The US iGaming market is now blown wide open after years of closure to online casino gambling. However, a revival of the market is now coming with a market of 300 million people coming back online state by state. New Jersey was the first to receive a license in 2015, and then Delaware, which was followed by the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Connecticut, following suit. Already these markets combined are worth over $3 billion. Gone are the days of searching for a crypto casino in the 6 states where online casinos are legal where USD gambling is back on the cards!
Below we will look into how the best online casinos are currently selected for review by online casino experts:
Where are the Best US Casinos?
Right now, New Jersey is the most mature market for online casinos. It was one of the first states to bring online casinos back online, using its many land-based casinos to house the gaming servers on already licensed properties. This is a business and licensing model that has spread across 5 other states where online casinos are now legal – Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Connecticut.
However, it must be said that the USA’s top casino sites reviewed here are mostly in the state of New Jersey operating out of Atlantic City land-based casinos. New Jersey is where you will find many of the big brands and a full suite of video slots, live dealer table games and game shows (via Ezugi and Evolution studios), as well as virtual casino games – Evolution First Person titles with 3D rendering and RNG tech are incredibly popular at online casinos using Evolution content.
Experts select the best online casinos in the US to review based on:
· Software providers
· Most diverse game portfolio
· User-friendly app and sign up
· Highest Pay-outs
· Top-Rated Slots
· Best Casino for Table Games
· Offers other gambling verticals
USA’s top casino sites are also judged on how widely available the brand is. Some people like to play with a big brand name that spreads across multiple states. The largest gambling states in the USA right now are New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. In these states, you will find casinos that have made deals with the top software providers like Pragmatic Play, Playtech, Evolution, NetEnt, Red Tiger, and other big names that have come over from the already mature Euro iGaming scene.
- BetMGM Online Casino: New Jersey + Pennsylvania + Michigan
- Caesars Online Casino: New Jersey + Pennsylvania + Michigan
- Draft Kings Online Casino: New Jersey + Pennsylvania + Michigan
- Fan Duel Online Casino: New Jersey + Pennsylvania + Michigan
- BetRivers Online Casino: Pennsylvania + Michigan
Online Casinos with Sports Betting & Poker in the USA
Some people like to place sports bets, play online poker, and bet at an online casino. This is possible in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, and Delaware. While you can also play online poker and sports betting in Nevada (not online casinos). Some people will choose to play only with a brand in their state that offers dual sports and casinos, or dual poker and casinos, or maybe all 3 betting options if available.
Under the laws of New Jersey, online gambling players can play at 888 Casino and also under the same brand bet on sports and play multiplayer online poker. On top of this, these casinos also offer live dealer gambling whereby you play games such as blackjack, baccarat, and roulette via a webcam betting on a real live table with real-life croupier or dealer managing the roulette wheel or dealing the cards. Evolution, Ezugi, and Playtech are the major live dealer brands operating with studios in New Jersey (Ezugi/Evolution), Pennsylvania (Evolution), and Michigan (Playtech/Evolution).
New Jersey Brands with All Online Gambling Verticals:
- 888 (Poker/Sports/Casino/Live Dealer)
- BetMGM Poker (Poker/Sports/Casino/Live Dealer)
- Borgata (Poker/Sports/Casino/Live Dealer)
States Where Online Casino Are Still Not Legal
There are still quite a few states where online casinos have still not been passed through the state legislature and, as such, online gambling remains illegal. And in states like New Jersey where online casinos are legal, you can only join and play if you are a resident of the Garden State.
Most US players from states such as California, Florida, and so on still need to seek out casinos overseas licensed by Curacao eGaming license. By and large, these are where US players find casinos that allow crypto transactions.
Why is online gambling illegal in some states? The current situation is due to one faithful day referred to as ‘Black Friday’ which happen on April 15th, 2011, and online poker was targeted by the FBI for financial fraud rather than illegal online gambling – PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and other big-name sites were shut down and the swoop continued through to online casinos providing video slots, video poker, and virtual table games. Since then, state-by-state online gambling is coming back online, but this time around the online casinos are fully regulated through a rule that attaches them to land-based casino licensing.
Is crypto gaming safe? The alternative to gambling using crypto is not a safe one because many of the casinos under the Curacao licensing have cheated their players. Mainly because of the lack of enforcing any kind of regulations on online casinos licensed by the Curacao government. That said, there are still some reputable online casinos that accept crypto – you just have to find them.
Summary: How to Find the Best Online Casino in the USA
It is all about location right now. Online casinos are only legally allowed in 6 states. There are other states that also allow online poker and/or sports betting like Nevada, but still have no legal framework for online casinos. Some of the top brands in these states include BetMGM, 888 (operated by 888 Holdings PLC on the London Stock Exchange), the Borgata, and the Tropicana are just a few we can mention available across most states.
· New Jersey (Online Poker/Online Sports/Online Casino)
· Delaware (Online Poker/Online Sports/Online Casino)
· Pennsylvania (Online Poker/Online Sports/Online Casino)
· Michigan (Online Poker/Online Sports/Online Casino)
· West Virginia (Online Poker/Online Sports/Online Casino)
· Connecticut (Online Poker/Online Sports/Online Casino)
· Nevada (Online Poker/Online Sports)
However, if you are not in a state where online casinos are legal yet, you may still have online sports betting available as an option. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington D.C are just some states that offer online sports betting at this time while the bill for online casinos has either been rejected, is about to be presented, or is awaiting approval. Mostly, your only other option is to risk gambling at crypto casinos where financial laws that prevent online gambling do not apply to cryptos in most cases.
