Online casino gambling in the United States is legal only where a state has expressly authorized it, and only for players physically located in that state. Federal law does not license online casinos. Instead, it makes certain interstate gambling businesses and payment flows unlawful, and leaves the core policy choices to the states. As of 2026, the American Gaming Association counts seven states with lawful online casinos: Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia. Maine enacted internet gaming legislation that became law in early 2026. In the other states, online casino games are not authorized, although the law on individual players differs from state to state.
Key points
- The federal Wire Act (18 U.S.C. § 1084) and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) are aimed at people “engaged in the business of betting or wagering”, not at individual bettors.
- The First Circuit held in 2021 that the Wire Act’s prohibitions are limited to sports betting. The Justice Department had argued in 2018 that some of them were not.
- In Murphy v. NCAA (2018), the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state-authorized sports betting, leaving the decision to each state.
- Seven states had lawful online casinos in 2025, and their combined online casino revenue reached a record $10.73 billion that year, according to the AGA.
- In 2025, five states (California, Connecticut, Montana, New Jersey and New York) passed laws explicitly prohibiting sweepstakes platforms that mimic online casinos.
- Federal law treats gambling winnings as taxable income. Help is available from the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET.
Last reviewed: 5 October 2026.
This guide summarizes federal and state law as described by official and industry sources at the date of review. It is not legal advice. Because authorization is state-specific, readers should check with the regulator of the state where they are located.
Checking whether an online casino is authorized
An offshore website that accepts U.S. registrations, or holds a license from another country, is not authorized by any U.S. state. In the states that have legalized online casinos, the state regulator publishes the operators it has approved. For example, the Michigan Gaming Control Board keeps a list of authorized operators and suppliers, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board publishes a list of licensed online gaming operators. An approval in one state does not carry over to another.
Online casinos for United States
We may earn commission from links. Commission and paid placements do not affect casino ordering. Affiliate disclosure · How these listings work.
Vegas Casino Online
Sign Up400% up to
$500
Bovada Casino
Sign Up100% up to
$1,000
Liberty Slots Casino
Sign Up100% up to
$259
Sloto'Cash Casino
Sign Up100% up to
$500
Slots.lv
Sign Up100% up to
$2,000
+ 20 Spins
Shazam Casino
Sign Up250% up to
$2,500
Vegas Casino Online
Sign Up400% up to
$500
Bovada Casino
Sign Up100% up to
$1,000
Liberty Slots Casino
Sign Up100% up to
$259
Sloto'Cash Casino
Sign Up100% up to
$500
Slots.lv
Sign Up100% up to
$2,000
+ 20 Spins
Shazam Casino
Sign Up250% up to
$2,500
Historical development
Gambling in the United States has historically been regulated by the states, with federal law intervening mainly against organized crime and interstate activity. The Interstate Wire Act of 1961 targets businesses that use wire communications for interstate betting. In 1988 the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act created a federal framework for gaming on tribal lands. In 2006 Congress passed UIGEA, which works through the payments system rather than by prohibiting gambling directly.
The legal position of online casinos changed in 2011. The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) concluded that year that the Wire Act’s prohibitions applied only to sports gambling. In a 2018 opinion, OLC reversed itself, concluding that “the statutory prohibitions are not uniformly limited to gambling on sporting events or contests”. The New Hampshire Lottery Commission challenged the new reading. In New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen (January 20, 2021), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that “the Wire Act’s prohibitions are limited to interstate wire communications related to bets or wagers on sporting events or contests”.
Sports betting followed a separate path. The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) prohibited states from authorizing sports betting, with limited exceptions. In Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (May 14, 2018), the Supreme Court held that PASPA’s prohibition on state authorization “violates the anticommandeering rule” (the constitutional principle that Congress may not command state legislatures). It also held that no provision of PASPA could be severed, so the statute fell in its entirety.
Federal legal framework
The Wire Act
Under 18 U.S.C. § 1084(a), “whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility” for interstate or foreign transmission of bets, or information assisting in the placing of bets, “on any sporting event or contest” commits an offense. The penalty is a fine and up to two years’ imprisonment. Section 1084(b) exempts information assisting in the placing of bets “from a State or foreign country where betting on that sporting event or contest is legal into a State or foreign country in which such betting is legal”. Following Rosen, the Act is read in the First Circuit as limited to sports betting, but the question has not been decided by the Supreme Court.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
UIGEA, codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 5361–5367, does not itself define what gambling is illegal. Section 5362(10) defines “unlawful Internet gambling” as placing, receiving or transmitting a bet over the internet “where such bet or wager is unlawful under any applicable Federal or State law”. Section 5363 then provides that “no person engaged in the business of betting or wagering” may accept credit, electronic fund transfers, checks or other financial instruments in connection with unlawful internet gambling. Bets made within a single state are excluded when they are “expressly authorized by and placed in accordance with the laws of such State”. That state’s rules must include “age and location verification requirements reasonably designed to block access to minors and persons located out of such State”. This intrastate exception is the federal basis for state-licensed online casinos, and it is why regulated sites verify a player’s location.
Tribal gaming
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (October 17, 1988) divides tribal gaming into three classes. Casino-style games are Class III gaming. Under 25 U.S.C. § 2710(d)(1), Class III gaming is lawful only if a tribal ordinance authorizes it, it is “located in a State that permits such gaming for any purpose by any person, organization, or entity”, and it is conducted under a tribal-state compact. UIGEA contains a parallel exception for bets made within the Indian lands of a single tribe or between authorized tribes. Tribal operators are central to some state online markets; in Connecticut, two tribes hold online casino licenses.
State-by-state legal status
The map below summarizes where online casino gaming is authorized. The table that follows gives the legal basis and regulator for each state with a lawful online casino market, based on the American Gaming Association’s State of the States 2026 report and state regulators’ own pages.
STATUS CHECKED · 5 OCTOBER 2026
This map covers state-authorised online casino slots and table games. It does not classify sports betting, online poker alone, lotteries, sweepstakes or land-based casinos.
- Live: CT, DE, MI, NJ, PA, RI, WV
- Authorised, not launched: ME
- Not authorised: other states and DC
Maine is shown separately because authorisation is not the same as a live market. Check Maine’s licensing progress. Market overview: AGA State of the States 2026.
Connecticut
Live
Online casino gaming is available through DraftKings and FanDuel. The Connecticut Lottery’s sports offering is separate.
Delaware
Live
State-regulated online casino games are offered through the Delaware Lottery’s casino partners.
Maine
Authorised; not launched
Internet gaming legislation is enacted. The regulator says application forms may be prepared, but applications are not yet being accepted.
Michigan
Live
Use the regulator’s licensed operator list to verify the exact casino website.
New Jersey
Live
The Division of Gaming Enforcement publishes the authorised internet gaming sites.
Pennsylvania
Live
The Gaming Control Board lists licensed interactive gaming operators and approved websites.
Rhode Island
Live
Rhode Island has an operating regulated online casino market. Check the Lottery for local requirements.
West Virginia
Live
Interactive casino wagering operates under West Virginia Lottery oversight.
All other states and Washington, DC
No state-authorised online casino slots/table-game market. Permission for sports betting, poker, lotteries or physical casinos does not authorise online casino games. A foreign licence does not establish state authorisation.
The market in the authorized states is large and growing. The AGA reports that internet gaming revenue across the seven states “grew by 27.6 percent to a record total of $10.73 billion” in 2025. U.S. commercial gaming revenue as a whole reached $78.62 billion in 2025, 9.1% more than in 2024. The AGA’s revenue tracker shows online casino revenue of $1.01 billion in July 2026 alone.
Sweepstakes casinos and prediction markets
Two newer business models have tested the boundaries of state law. The first is “sweepstakes” casinos. According to the AGA, five states (California, Connecticut, Montana, New Jersey and New York) “passed new legislation in 2025 to explicitly prohibit sweepstakes gaming platforms that mimic online casinos or sportsbooks”. The second is prediction markets: the AGA reports that 16 states took action against prediction market platforms offering contracts on sporting outcomes. The legal status of both models was still contested in parts of the country at the date of review.
Enforcement against offshore operators
States with regulated markets act against unlicensed operators. On August 14, 2025, for example, the Michigan Gaming Control Board sent cease-and-desist letters to 15 unlicensed online gambling operators. It cited the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, the Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act and the Michigan Penal Code, and warned that illegal sites offer “zero player protections, no accountability”. The AGA estimates that unregulated gaming devices, offshore sportsbooks and illegal online casinos generate “$53.9 billion in revenue annually”. That figure is an industry estimate and is not an official government statistic.
Position of players
The principal federal statutes apply to people “engaged in the business of betting or wagering”. They do not create offenses for individual bettors. Michigan’s 2025 enforcement notice, typical of state regulators’ approach, targeted operators and did not indicate penalties for players.
State law is less uniform, and a few states have statutes that can reach individuals. Washington’s RCW 9.46.240, for example, provides that whoever “knowingly transmits or receives gambling information by … the internet” is guilty of a class C felony, unless the activity is specifically authorized under Washington’s gambling laws. Readers in any state should therefore not assume that playing on an unlicensed site is lawful. Regardless of criminal exposure, players on offshore sites have no access to state complaint processes, state-mandated responsible gaming tools or the protections that come with licensing.
Taxation
States tax licensed operators’ online casino revenue at rates set by each state’s legislation. The resulting revenue is published monthly by state regulators and summarized by the AGA. For players, the Internal Revenue Service states that “gambling winnings are fully taxable and you must report the income on your tax return”. This covers casino winnings as well as lotteries, raffles and sports betting. Operators issue Form W-2G for certain winnings. Losses may be deducted only by taxpayers who itemize deductions, and “the amount of losses you deduct can’t be more than the amount of gambling income you reported on your return”.
Consumer protection and responsible gaming
Each regulated state runs its own self-exclusion arrangements. Michigan, for example, administers an Internet Gaming and Sports Betting Responsible Gaming Database through which people can exclude themselves, together with a Disassociated Persons List. Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board offers online enrollment in self-exclusion and the Responsible Play program. Connecticut’s Gaming Division publishes problem gambling help resources. Self-exclusion is administered state by state.
The National Problem Gambling Helpline, operated by the National Council on Problem Gambling, is reachable at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) by phone, text or chat. Its network covers all 50 states and U.S. territories. Our responsible gambling guide explains general tools such as deposit limits and blocking software.
Game types
Regulated U.S. online casinos typically offer slots, table games such as blackjack, roulette and baccarat, video poker and live dealer games, subject to each state’s approved game list. The reference tables below summarize features of selected titles from our games database. They do not indicate that a title is available in any regulated state. Our guides to video slots, video poker and live dealer games explain how each game works.
- January 20, 2021: the First Circuit decides New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen, limiting the Wire Act to sports betting.
- 2025: five states enact explicit bans on sweepstakes casino platforms, and 16 states act against sports-based prediction markets.
- 2025: online casino revenue in the seven regulated states reaches $10.73 billion (AGA).
- Early 2026: Maine’s internet gaming legislation becomes law.
Payment options at regulated sites are set out in each operator’s cashier and terms. Our deposit methods guide explains common methods. A payment that goes through does not show that an operator is authorized in your state.
Casino listings for players in the United States
The listings below are generated from our casino database. They do not by themselves show that an operator is authorized in any U.S. state. Online casino games are lawful only in states that have authorized them, and only through operators approved by that state’s regulator. Check the operator and the exact website with the regulator for the state where you are located, using the links in the table above.
Vegas Casino Online
No Deposit Bonus
$ 20
Liberty Slots Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 18
Slots.lv
100% up to
$2,000
+ 20 Spins
Sloto'Cash Casino
100% up to
∞
Casino Extreme
200 Spins
Bovada Casino
100% up to
$1,000
Casino Brango
500% up to
$/€100
+ 500 Spins
Lucky Tiger Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 55
Shazam Casino
Exclusive No Deposit Bonus
$ 50
Red Stag Casino
25% up to
∞
Rich Palms Casino
250% up to
∞
Lincoln Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 18
Miami Club Casino
50 Spins
Highway Casino
$ 30
Yabby Casino
202% up to
∞
Uptown Aces
250% up to
∞
DuckyLuck Casino
500% up to
$/€2,500
+ 150 Spins
PlayCroco Casino
300% up to
∞
+ 60 Spins
Fair Go Casino
200% up to
∞
Las Vegas USA Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 20
Drake Casino
300% up to
$2,000
Slots Plus
No Deposit Bonus
$ 20
Sun Palace Casino
No Deposit Bonus
$ 20
Ignition Casino
200% up to
$100
.jpg?x15984){kind=logo}
Everygame Classic Casino
200% up to
∞
+ 50 Spins
Slotsroom Casino
400% up to
∞
+ 20 Spins
Slots And Casino
500% up to
∞
+ 150 Spins
Gold Prize Casino
10% up to
$100
Casino Max
400% up to
∞
+ 20 Spins
El Royale Casino
230% up to
∞
Black Lotus Casino
300% up to
$7,000
+ 45 Spins
Red Dog Casino
Slots Empire
230% up to
$7,500
Lucky Creek
50 Spins
Spinfinity Casino
400% up to
∞
+ 20 Spins
JacksPay
200% up to
$2,000
Jackpot Capital
25% up to
∞
Ripper Casino
25% up to
∞
Las Atlantis Casino
$ 2,500
Slotastic
250% up to
∞
Grand Eagle
200% up to
$5,500
+ 30 Spins
Cherry Jackpot
400% up to
∞
+ 20 Spins
Grande Vegas
150% up to
$300
LadyLuck Casino
100 Spins
Roaring 21 Casino
400% up to
∞
+ 20 Spins
Ozwin Casino
$ 10
Treasure Mile
200% up to
$/€4,000
+ 50 Spins
BetOnline Casino
100 Spins
Grand Rush
200% up to
$4,000
+ 40 Spins
Jazz Casino
10% up to
$250
Sources and further reading
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 18 U.S. Code § 1084 – Transmission of wagering information; penalties (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 31 U.S. Code § 5362 – Definitions (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 31 U.S. Code § 5363 – Prohibition on acceptance of any financial instrument for unlawful Internet gambling (accessed October 5, 2026).
- U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Reconsidering Whether the Wire Act Applies to Non-Sports Gambling (2018).
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen, No. 19-1835 (2021).
- Supreme Court of the United States, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 584 U.S. (2018).
- National Indian Gaming Commission, Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, 25 U.S. Code § 2710 – Tribal gaming ordinances (accessed October 5, 2026).
- American Gaming Association, State of the States 2026 (2026).
- American Gaming Association, Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Michigan Gaming Control Board, Internet Gaming and Fantasy Contests (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Michigan Gaming Control Board, MGCB orders 15 illegal online gambling operators to halt services in Michigan (2025).
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, Gaming Division (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Delaware Lottery, iGaming (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Maine Gambling Control Unit, Internet Gaming (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Washington State Legislature, RCW 9.46.240 – Gambling information, transmitting or receiving (accessed October 5, 2026).
- Internal Revenue Service, Topic no. 419, Gambling income and losses (accessed October 5, 2026).
- National Council on Problem Gambling, Help and treatment (accessed October 5, 2026).
