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USA Friendly Internet Casinos
The majority of our visitors are located in the United States, so this page is a very important one. We are going to recommend the best Internet casinos for USA players, and also discuss why some casinos allow USA players and why some refuse. We'll start with a top list of the best USA casinos, and then explain the legality of Internet gambling in the USA:
| Rank | Online Casino | Bonus | Get Started | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |  |
Win Palace Casino | Up to $3,000 | » Visit Site |
| #2 |  |
GrandParker Casino | Up to $8,000 | » Visit Site |
| #3 |  |
Casino Titan | Up to $4,000 | » Visit Site |
| #4 |  |
OnBling Casino | Up to $3,2500 | » Visit Site |
| #5 |  |
Bovada Casino | Up to $500 | » Visit Site |
| #6 |  |
Lucky Red Casino | Up to $4,000 | » Visit Site |
You may notice that the online casinos usa listed above are similar to the casinos listed on our homepage. This is because the online casinos above are by far the best on the Internet, and also happen to be USA friendly.
*Note – This article represents hours of research but we are not lawyers and this should not be viewed as valid legal advice. If you have serious questions regarding gambling and the law, you should contact an attorney.
Internet Gambling Legality in the USA
Internet
gambling in the USA rests in a legal grey area, but
players are most likely fine. US citizens have been
gambling on the Internet since the mid 1990s, and to
date, there has never been a single player prosecuted for
placing bets on the Internet.
Federal laws and state laws often contradict each other, but it is generally agreed that there are no federal laws that actually criminalize placing bets online. The Federal Wire Act prohibits the placing of bets across telecommunication lines, but it does not mention the Internet.
There have been several attempts to pass legislation banning Internet gambling, but those have all failed. The biggest piece of legislation to address the issue came in 2006 under the name of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
The UIGEA did not target individual players. Instead, it targeted banks and payment processors by restricting the funding of online gambling sites. Any company that funded gambling payments was targeted, but the actual act of betting was never addressed.
Some banks and payment processors (such as NETeller) complied with the regulations, while others refused. Many banks argue that the UIGEA places an unreasonable burden on banks to identify specific gambling-related transactions among the millions of transactions they process on a day-to-day basis.
Today, a US citizen will have mixed results when attempting to make a deposit to an online gambling site with a credit or debit card. The transaction will usually be processed with no problems, but occasionally it will be rejected. If your deposit is rejected, don't worry that federal agents will show up at your door. It just means you will have to find a different way to get your money to your player account.
If a credit card deposit is rejected, there are still other deposit methods players can use to get their money to online casinos. Wire transfer, checks, e-checks, and online wallets such as eWalletXpress and UseMyWallet make it possible for players from the USA to get their money online securely and quickly.
Operating an Internet Casino
Operating
an online casino is a much riskier proposition,
especially if you are located within the United States.
Online casinos in the United States are basically
treated the same as unlicensed brick and mortar casinos.
A person who gets caught running either one within
the United States will face prosecution and stiff
consequences. Each state is legally entitled to decide on whether or
not online casinos can operate within their borders.
A recent example of this is California, which has drafted a bill to allow
intrastate gambling. Once passed, the state will open up three online
casinos for California players.
That is why there are so many online casinos based out of Canada, Central America, Australia, and Cyprus. Those countries have a moderate view on internet gambling, and offer licenses to casino owners who meet strict requirements for game fairness, safety, and ethics.
With the global reach of the Internet, players from the United States (along with the rest of the world) can access these casinos and enjoy fair games. From the legal standpoint of the casinos, there is no reason they should block customers from accessing services that are completely legal in the casinos’ home countries.
USA vs. the WTO
For those of us who are supremely frustrated by the United States’ backwards attitude towards online gambling, the World Trade Organization has handed down satisfying rulings against the United States’ stance on online gambling. The WTO has ruled over the past few years that the USA ban on Internet gambling violates international trade agreements.
The basis of the complaint is that US companies are allowed to provide online horse betting while foreign companies cannot. The policy is protectionist and goes against obligations the United States has to the WTO.
Hypocrisy of the UIGEA
One of the things that bother gambling enthusiasts the most about the UIGEA is that it targeted all forms of casino gambling and poker, but clearly exempted horse racing and state lotteries from the regulations.
Representative Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, one of those who originated the UIGEA, decided that gambling and poker are immoral activities but that horse race betting and state lotteries are just fine. What gives here?
Well, state lotteries bring in a lot of revenue. Apparently Bob Goodlatte felt that anything related to gambling should be viewed as immoral unless it provides a direct economic benefit to those in charge.
But what about horse racing? This is even better – it was eventually revealed that Bob Goodlatte has received nearly $40,000 in donations from the National Thoroughbred Horseracing Association. If that doesn’t reek of corruption, we don’t know what does.
Other USA Friendly Casinos
Besides the casinos listed at the start of this page, we have also reviewed other USA friendly casinos that didn't quite make the cut.
More USA Online Gambling Resources:
Here are a few other pages that you might find interesting, as they provide further information on the online gambling situation in the United States:
- UIGEA Page at Wikipedia - Provides a full description of the UIGEA bill.
- US Online Casino Sites - List of USA friendly casinos, along with reviews.
- Best Online Casinos - Get more info at my friend's website, BestOnlineCasinos.org.
