Is It Legal For US Players To Use Online Casinos?

If you are one who is a bit unfamiliar with betting and gambling online, or just assume that betting at online casinos or on sports is for shady bookies and out in Las Vegas, you have been misinformed. That being said however, there are certainly laws in place in the United States relating to betting. The goal of this page is to inform you about the details of those laws and what they actually pertain to, as well as the general legality surrounding online casinos.

Straight To The Point Answer:

Bottom line, there is nothing to worry about when gambling at online casinos that accept USA players. Despite some states having laws that forbid online gambling of any type, there is nothing in place to enforce those laws and furthermore those laws are primarily aimed at anyone that operates or owns an online gambling site, or traditional gambling establishment, within the U.S. or the state in which you reside. Below we explain some of the laws that surround online casino gambling in the U.S. to help players make sense of them and to feel comfortable online.

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Laws That Affect Online Casino Gambling In The United States

Below are many of the laws that regulate the practice of gambling online in the U.S. as it applies to playing at online casinos. We have discussed laws on the federal level, state level laws, as well as gambling age. Finally, we will cap this off with the legitimacy and safety of using online casinos when living in the United States. This guide to the laws will help you make sense of what each of these laws do and if there is any substance to them.

Federal Laws For Online Casinos

There are a couple of federal laws that were enacted for the purpose of gambling on the Internet and in this case we're talking about online casinos in particular. Those laws are the UIGEA, the Wire Act of 1961 plus any laws at the state level with inhibit online casino gambling. With that said, know that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting which is a positive for online casino play because that would be the only federal law that would make the practice of playing casino games for real money illegal.

You ask, what do these laws actually do?

Well, the UIGEA simply affects the means in which online gambling entities can accept transactions explicitly for gambling purposes. In essence, the UIGEA makes it illegal for U.S. banks from doing any kind of financial activity with known gambling operations. In the end, this really only affects credit card transactions for which online casinos routinely switch up payment processing providers in order to not be flagged as "gambling". In doing so, most credit cards are able to be accepted with a high success rate. Once that success rate begins to fall, these companies begin to seek out other payment processors which will work with U.S. banks. Another means of circumventing the UIGEA is through third party U.S. deposit methods which function just like PayPal however you should know that PayPal itself will not work for U.S. gambling transactions.

For the Wire Act, it bans companies in the U.S. from using any form of wire communication, such as the phone and Internet for gambling transactions. While this sounds menacing for online casino play, the U.S. DoJ announced that this law will only apply to sports betting operations leaving online casinos, poker sites and other forms of non-sports gambling to allow U.S. players without consequence.

When it comes to individual state laws against online gambling, they vary. It really depends on the area you live. There are a few states like Louisiana, Washington, Maryland, Nevada, etc... which have laws on the books that forbid online gambling, including casino games, however we mentioned earlier that these laws can not be enforced, do nothing to restrict players from gambling online and are primarily intended to discourage in-state gambling operations. These laws are generally on the books in states that depend on state regulated casinos for income... if you gamble online instead of in their casinos, they are losing revenue which is why it is discouraged.

State Laws For Online Casinos

The issue of state's gambling laws really comes into play when we talk about how old individuals need to be to gamble whether it be online or in person. There are a ton of online casinos on the market, many of which accept players from the United States and are therefore deemed legal to play at. But, these online casinos all have age requirements which must be met as part of the terms and conditions for using the site. Additionally, the state you live in has age restrictions for all types of gambling in state sanctioned facilities which can also be used to determine the proper age to gamble online.

In order to be totally safe, we recommend the requirements of both entities, the state and the online casinos, be met when you decide to join and play at an online casino. While failing to do so will not land you in jail, you could be denied payment of winnings which is the main reason why we gamble... for profit. While gambling can be fun, it is the thrill of winning money which makes it that way and you don't want to be denied anything you have coming to you simply because you failed to follow the rules.

Safety / Legitimacy Of Online Casinos

Another logical and common question surrounding online casinos is the safety and security of USA online casinos. They sometimes gain a general reputation of being unsafe, or cheating people out of money. That is actually far from the truth. Online casinos adhere to strict rules and regulations plus they are monitored very closely by third party certification companies which are no push over. Unfortunately, the U.S. and it's states have been slow on the uptake of online gambling and therefore there is no government insured regulation in place at this time. But, these casinos don't stay in business and keep growing because they cheat players or have unfair practices... it is because they provide exactly what they advertise and each pays out over 95% of all income that comes into their casinos. We do recommend sticking with the casinos we list on this site because they have been around and are known to not be rogue casinos which can disappear overnight.

Beyond that, in dealing with online casinos that are legal for US players, you will be asked to input sensitive personal and financial information for signing up and depositing. As such, these online casinos go to great lengths to ensure you safety and protection when using credit cards and providing sensitive banking information. Hackers are everywhere and they are always going to be sexually, mentally and emotionally frustrated for which they will take those frustrations out on anyone and everyone. They could hack this site, hack your computer, steal your credit card information from your bank, launch a missle, shutdown a bus depot, or any number of pointless things and all we can do is take the necessary steps to help ensure safety... but do know that nothing is 100% secure. If the biggest companies and governments can have their multi million dollar networks hacked, it is safe to assume that an online casino can be hacked. As scary as that is, it is just something you have to accept when using the Internet but we can and the casinos will take every step necessary to make sure it's not easy to do and that it won't be a common occurence.

Best Casinos That Are Legal For USA Gamblers To Play Real Money Casino Games

Online casinos, especially the ones reviewed on this site, are highly reputable and have gained a trust in the industry. Players can take comfort in the fact that they are a fair practice, with information found on every site and reviews of USA accepted casinos across this industry. The facts and figures are there.

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