Online gambling in the United States boasts a long and colorful history. Land-based casinos have been operating in many states for decades and these are primarily located in the progressive states of New Jersey and Nevada. Aside from the brick-and-mortar casinos, the popularity of the industry is also powered by increasing demand for online casinos in the US. According to the American Gaming Association, gambling is now present in more than 40 states and employs nearly 2 million people.

With increasing use and adoption of new technologies like mobile, live dealer games, and cryptocurrency of payments, the industry is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years. And with increasing friendly competition among software vendors to deliver the best casino games, signing up for a casino account is now appealing more than ever.

But before you join, pay attention to your options and the legal requirements surrounding real money casinos in the US. Yes, you can play casino games but it’s heavily regulated. Both the federal and state laws determine what’s permitted and what’s not. What’s important is to know that it’s not illegal to play online casino NJ games in the US provided you sign up with a fully licensed offshore online casino.

Our Picks for the Best US Online Casinos

In this guide, we help you make sense of the gambling options online. We list down the best online casino sites to play in the USA, offer insights on how to compare websites and provide you with tested tips on how to enjoy your online gambling experience.

Here’s a look at the top online casinos for US players as professionally reviewed by our team:

• Golden Nugget Casino
• Tropicana Casino
• Bovada Casino
• 888 Casino
• Royal Vegas Casino
• BetOnline

How We Choose the Best Real Money Casinos For You

The US market is traditionally a thriving market for different forms of gambling. Thanks to a stable economic outlook and an accommodating a progressive business environment, popular operators and gambling companies made the US one of their markets.

However, this changed with the implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) which pushed some operators to exit the US market. But this doesn’t mean that you can no longer find casinos that accept players from the US. There are still dozens of top-tier online gambling platforms that accept real money wagers. The challenge is the selection of the right casino sites where you can play safely and legally.

On this requirement, our team can help. As a team of industry veterans and casino enthusiasts, we can help you review, compare, and choose the best US casino for your needs. To help create this list, we review the top US casino sites based on some parameters.

1- Online Casinos Licensing

One of the first requirements in choosing an online casino its license and approval to operate. As a player, you want to make sure that you create a real money account with a site that’s registered and licensed. Most casinos that accept bets from US players get their remote licenses from the Governments of Costa Rica and Curacao. Some sites are also licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada. You can check the license at the bottom of the homepage, or directly ask the Customer Support for the site’s licensing details.

2- Security and Privacy

Since you’re sharing your personal and banking information, you need to choose a site that secure and private. We help you find the right online casino by checking its compliance with standard security procedures. For example, our reviews will focus on its commitment to customer privacy and the Know Your Customer or KYC protocol. It’s a requirement to ensure that all players are at least 18 years of age and the platform is free from potential illegal activities. Also, we consider the encryption technologies on the site.

3- Bankroll (Deposit & Withdrawals)

How fast and secure your financial transactions should be a cause for concern in choosing a casino. As a responsible player, make sure that you sign up with a casino that hosts a variety of reputable payment options. More importantly, the platform should strive to process all requests in the private and quickest possible manner. The most popular payment options available in US casinos are credit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, and e-wallets. Some websites now process payments made through Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. In all our review, we focus not just on the variety of payment options, but also your safety and convenience.

4- Variety of casino games

At the end of the day, you play the games that you’re passionate about. There’s no use in signing up with a casino that doesn’t cover the casino games that you like to play. We understand this requirement among casino players. As part of our listing and review of top US casinos, we also review the types of games available. We focus on the diversity of gaming titles and the ability to play these in both real money or free demo modes. On these websites, the most popular categories of casino games to play are online slots, video poker, table games, and live dealer games. For your guidance, we review the types of games you can play.

5- Live dealer casino quality

The live casino platform is one of the latest trends in online gambling. In a live casino environment, you get to play against a professional dealer in real-time even if you’re at home or office. This playing arrangement is possible thanks to streaming technology, a purposely-build casino studio, multiple cameras, and a dedicated casino table. In short, it provides you with a more challenging and engaging way to play casino games. To help get the most premium experience, we also compare and rate casinos based on the quality of live dealer games available. For our reviews, we take a look at the games, bonuses, technology, and overall user experience.

6- Software providers

The quality and diversity of casino games to play depending on the software vendors and game designers working with the operator. This means that you can get an insight into the quality of the gambling experience by simply looking at the list of software vendors. In the iGaming industry, the most reputable software vendors are Microgaming, Netent, Playtech, and IGT. For live dealer games, the popular names are Evolution Gaming, Ezugi, and Playtech. When you see these names, you can be sure of fun and premium gaming times. For our reviews, we don’t just check the types of casino games to play. We also verify the list of software vendors available.

7- Mobile compatibility

To provide players with a convenient and satisfying casino experience, many casinos now promote mobile compatibility. As the terms suggest, this feature allows you to access and play the games anywhere through the use of a mobile device. For example, you can play online slots or take part live dealer games using your iOS or Android device. In today’s top-rated online casinos, there are two ways on how to enjoy mobile casino games: one, through the use of a native app that can be downloaded from the Play Store and two, through a web app.

8- Player experiences and reviews

In choosing the best casino sites, you’ll encounter dozens of professionally-written reviews. These are common in the industry and often posted on several affiliate sites. These reviews are helpful since these provide you with a comprehensive comparison of the top casino sites. But more than these professionally-written reviews, it’s equally important to read what real players say. With these player experiences and reviews posted and shared on many community boards, you can get an actual player’s insight on the games available and the quality of service offered by the platform. In writing our casino reviews, we also take into consideration the actual experiences of players.

9- Promotions and bonuses

For many casino players, the choice of the best online casino depends on the quality of bonuses available. The more lucrative and diverse the bonuses are, the bigger the chance that an experienced player will create an account. Our team also values this preference for lucrative promotions and bonuses. For this reason, we also check and compare the top-rated casino sites that offer bigger new customer bonuses, the most number of free spins, and the best VIP promotions. But more than the amount or number of bonus spins, we also consider the terms and conditions. In our online casino site reviews, we also put the focus on friendly terms which can help enhance your online gambling experience.

What are the Best Real Money Casino Games

As players, we all have preferences and choices when it comes to the games we want to play. Although our choice of free slots or table games is subjective, there’s no denying the fact that there are best games to play in real money mode.

In this part of our online gambling guide, we take a look at the best and most popular casino games you can play in an online casino.

Slots

When it comes to instant win games, slot games are the most popular. Compared to other casino games, online slots are easy-to-play and do not require the use of advanced skills and strategies. To play slots, simply set the wager and number of paylines and click ‘Spin’. If you can land at least 3 identical symbols, you collect a coin win. And if you land at least 3 identical special symbols, you win a bigger prize or even activate a feature that can deliver a much bigger prize. Online slots work using the Random Number Generator (RNG) technology which ensures a random result at each spin. Aside from its instant win feature and randomness, free slots are presented in different themes, use colorful symbols, and impressive visuals. All these help promote the popularity of online slots in many US casino sites.

Roulette

No casino is considered complete without offering the roulette game as one of its online casino real money attractions. Roulette is a fun, easy-to-play, and quick paying casino game that can work for all types of players. First played in France and other parts of Europe, this game uses a table and a wheel, hence its name. The wheel features different slots or segments from 1 to 36, in alternating colors. There’s a green pocket for ‘0’ and in other variants, there’s an extra slot for ‘00’. To participate in a roulette game, you need to set your bet first. You can bet on a single number, a group of numbers, odd or even, or if it’s high or low. If the roulette ball falls in the slot or segment that represents your bet, you collect a payout.

Blackjack

Also called ‘twenty-one’, this classic online casino real money game requires you to form the best hand to beat the dealer. As the name of the game suggests, your best hand is ‘21’. In short, your objective in this game is to develop a hand with a value of 21 or close to it. During the game, you are dealt with two cards on the table, either face up or down. If you play in a US casino, the dealer is also dealt with two cards. When you play this game, you need to pay attention to the value of the hand and individual cards. For cards from 2 to 10, they retain their face values. For the face cards like Jacks and Queens, the value is 10. The Aces, on the other hand, can assume a value of 1 or 11. The value assigned to the Ace depends on your blackjack strategy.

Baccarat

Another popular casino game to play in a US site is baccarat. Popularized in many Hollywood movies, this card game sets you up against the casino dealer to win the pot. In a baccarat game, there three potential outcomes: Player, Banker, or a Tie. In short, when you play this classic card game, you are making a bet on who you think will have a better hand at the end of the round. Compared to blackjack where the magic number is ‘21’, the objective in baccarat is to score ‘9’. According to experienced players and experts, the odds are in favor of the Bank and the lowest is for a Tie to happen. This means that you can get a better chance of winning every time you play the Banker. However, a winning bet with a Banker comes with a commission.

Sic Bo

This is a classic casino game that’s popular in many Asian casinos and now offered in top US casinos. Inspired by a Chinese game, Sic Bo uses three dice and casino players will bet on the outcome. During Sic Bo play, players need to place their bets in specific areas on the table. Once all bets are in, the casino dealer then picks a small chest that contains the dice. He will then closes and shake the box. Finally, the dealer opens and presents the chest to the players to reveal the winning combination. The most common bets to play in Sic Bo are Big, Small, Even, or Odd. All these bets offer the same probability or chances of winning at 48.61 percent.

Keno

If you’re the type of casino player who loves the appeal of the lottery, then playing keno in an online casino NJ site is highly recommended. As a game directly inspired by lottery, online keno also features the same general rules and gameplay. To play, you need to place your wager by choosing numbers from 1 to 80. After you have selected the numbers for your tickets, the system will then pick 20 winning numbers at random. If your ticket matches the combination required by the casino, then you collect the payout. For this game, casinos publish their paytables which explain the winning combination and the prizes. You are paid based on the numbers selected, number of matches, and the actual wager.

Poker

In many brick-and-mortar casinos in New Jersey, poker is the most popular game to play. Even for most online casinos, the game of poker is the most popular among US-based players. The popularity of online poker lies in the challenge and the skills required to be successful in the game. Also, most casinos sites that offer poker run several tournaments which can add a layer of excitement to the gameplay. As a casino game, poker is based on the hand value. If you play the game, the challenge is to form the best hand after a series of betting rounds. And in online poker, there’s a ranking of poker hands that is followed. The most important hands that you can form in the game are Royal Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, and the Flush.

Craps

This is another card game you can play at an online casino. To participate in online craps, you place a bet and make a wager on the outcome of the rolling of a pair of dice. In this game, you can play against other players or play the game against the casino dealer. In this game, you can play several types of bets. Some of the bets to play are Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, and the Don’t Come bets. Make sure to check our game guide on craps before you play craps for free or real money mode.

Types of Casino Bonuses

Casino bonuses are the lifeblood of online gambling. Many casino sites become popular and attract players thanks to the available bonuses and promotions. These are freebies and perks offered to players, and these are marketing tools too to keep their membership. As a marketing tool, casino bonuses are offered and packaged in different ways. Here are a few bonuses that you should know:

• No deposit bonus: It’s a bonus awarded to players with no deposit required.
• Welcome deposit bonus: As the name suggests, it’s given to new players who create an account. It’s often expressed as a percentage of the deposit with free spins.
• Free spins: These are bonus spins awarded to players and playable on certain slot games.
• Loyalty Programs: These are campaigns that reward players for their loyalty. Also known as VIP programs, the casino’s loyalty scheme allows players to collect comps points and swap these for bonuses. In many US casino sites, the programs feature tiered membership.

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