Online Gambling For U.S. Players
Welcome to GamblingForUSPlayers.com, a site dedicated to providing the most up-to-date information regarding legal gambling options for the enthusiastic U.S. gamer. Our goal is to give you the tools you need to make good decisions regarding where, how, and how much to wager.
While gaming meccas like Las Vegas and Atlantic City used to rule the landscape, casino gambling is now as common in the Deep South as it is in the urban northeast. Indian casinos stretch from Canada to the Florida peninsula and across the southwest, and the glittering lights of the gambling resorts of Biloxi shine across the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Gambling is big business in the United States and as a result, requires regulation and oversight. And there’s the internet – the last, and largest, world in which bettors and oddsmakers are making their mark.
Today we’ll concentrate on the legal aspects of gambling in the U.S. – what’s allowed, what’s prohibited and the gray areas in between, both in the concrete and the virtual gambling world. Of course, online betting is growing by leaps and bounds, but the casinos in America and around the globe are also reaping record profits, demonstrating that games of chance are as popular today as they were in ancient Rome. Read on for all you need to know.
Here is where that gray area comes into play. In Nevada, Delaware and, soon, New Jersey, residents and visitors in those states can gamble online at sites sanctioned and approved by the state. Interstate action is prohibited, and the types of games offered are limited, heavily regulated, and closely supervised. As the hunger for these options growing, other state legislatures are crafting laws or referendums aimed at adding the revenues gleaned from legal gaming operations to state coffers.
But other options are available and indeed have been for years. In spite of various federal legislation designed to restrict online wagering conducted with sites located in the U.S., the internet is a world-wide phenomenon, and sites in other countries are available to players in America. Most are legal and safe, and offer far more wagering options than the typical state-regulated web-based site.
What stimulates you? What is it that makes you say, “I’d bet on that”? Chances are someone, somewhere, will take that bet. Legal? Well, that depends. Let’s just say that there are sites that offer odds on everything from rugby matches to political races, and many are legal for the typical U.S. citizen to visit and provide participation. Today we’ll focus on three specific areas of special interest to gambling enthusiasts – casinos, sportsbooks and poker.
Online Casinos For U.S. Players
As we mentioned, casino gambling in the old style exists from Austria to Zambia and virtually everywhere in between. Gambling is older than the Olympics, so this is not surprising. And casinos are the gathering spot for players who love not only the thrill of the game but the glitter and glitz that these resort destinations usually provide. Twenty-three states in the U.S. already offer casino-style gambling in some form, regulated by the state or, in the case of Indian-run casinos on Native American soil, by joint control of the tribes and the federal government.
Online casinos are flourishing, and many sites not based in the U.S. are actively seeking Americans to fill the virtual tables. While they can’t provide free drinks served by scantily- clad servers, they can and do offer incentives such as cash bonuses, free games and refer-a-friend payments. They make their money in much the same way traditional casinos do – the rake.
| Online Casinos | Welcome Bonus + Code | Number Of Games | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucky Red | 400% to $4,000 - Code: LUCKYRED400 | 70+ Slots / 50+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Club World | 100% to $777 - Code: BIGSLOT | 80+ Slots / 45+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Aladdin's Gold | 200% to $2,000 - Code: None Needed | 70+ Slots / 40+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Slots.lv | 400% to $5,000 - Code: None Needed | 75+ Slots / 45+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Las Vegas USA | 200% to $1,000 - Code: USA1000 | 75+ Slots / 50+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Bovada Casino | 200% to $500 (4x) - Code: SLOTS500 | 60+ Slots / 40+ Table Games | VISIT |
| High Noon | 200% to $2,000 - Code: HIGHNOON200 | 65+ Slots / 45+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Manhattan Slots | 100% to $747 (2x) - Code: None Needed | 75+ Slots / 40+ Table Games | VISIT |
| Grand Parker | 250% to $2,500 - Code: PARKER250 | 75+ Slots / 35+ Table Games | VISIT |
Sports Betting Sites For U.S. Players
People have been making wagers on sporting events for millennia, so it’s only natural that, somewhere along the way, someone turned it into an industry. It’s also only natural that, once that industry proved lucrative, organized crime tried to take it over. And, naturally and inevitably, governments starting passing laws to fight organized crime.
Sports gambling remains popular in spite of regulations and restrictions, and in many cases remains legal. Of course, internet sites based offshore are often the destination of U.S. players seeking to cash in on their favorite team. But laws passed by Congress are under scrutiny and more avenues may soon open for players who want to land at U.S. based sites. We’re going to explore all the information relating to sports books in hopes of making your wagering decisions a little easier.
| Sports Betting Sites | Welcome Bonus Offer | Fastest Deposit / Payout | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bovada Sportsbook | $250 Free = 50% Of 1st Deposit | VISA / Cash or Bank Wire | VISIT |
| BetOnline Sportsbook | $900 To 25 % Of All Deposits | Credit + Debit / Bank Wire | VISIT |
| SportsBetting Sports | $900 Free On Each Deposit - 25% | AmEx / WireTransfer Service | VISIT |
| WagerWeb Sportsbook | Up To $1,000 - Up To 100% Match | Credit Cards / Western Union | VISIT |
| 5Dimes Sportsbook | 50% To $200 - Total: $520 Bonus | VISA / Debit Card Refund | VISIT |
Online Poker Sites For U.S. Players
Poker is the casino lover’s ultimate challenge. Someone who masters this art achieves a level of confidence and self-satisfaction witnessed only one other place – politics. As has the time spent online by Americans, so has the time spent at online poker sites, and for a good reason – it’s exciting, stimulating and a lot of other adjectives.
But if you’re not yet engaged with a site that offers this strategy-based, stone-faced game of skill, you are probably wondering the same thing many others did before checking it out.
| U.S. Poker Sites | New Player Promo | Avg. Traffic (Peak / Non) | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bovada Poker | 100% To $1,000 In Player Points | 20,000 players / 7,500 players | VISIT |
| BetOnline Poker | Up To $900 Each Deposit Made | 15,000 players / 6,000 players | VISIT |
| SportsBetting Poker | 15% - 25% Match On All Deposits | 12,000 players / 5,000 players | VISIT |
There is much to know about safe and legal online gambling for the U.S. citizen looking for a place to make a bet. But once you’ve determined, through your good research here, that you’ve landed at a reputable site, there a several factors to consider that will affect your overall enjoyment level.
Here again, change is in the wind, and we’ll continue to monitor the regulations that affect the availability of money that by all rights belongs to you. Always read the terms and conditions section of the “Banking” prompt at your site of choice.
Getting Started - Registration Process - If you’ve ever opened an account online, getting signed up will be no problem for you, assuming you know your name. The rest is almost as basic. You will need your wallet, because bank card information will usually be necessary. Then pick a nice secure password. You’re almost there.
To play your favorite casino or poker games, a software download is almost always required (almost, because a few sites are browser-based, which limits the number and style of games they can offer). Sportsbooks, which rely on information that changes on a minute-by-minute basis, cannot utilize a software loaded program. Also keep in mind that some sites do things in different orders – you may be asked to download the software before setting up your account.
Depositing Into Gambling Sites - Starting your online gambling experience with real money will require you to set up your account with some basic personal information and a deposit of funds. That deposit can almost always be accomplished with a credit card. Other methods are usually available if the credit card option is a problem.
As regulations change, account set-up methods will certainly also change. We’ll stay on top of this and report all the info as it becomes available. In the meantime, rely on the instructions provided by one of our recommended sites.
Payouts - Getting Money Out – While credit cards usually work for setting up accounts at most legal sites, American players cannot use them to reap the rewards of successful gambling or simply withdrawing existing funds. But the quality sites have other methods for U.S. citizens to access their money.
One day we may, hopefully, not be having this discussion, but right now it seems it’s the overriding concern. We’ve want to make things as easy as possible because we already know that U.S. law is confusing and contradictory, and often states and the federal government collide.
Age To Gamble - This is important, because gambling is an activity that requires some level of intelligence and maturity. All quality sites will require players to verify they are at least eighteen years of age. Some push that to twenty-one.
UIGEA -The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, passed in 2006, was designed not to punish players for playing, but payers for paying. It’s a law aimed at financial institutions, and prohibits banks from facilitating the placing of bets or collection of winnings on “illegal” wagers. Very cloudy stuff, this, and no individual has ever been successfully prosecuted under this law for gambling at an internet site.
Wire Act – Officially the “Interstate Wire Act” of 1961, this law was passed to give teeth to law enforcement facing down organized crime organizations that were engaged in bookmaking. While it has been used as a prosecutorial tool in other fashions, the Supreme Court has ruled that it indeed applies only to sports betting, and only affects sportsbook operations being conducted within the United States.
PASPA – The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, passed in 1992, was also a sports-related law, obviously. Again, the goal was to prevent unsavory characters in the shadows of legality to profit on the desire of decent people to wager on their favorite teams. It has been ruled constitutional, but very focused, and does not apply to individual gamers.
Gambling, online and at the table, is highly regulated in America and elsewhere. In the U.S., on site gambling is subject to both federal and state laws, so here’s a few more Q’s and A’s.
If you don’t know the answer to this you’re not alone. Everyone knows you can go to Nevada and New Jersey – but how about Pennsylvania, which offers more legal gambling venues than any state except Nevada? Twenty-three states have legal casino enterprises, ranging from small-time gambling halls to elaborate resorts. Mississippi boasts having the largest gambling mecca on the Gulf of Mexico, and Indian reservations throughout the nation often feature casinos as a means to support members of the tribes.
Sports gambling is popular, as mentioned previously, but highly regulated and most often illegal under state and federal law. A few states still offer sportsbetting “lotteries” – other than those little slivers of light, U.S. citizens must seek offshore sites to bet legally on sports.
Poker games work in much the same way as casino style games, in that they are played legally in a variety of casino sites licensed by the states, or the tribes, that host them. Go to Vegas, Atlantic City, or many horse or dog racing facilities, and you’ll probably find a poker room. But remember, twenty-seven of our fifty states don’t offer any of these.
Three – that’s it. Nevada and Delaware already have online games in action, and they are indeed highly regulated. New Jersey has passed a bill, signed by Gov. Chris Christie, which will allow it, but the I’s have not been dotted, and thus the games have not begun.
Other states are watching closely. Keep an eye on California, Oregon, Arizona and more.
If you do, have your lawyer call us. We’ll want to write about that. Uh, no, that’s not going to happen, based on years of experience with the judicial system, and legal briefs filed in innumerable cases. As we said earlier, the government has better things to do.
As far as online gaming goes, the future is now. Your choices of legal, safe online gambling venues are limited only by your time constraints. Regardless of your game preference, you will find it at a web-based site. The only concern is whether it’s a good place to spend your time and make your bets.
That’s what we’re here for. We’ll always report on the what, when, who, how and why – and when we can, we’ll let you know what it bodes for the future. We anticipate that in the not-too-distant future, your options will grow because states will follow the lead of New Jersey, and sooner or later, Congress will determine that gambling, online or in the house, is not an activity worth spending federal time and money trying to regulate.
