits and payouts. Of these, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are the most popular, and they make mobile casino USA gambling and mobile USA sports betting easier than ever, no matter where you are.

When Will Online Gambling Be Legal In All US States?

While domestic gambling expansion is happening rapidly across the US, we’re still not at the point where it’s available everywhere. The legislative process is slow and plodding, and most states are expanding online via sports betting before they address online casino games (aka iGaming) and online poker.

Only a handful of states has legalized all three markets to date, and there’s no telling which others will get on board. Some historical holdouts, like Hawaii and Utah, may never get on board.

That said, USA online gamblers have more options than ever, and offshore betting sites remain a viable alternative – and a far better alternative! – to state-based services.

Are There Any Legal Gambling Sites In USA Jurisdiction Today?

Yes! There are a number of US-friendly online gambling sites available to American players. For those living in states with legalized domestic online iGaming, sports betting, poker, or any combination thereof, joining the fun is as simple as downloading an app and signing up.

However, if you live in most US states, your local online gaming options are still limited. Fortunately, if you want to have access to every kind of Internet-based USA gambling, you’ve got it right in the palm of your hand, with no downloads required! As long as you sign up with a legitimate, reputable offshore operator, you can safely and legally bet real money online.

All the sites we recommend accept USA players at either 18+ or 21+ and are headquartered physically outside the United States. In creating our US gambling guide, our goal is to direct players to the safest and most trusted brands in the business, and we feel we’ve done that.

We’ve verified the legitimacy of every brand, ensuring that they’re operating legally and in good standing within the industry, that they employ all the latest gaming and security software, that their win rates reflect real-world betting odds, and that they always payout on time and in full.

Each site is different and unique, but they all must meet the above criteria to be considered for review by our team. Remember, we ourselves are regular players at every single one of the legal US gambling sites we recommend, and we hope to see you online!

Other Popular Sections On Our Website

Legal Online Gambling – With all the recent changes taking place in the US online gambling arena, finding legal betting sites can be a bit tricky for new players. To help first-time US online gamblers navigate the world of real-money wagering legally and securely, we’ve assembled a useful legal betting guide. Here, you’ll discover the best places to place your bets, and you can also learn about the more detailed gambling laws for each individual state.

Is Online Gambling Illegal In Usa

Online Gambling Laws – For US online gamblers interested in learning more about the specific betting laws of their own states, we’ve created this helpful index. While we recommend that you contact a legal expert for more detailed interpretations of any laws or regulations, this section should provide you with all the basics necessary to feel confident moving forward.

Is Online Gambling Legal In Usa

USA Live Dealer Casinos – Live-dealer casinos have lately become a standard feature at all legitimate online gambling sites. USA players with access to live casino streams can get all the sights and sounds of Las Vegas itself right on their computer or mobile device displays! You can chat with your dealer, gab with other players at the table, and track every shuffle, draw, and spin in real time. When you want to be at a casino but don’t have one nearby, live-dealer options are the answer.