US Legal Online Gambling: A State-by-State Guide – March 2024

It’s an exciting time for online gambling in the US, as more and more states legalize online casino, online poker, and sports betting.

Traditionally a legal gray area, recent years have seen several US states pass legislation that allow its residents to legally gamble online – with many more states currently in the process of legalization too.

Use this guide to find out what states offer legal online gambling, and which states will launch legal online gambling in the future.

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Best Online Casinos in the US

How We Rate US Casinos Sites

With an ‘Excellent’ 4.9/5 TrustPilot rating, we’ve been providing expert recommendations since 2004. Each casino we review is carefully evaluated according to eight essential factors:

  • Safety & Security
  • Payout Speed
  • Banking Options
  • Software Quality
  • Game Variety
  • Bonus Offers
  • Mobile Compatability
  • Customer Service

Read more about our eight-step review process


Online Casino Blacklist

Some online casinos fail our testing standards to such a degree that we feel it necessary to publish them on our blacklist. An online casino can make it onto this list for a variety of reasons but typically means the casino has exhibited a history of bad behavior and receives lots of player complaints. Avoid any site we’ve listed on our casino blacklist.
Multiple barriers exist on site with the intention of obstructing your ability to retrieve your bonus; intentionally perplexing terms and conditions are deliberately confusing and customer support takes on an aggressive approach.
The use of a budget software provider by Lake Palace is evident in its performance. On top of this there are many problems related to payments: it does not support Neteller payments and refrains from processing withdrawals during Friday to Sunday. Additionally, there have been instances where the casino failed to compensate affiliates and advertisers when transitioning between regulators.
At Fenix Casino, it appears that bigger withdrawal requests undergo a prolonged processing period, and any accumulated bonuses are seized unless cashed out within 45 days.

Best Poker Sites in the US

How We Rate Our Poker Sites

With an ‘Excellent’ 4.9/5 TrustPilot rating, we’ve been providing expert recommendations since 2004. Each poker room we review is carefully evaluated according to eight essential factors:

  • Safety & Security
  • Payout Speed
  • Banking Options
  • Software Quality
  • Game Variety
  • Bonus Offers
  • Mobile Compatability
  • Customer Service

Read more about our eight-step review process


Poker Site Blacklist

Some online poker sites fail our testing standards to such a degree that we feel it necessary to publish them on our blacklist. A poker site can make it onto this list for a variety of reasons, but typically means the site has exhibited a history of bad behavior and receives lots of player complaints. Avoid any site we’ve listed on our poker blacklist.
Having faced accusations in the past for mishandling players’ funds, OddsPoker persists in its operations under the Antigua license; nonetheless, this doesn’t necessarily ensure a safe gaming environment.
While it was previously a prominent site catering to the US market, this site within the Merge network has demonstrated irregularities in terms of paying out players. Affiliates were then informed of the site’s cessation in June 2015.

US Online Gambling Law

Much like issues such as welfare, real estate, and taxation, the legality and regulation of online gambling varies from state-to-state.

In part due to legislation such as the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), it was long presumed that sports betting and online gambling was generally illegal in the US under federal law.

However, in 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that PASPA was unconstitutional – which became an almost instant catalyst for numerous states to begin legalizing sports betting.

Similarly, six years previous in 2011, the Department of Justice declared that the Wire Act, which was written decades before the internet as we know it came into existence, applied only to bets on sports events and races – paving the way for states to pass their own laws on US online casinos and US online poker.

Furthermore, as state law supersedes federal law, should it afford more rights to the individual, it’s now best understood that each state can legalize online gambling for its own residents if it so chooses.

While the general outlook across the US is a positive one, with more and more states looking to legalize online gambling for reasons of liberty, entertainment, job creation, and state revenue, the main opposition to legalized gambling comes from certain moral concerns, and the impact it might have on an individual’s social and economic well-being.

Indeed, a perfect illustration of how gambling law can, and does, vary from state-to-state are the cases of New Jersey and Utah. In New Jersey, all forms of land-based and online gambling are legal, whereas in Utah, all forms of gambling are illegal.


US Online Gambling Law

Much like issues such as welfare, real estate, and taxation, the legality and regulation of online gambling varies from state-to-state.

In part due to legislation such as the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA), and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA), it was long presumed that sports betting and online gambling was generally illegal in the US under federal law.

However, in 2018 the Supreme Court ruled that PASPA was unconstitutional – which became an almost instant catalyst for numerous states to begin legalizing sports betting.

Similarly, six years previous in 2011, the Department of Justice declared that the Wire Act, which was written decades before the internet as we know it came into existence, applied only to bets on sports events and races – paving the way for states to pass their own laws on US online casinos and US online poker.

Furthermore, as state law supersedes federal law, should it afford more rights to the individual, it’s now best understood that each state can legalize online gambling for its own residents if it so chooses.

While the general outlook across the US is a positive one, with more and more states looking to legalize online gambling for reasons of liberty, entertainment, job creation, and state revenue, the main opposition to legalized gambling comes from certain moral concerns, and the impact it might have on an individual’s social and economic well-being.

Indeed, a perfect illustration of how gambling law can, and does, vary from state-to-state are the cases of New Jersey and Utah. In New Jersey, all forms of land-based and online gambling are legal, whereas in Utah, all forms of gambling are illegal.