What States Have Legal Online Casinos

1. Legal Casinos In United States
2. What States Have Legal Online Casinos Reopening

In April 2013, the first legal online gambling site in the United States went live in Nevada. The legal online casinos in Delaware are as follows: Delaware Park Online Dover Downs Harrington Online. In Oregon, sports betting, horse racing betting, and the state lottery are all legal OR online gambling. Online casinos, however, are not in this category and are still illegal. Scoreboard is the sports betting.

We've compiled this legal online betting reference to provide accurate and up-to-date information on the legal online gambling status and gaming options available within each American state. Our goal is to provide a comprehensive state-by-state US gambling guide which will give players all the information they need to make smart decisions about how and where to bet online.

This state-specific data will include the state laws governing Internet gambling opportunities in all relevant markets, including online casinos, online poker, and online sports betting.

Legal Casinos In United States

Each state approaches the legalization of online gambling differently, so it's necessary to detail state-licensed options as well as legal international gambling opportunities. We also address some of the most commonly asked questions about gambling in each state and provide various helpful resources. Such information is covered in greater detail at each specific state page linked below.

Is Online Gambling Legal In My State?

It definitely might be! At this moment, at least 25 US states have legalized and regulated online gambling in some form. However, most states have limited their legalization efforts to sports betting.

Nevertheless, we expect that the majority of these states will also embrace legal online poker games and legal online casino games eventually. Of course, if they don't, you can still wager legally and safely using online overseas operators.

Online Poker & Casino

• Delaware - Online Poker, Online Casinos
• Michigan - Online Poker (launch TBA), Online Casinos
• Nevada - Online Poker
• New Jersey - Online Poker, Online Casinos
• Pennsylvania - Online Poker, Online Casinos
• West Virginia - Online Poker, Online Casinos

Online Sports Betting

• Arkansas*
• Colorado
• Delaware***
• Louisiana**
• Maryland**
• Michigan
• Mississippi*
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico*
• New York*
• North Carolina**
• Pennsylvania
• South Dakota**
• Washington**
• Washington DC
• West Virginia

*Retail only, online TBA

**Legalized but pending launch

***Retail available, online pending launch

To date, TN is the only US state that has domestic sportsbooks available exclusively online, as there are no provisions in Tennessee sports betting laws to allow for retail brick-and-mortar gambling locations.

Online Lottery

• Illinois
• Michigan
• Pennsylvania
• Virginia

Is Licensed Offshore Gambling Legal In My State?

While the above states offer regulated online gambling, residents in most of them still have the option to use licensed offshore betting sites. Nearly all US state residents, except those from Washington or Connecticut, can legally access licensed offshore online gambling platforms to play online casino games, enter online poker tournaments, and bet on sports.

This is because no local gambling laws in any of the other 48 states specifically prohibit betting real money with an international operator.

Additionally, there are no federal laws that bar the activity, as all US betting mandates apply only to domestic sportsbooks (i.e. the Wire Act) and US-based financial institutions (i.e. the UIGEA), not to players themselves.

What Is The Minimum Online Gambling Age in the US?

There is no single minimum gambling age in the US, as these are set and regulated by each individual state. The minimum age within each state is affected by various factors such as betting markets, casino game types, venue amenities, and more.

Most states set all their gambling age minimums to 21 years of age, though a few have sports betting options and other kinds of Class II style gambling opportunities for 18+ players.

That said, licensed international online gambling sites offering casino games, poker rooms, and sports betting amusements almost always accept USA players at just 18 and up. These reputable sites also award their members bigger bonuses and perks, more varied electronic casino game options, and better sports betting odds.

U.S. States Where You Can Legally Gamble At 18 And Up

Below, you can learn more about the minimum legal online gambling age by state:

Online Gambling Laws in The United States

Gambling laws can be a complex topic these days, as there a pair of prominent US federal gambling laws to account for, and there are several local gambling laws in every single state.

The reason for this is that the US DOJ has declared that each state has the authority to determine its own destiny concerning both land-based and online gambling. This is especially true now that PASPA (1992-2018) has finally been overturned.

Since 2018's PASPA overturn, a large number of US states have legalized various forms of online gambling (mostly sports betting) within their borders. Many other states are currently in discussions to do the same.

Nevertheless, even if you live in a state without legal local gambling options, you still have them. US players outside of WA and CT are permitted access to multiple licensed, certified, and regulated online gambling sites hosted outside of the United States. This is a nice alternative allowing those players aged 18 and up to enjoy real online gambling while their states get their ducks in a row.

States With Pending Online Gambling Legislation

• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Michigan
• New York
• Virginia

US States That Offer Active Domestic Sportsbooks

• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Delaware
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• Tennessee
• Virginia
• Washington DC
• West Virginia

US States With Legal Sports Betting Pending Launch

• Louisiana
• Maryland
• North Carolina
• South Dakota
• Washington

Out of all questions about legal online gambling in the USA, the legality of online casinos are generally ignored. It is hard to say why this is, but as far as we can tell the United States government has never seized an online casino, but there have been some brands of casino software that have pulled out of the American market in order to avoid prosecution or to insulate themselves from potential harm. The fact of the matter is that online casinos enjoy some level of protection for a variety of reasons, including the wide number of these gaming sites and the relatively small player base that these casinos include - player bases that are almost infinitely smaller than the major online poker rooms.

When the UIGEA was passed, several brands of online casino software decide that they would not bother trying to contend with the ethics and complications of federal law. In 2008, casinos that license the Microgaming software stopped accepting new players from the United States. Later, in 2011, Microgaming saw what happened on online poker's 'Black Friday,' and they cut ties with all existing United States gamblers. Similarly, PlayTech had decided to pull from the United States market, but they did so significantly earlier. Playtech ceased operating in the United States as soon as the UIGEA was passed in 2006. Though these two behemoths had pulled from the American market, several types of online casino continued to operate within the United States, including one of the best - the RTG software.

With the complicated nature of the online gambling industry, with both the inherent inability to control the Internet and regulate international businesses, the United States has not been able to effectively ban the online gambling sites. When begging the question over whether these online casinos are legal in the United States, it is somewhat easier just to say that they are not illegal, but they are also unregulated. Since every state that allows some form of gambling heavily regulates the industry, it is difficult to say whether a lack of regulation inherently makes these gambling sites illegal. A few states have banned online gambling in all forms, but this is mostly targeted at starting a gambling site rather than playing at them. In Washington state the games are illegal for the player. Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon and South Dakota also have their own laws pertaining to the legality of playing with an online casino.

What it boils down to at this point is casino software. Several forms of online casino software are still operating in the United States, including the RTG, Rival, Top Game and Vegas Technology software. There are a few others, but they are hardly worth mention - especially considering the might of the RTG software.Regulation would greatly improve the gambling atmosphere online, but for now the only thing that is illegal, as per the UIGEA, is processing payments for online gambling sites. This only applies to financial businesses, so players do not actually have to worry about being held liable for just enjoying the what online casinos have to offer.

What States Have Legal Online Casinos Reopening

As with any other form of gambling, we implore you to check into your state's online gambling laws, perhaps with an attorney, prior to gambling, especially if you are really concerned with whether or not you can actually get in trouble for something as harmless as online gambling. Above anything else, do not attempt to ever bypass the minimum gambling age that has been instituted in your state, as this is a great way to very quickly lose any money before you even have a chance to win.

Gambling illegal online can leave you with several penalties to pay, and depending how extensive it is, you could be looking at some big trouble with the law. That it why we have pages like this to inform you about the most important aspects about gambling online. There is no greater importance than to ensure that you do so legally and safely. Your state government will have all of that information for you, especially when it comes to the legal gambling ages in your area. Just because you might meet the requirement from the sportsbook, does not mean that you are of age in your state.

For further information about the legality of online casinos as they relate to players in the United States, check out the link below which will move you to our site on everything legal online casinos, as you will gain a sense of some of the top-rated casinos out there for the U.S. player.

See more about legal online casinos here as well as a list of all online casinos that accept USA players.