Understanding Your Legal Online Gambling Options In 2024

The answer to this question is both yes and no. There are no federal laws which legalize online gambling across the nation. However, each individual state has the authority to legalize state licensed online gambling options for their own territory.

Three states have already taken these steps: Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, while others are in the process of doing so. Residents of states which have not legalized online gambling are able to legally access online gambling options through online gambling sites which are licensed, regulated and located outside of the United States.

These sites hold legitimate licensing and compliance certifications, and are subject to strict regulatory oversight from governing jurisdictions which have legalized online gambling for their respective territories and can therefore legally provide their services to players around the world, including players in the US.

There are no federal or state laws which prohibit US players from participating in these legally licensed offshore gambling sites. There are also no cases of law enforcement attempting to investigate or punish participants in this type of legal online gambling.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Bill was signed into law in 2006. It was created to prevent money laundering and fraudulent transactions associated with the online gambling industry. It put specific rules in place to regulate how online gambling transactions could be processed.

While it did cause somewhat of a shake up within the industry for several years, the dust has settled and the results are a safer and more refined infrastructure for processing online gambling transactions. Only those offshore gambling sites willing to comply with these regulatory requirements remain in the US market, and they have proven themselves dedicated to providing legally compliant options for USA players.

The UIGEA bill is actually making the integration of U.S. based online gambling sites and payment processing somewhat challenging, with industry officials still attempting to iron out the kinks as players in NJ, NV and DE struggle to obtain transaction approvals for funding their accounts at state licensed gambling sites.

It has however left the legal offshore gambling sites that accept US players with a strong payment processing platform that has had several years to come into compliance and learn to work with the regulatory requirements therein. We are certain that the state based gambling sites here in the US will work through the challenges they are facing on this front just as the offshore brands did.

There are constantly attempts being made to present federal legislation to legalize or prohibit online gambling on a national level, and thus far none have met with success. There is strong support and opposition to online gambling, and it will likely remain a controversial topic for years to come.

The DOJ wisely recognized online gambling to be a states' rights issue, and felt it best to leave the decision and the regulatory responsibility up to each individual state and its residents. I personally am a strong advocate of states' rights and applaud this decision. It allows like minded citizens to come together to determine their own fate and what is best for their life style, putting the power in the hands of the people, which is where it belongs.

2014 will see federal legislation presented in efforts to both legalize and prohibit online gambling on a national level. Several states have already acted on the DOJ's decision to allow them their own say in the matter. This makes it unlikely that federal legislation nullifying their efforts would be successfully passed as it would represent significant financial loss to those states already participating in their own online gambling initiatives.

We will be closely watching the events as they unfold, and will update the information in this guide accordingly.

New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware have each legalized online gambling of some type for their residents and visitors. All of the gambling sites available in these states are licensed and regulated by the state government, and provide gambling options which are completely legal.

Players must be present within the state's borders in order to participate, and be at least 21 years of age. Players are not required to be legal residents of the state in order to be eligible to participate, with visitors and travelers being welcome to play. Check out our section on legal USA gambling states.

Players still have viable options to gamble for real money even if you don't reside in one of the states that offer state regulated legalized online gambling. In fact, there are numerous offshore gambling sites that are legally licensed and compliance certified in their respective jurisdictions and that accept players from all over the world, including the USA.

As such we have vetted the most reputable brands through an intense review process. This guide provides access to comprehensive reviews that cover all the pertinent details of their operation, allowing players to make well informed decisions concerning the options that best meet their gambling needs and preferences.

There are no laws that preclude American players from gambling at legally licensed and certified offshore sites.

The answer to this question may vary depending on who you ask. Players who take the risk of playing at a random online casino that turned out to be rogue and is preventing them from collecting their winnings would scream that it is definitely not safe. Players who successfully participated at a reputable gambling site such as Bovada and who easily and quickly collected their winnings would disagree that participation is completely safe.

It all boils down to the selection of your online gambling destination. Not all gambling sites are created equal, and there are a number of dangerous, predatory and rogue gambling sites out there just waiting to take advantage of vulnerable players. This is one reason why expert input regarding recommended online gambling sites is so valuable.

There are extremely reputable gambling sites that offer fair games, fast payouts and an overall pleasant playing experience. But just like any business there are also bad apples in the bunch that exist for the sole reason of stealing players funds with no intention of paying them if they win. The worst cases also attack players by stealing their sensitive data and committing even worse cyber crimes against them.

We strongly suggest that you consider limiting your participation to those brands which are recommended by industry professionals and other players with personal experiences to share. You can access our reviews for detailed information, and can do a quick Google search to see what other players are sharing concerning their experience at a particular site.

A little due diligence and accurate research goes a long way when searching for a secure and legitimate online gambling experience.