Online Gambling Us States
Online casinos can be fun to wager on, but many folks within the United
States find themselves confused if they are able to participate or not. The
United States, unfortunately, does not have clear laws or regulations relating
to betting online unlike some other countries in the world. Due to the lack of
clarity, many US citizens are unsure about online gambling in general because
they just don’t know how or where to get started.
There are three states that currently offer legal online gambling in the USA- Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. Delaware was the first state to legalize online gambling with the passage of the Delaware Competitiveness Act of 2012. All three states have regulated online poker and casino sites, however, the rules differ slightly. The state’s online gambling market went live in November 2013 when Delaware Park, Harrington Raceway, and Dover Downs started offering online casinos with roulette, video poker, slots, and blackjack games. US States that Plan to License Online Casinos. The following US states are planning to legalize online gambling in the near future.
We’re here to help end the cloudiness surrounding online casino gambling for US
residents. Our site is full of information relating to US online casinos. We’ve
included site reviews, site recommendations, and some tips for you to use. If
you’re new to US casino sites, you’ve found a great starting point here. Check
out all that we have to offer, and you’ll be on your way to betting comfortably
online in no time.
The Most Trusted US Casino Sites in 2020
If you’re ready to play now at a US casino site, check out the list below
of our most trusted US online casinos. We’ve taken the time to do exhaustive
research on each of these sites to make sure that they are the best of the best.
Each of these recommended sites scored well when it came to important criteria
such as variety, trustworthiness, and quality of their customer service. Each of
these casinos can provide you with a trusted starting point for a US online
casino.
For those of you that are new to playing online or that would like to learn
more before proceeding, be sure to check out everything else that we have to
offer. Below, we’ll cover much more information about playing online at US
Casinos. Our site is full of information to help get you quickly up to speed.
Rank | Gambling Site | Deposit Bonus | Get Started | |
#1 | 280% Up To $14,000 | Visit Site | ||
#2 | Super Slots | 300% Up To $6,000 | Visit Site | |
#3 | 225% Up To $12,250 | Visit Site | ||
#4 | Vegas Casino Online | 100% Up To $11,000 | Visit Site | |
#5 | 250% Up To $5,000 | Visit Site |
Is It Legal?
While we wish we could give you a simple yes or no when it comes to the
legality of betting online in the US, we, unfortunately, can’t. At a high level,
things are very fuzzy and not clearly defined. The United States has not yet
fully regulated or legalized online gambling yet. Still today, online gambling
in the US falls into a gray area. While the US has laws and regulations relating
to gambling in general, there is no update to the laws yet with specific
language about online gambling.
We know for a fact that there is no law specifically banning US residents
from gambling online. Add to that the fact that we don’t know of a single
individual within the US that has ever been arrested for gambling online.
In short, you should proceed without any concerns about trouble with the law when
it comes to gambling online.
Online Casinos by State
Below we’ve compiled a list of where you can find the best online casinos for a specific state. Just click on the state that you’d like more information about and you’ll find out where and how to gamble in that state. You’ll notice not every state has a page dedicated to it yet, but please check back frequently as we are continually updating our list so we can better serve you.
Why Play Online?
People often ask us why they should consider playing online versus playing
live at a real casino. Below, we’ll give you our top three reasons why we love
playing games online. After checking out these reasons below, we think you’ll begin to
see things our way!
Convenience
First and foremost in our minds is the convenience of playing online. Most
people in The United States do not have an easy path to stepping foot in a
casino. For most, it requires a long car ride or possibly an airplane to get
there. Due to this, most folks in The United States do not get into a physical
casino nearly as often as they would like.
The magical part of playing at US casino sites is that you can do it from
anywhere as long as you have a connection to the internet. It does not get more
convenient than that, friends! Want to wager from your office? No problem! Want
to wager while you take a dump at home? No problem! Want to wager while walking
your dog? No problem!
Hopefully, you get the point by now that playing at online casinos is
super simple and easy. No gas money, no wasted time in the car or an airplane.
You do it when you want from wherever you want!
Bonuses and Promotions
Our second most favorite thing about playing games online at US casino sites is
the bonuses and promotions that they offer clients. Unlike traditional casinos,
US online casinos are literally offering money for you to come and wager on
their site. This bonus cash can be a great way to build your account balance on
the online casino of your choice.
With casino sites offering free money to do what you are already
planning to do, you’d be an idiot not to take them up on it. Be sure to check
out the bonus/promotions page on a casino’s website to get a feel for what all
they offer. Do your best to claim every free cent because each free cent is
literally free money!
Variety
Our last reason that we like to play online relates to the variety available.
Like we mentioned before, most folks in The United States don’t have easy access
to a physical casino. However, online, you can find a massive amount of US
online casinos to choose from.
With so many choices online, you can shop around to find the one that really
fits all your criteria. You won’t need to settle simply because it is the only
game in town. The variety available online is a huge plus, and that’s another
reason why we like to play online.
Important US Casino Site Criteria
While searching for a US casino site to wager on, you’ll want to look into
six key criteria. These six criteria are the same items that we dive deep into
when we’re doing a review of an online casino. If you can find a US online
casino that scores well on all six of these, you’ve probably found a great spot
to get your online gambling career in motion!
Bonuses and Promotions
As you saw above, bonuses and promotions offered by US casino sites are one
of our favorite perks when it comes to playing online. In order to help maximize
your bonus cash, you’ll need to make sure that you shop around to find yourself
the best deal for your situation. Bonuses and promotions vary greatly between
different US online casinos, so you’ll need to take a little time to do your
homework.
When it comes to bonuses and promotions on US online casinos, they tend to
targeted at two main groups: new customers and current customers.
New customers
tend to be the ones that can get the most bang for their buck with bonuses and
promotions as US online casinos are competing to win their business.
Most US
online casinos will offer large signup and initial deposit bonuses to new
clients. For current customers, we often see reload bonus offers.
US casino sites tend to offer up bonuses and promotions on a wide variety
of items. For example, one US online casino might have bonuses and promotions
targeting slots while another one may be focused on table games at that point.
With so much variance out there, find a trusted US casino site that has the
best deals on the games that you plan on playing.
Your goal is to locate a trusted US online casino that offers you the chance
to earn the most bonus cash. Pay close attention to the initial deposit match
offers. If you’re planning to make a large initial deposit, be sure to locate a
US online casino that will get you the max cash back on that initial deposit. By
doing a little bit of homework, you can come out way ahead in the long run with
some extra cash in your pocket!
Variety
We’re big fans on options when it comes to playing online, and you should be
too. Seek a US online casino that offers you a wide variety of game selection.
Not only do you want to find a casino site that offers you a wide selection
of different types of games, but you also want them to have a broad selection of
options within each game.
It’s great if a US casino site offers slots as
one of their gaming options. However, there is a massive difference between an
online casino that offers 20 different type of slots versus another one offering
hundreds of different types of slots.
Your goal is to locate a casino site
with a nice variety of games. By locating a US casino site with a wide
variety, you’ll have plenty of gaming options for the future.
Consider finding a site with a large variety of games now even if you’re new
to betting online or if you just like to play one type of game. By getting
started with an online casino with a large variety of games, you’ll be less
likely to outgrow that site in the future as you play more and more games.
Finding a US online casino with a large variety of games should help you create
a one stop shop for all of your online casino needs.
If you’re into table games, we highly suggest that you find a site that
offers you live dealer options. Live dealers are one of the biggest trends right
now in the online casino industry. They tend to be a big hit with folks that
want to feel more engaged with the game they are playing. If you have not tried
it, be sure to check it out!
Quality Customer Service
We can’t stress enough how important finding a US casino site with quality
customer service is. While we hope that you never have a significant issue arise
that requires customer service to step in and help, you’ll want quality customer
service at that time. Consider finding an online casino with quality customer
service as good insurance for the future.
While all US casino sites offer some form of customer service, some simply
do it way better than others.
The good sites are fast to respond and offer you
several different ways to get in touch with them while the poor sites tend only
to offer one way to reach them and are slow to help.
Having quality customer
service can make a world of difference when you need it.
To gauge a site’s level of customer service, check out site reviews like the
ones that we offer here. Also, test drive the customer service for yourself.
Give them a quick call or shoot over an email and see how well and quickly they
respond to your inquiry. If you get a fast and helpful response, you’re most
likely on your way to finding a good fit when it comes to quality customer
service.
User Interface
The user interface is another one of our key criteria that we suggest you
closely analyze when searching for an online casino home. A site’s user
interface is what determines how you get around and find things on a site.
You’ll quickly see that user interfaces vary between each casino site, so
you’ll want to find one that offers you a good fit.
The best way to test your fit with a site’s user interface is to test drive
it yourself. As you’re digging into the other key criterion listed here, take
note of how easily you’re able to find things that you’re looking for. Also,
make sure that you feel comfortable on the site. If you get around quickly and
easily, you’ve found a good fit. However, if you struggle to locate things or
get around in general, we suggest that you move onto another site that offers
you a better user interface fit.
Graphics Quality
If you’re going to be spending lots of time on any particular US casino site, you’ll want to make sure that you find the right one that offers you
some great game graphics. While all casinos have games, they are not all created
equal when it comes to the quality of the game graphics. Games with much better
graphics tend to be much more engaging and create an overall better experience.
You can get a feel for a site’s game quality by checking out casino reviews
like the ones that we offer here on this site. You can also easily test drive
them yourself by playing a few games on a potential site. Most US online casinos
offer you the ability to play for free without having to wager real cash. This
is a great way to see how the games look and feel before you have to deposit a
single dime on the site.
Banking Options
One last that you’ll want to check for is to make sure that you’ll be able to
get your money on and subsequently off of your selected casino site. It is
important for you to find an online casino that offers you the types of deposits
and withdrawal options that you need for your situation. If you need to bank
using bank wires, then your goal is to find a site that operates with bank wires
as one of their banking options.
Banking options across different US online casinos vary quite a bit. You’ll
find standard options such as credit and debit card accepted by most everyone.
After that, it becomes pretty random. Some sites will take methods such as
PayPal and Bitcoin while others won’t.
At the end of the day, just make sure to
do your homework and make sure that you’ll be able to bank using the methods
that you most prefer.
As a final reminder, the six key criterions above are the same things that we
look for when reviewing a US casino site. Check out our honest and trustworthy
reviews to jumpstart your search. In most cases, we’ve already done the homework
for you which will allow you to get to gaming online faster!
Staying Safe
When gambling at US casino sites, remember always to keep your guard up.
While you might end up in a trusted site at this time, things could always
change. We’ve compiled a short list below of our top tips to keep you safe while
using US online casinos. Keep these in the front of your mind while you wager
online.
Top Tips to Stay Safe Gambling Online:
Do your homework. The more informed that you are, the more likely that you’ll have a great experience.
Limit your deposits. Only keep the funds that you need for wagering in your US online casino account. This
account should NEVER serve as a savings account.
It’s your money. Because it’s your money, you’re the boss of safeguarding it.
Walk away. If something ever doesn’t feel right, pack up and head on to another site.
FAQs
We’ve gathered a list below of some of the most common questions that we get
when it comes to US casino sites.
Are Online Casinos Safe?
Most online casinos are safe. Unfortunately, there are some bad eggs out
there that you should avoid. If you’re here, you’re doing what you should be by
researching. A little bit of research will go a long way in
helping you end up on a good online casino. Check out our list of most trusted
US casino sites at the start of this article see great starting points for a
safe experience.
I’m New to Using Casinos Online. Where Do You Suggest I Start?
Congrats! You’ve found the place that you should be to get things started if
you’re new to online casinos. We’re here to help get you acquainted with playing
online as well as helping you with in-depth reviews for some of the US online
casinos that are out there. We’re an independent and unbiased source of
information for you.
Check out all of the information on this page. After that, dig into our
casino reviews to get a feel for which one might be the best fit for you.
How Can I Move Money Onto and off of These Online Casinos?
Most US casino sites will offer you a wide variety of banking options for
your deposits and withdrawals. The options will vary from site to site, but you
should not have an issue finding a site that provides you with the options that
you need. You’ll find an assortment of basic banking options all the way up to
more rare ones.
Online Gambling Us States Capitals
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 |
---|---|---|---|
100% up to €250
| |||
200% up to €500
| |||
100% up to €400
| |||
100% up to €300
| |||
100% up to €400
|
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.
Online Gambling Legal In Us States
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
Online Gambling Us States Coins
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.
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.
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?
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.