US Casinos by States

Best US Online Gambling Sites

In the United States today, there are more legal online gambling options than ever before! More and more states continue to legalized online casinos, online sports betting, and online poker. 

Right now there are only a few US states where you can play at legal and licensed online casinos. They include New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan. Outside of these states, you can still play online casino games using US-friendly international casino sites or sweepstakes casinos.

The US sports betting industry has seen big growth in just a short time. Lots of US states now allow legal online sports betting, but this wasn’t always the case. When the Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 this opened the door for every US state to make its own sports betting laws. You will now find legal online sportsbooks in many US states.

US States with Legal Online Gambling

It can be confusing to sort through all the different US gambling laws since every state is free to make its own rules. That means what is legal in New Jersey might not be legal in Colorado, and vice versa. 

It’s important to be aware of what is legal in your state so you can avoid legal trouble and have the best online gambling experience. Below we break down the laws for all the major US online gambling states.

New Jersey Online Gambling

New Jersey is a small state but its become a US online gambling powerhouse. Currently, almost all forms of online gambling are legal in NJ except for online lottery – that means anyone in NJ can access legal online casinos, online sportsbooks, and online poker sites.

New Jersey got an earlier start in the online gambling industry than most other states. Online casino gambling in NJ was first legalized in 2013. Today, you’ll find more than 20 legal online casinos in the state. 

You don’t need to be an NJ resident to gamble at NJ online casino sites – you only need to be over 21 years old and be physically located in NJ while you gamble. The same goes for NJ online sports betting and NJ online poker.

Some of our favorite legal NJ online casinos include Golden Nugget Online, Virgin Casino, and Tropicana Online. Each one is fully licensed and affiliated with a land-based casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

West Virginia Online Gambling

West Virginia came a bit later to the party than NJ did, but the state was quick to legalize all forms of online gambling. Online sports betting in WV was legalized in 2018. West Virginia online casinos and online poker followed soon after – both were legalized in 2019.

Things have been a bit slow to launch in WV. Right now, gamblers can access DraftKings and FanDuel online sportsbooks in WV but those are the only online sports betting options as of today.

West Virginia does have several land-based casinos operating in the state. Under the new gambling laws, each one is legally allowed to launch an online casino. However, things have been slow here too and none have launched yet.

To find the best WV online casinos right now, check out our list of the best US-friendly international casinos and best US sweepstakes casinos.

Pennsylvania Online Gambling

Pennsylvania launched legal online gambling a bit later than NJ did but it’s grown quickly. PA is now second only to New Jersey in terms of its USA online gambling market size. You’ll find quite a few options for legal online casinos, online sports betting, online poker, and even online lottery in PA today.

PA online casinos were legalized in 2017. Each one must partner with one of the state’s land-based casinos. Some of our favorite PA online casinos include Unibet, Hollywood Casino Online, and BetRivers. You need to be at least 21 years old and located inside PA to gamble at these sites.

For PA online poker, your only option right now is PokerStars. This reputable site is one of the best US online poker sites, but it would still be nice in PA had more options. We could see more sites launch soon since many PA land-based casinos already have active online poker licenses.

PA also offers lots of excellent online sports betting options. Each one is affiliated with a PA land-based casino. The first to launch was PlaySugarHouse when it went live in 2019. After that, all the major players have come to PA including FanDuel, DraftKings, and Unibet sportsbooks.

Michigan Online Gambling

Michigan is one of the most recent US states to legalized online gambling. Lawmakers in MI were not messing around – they swiftly legalized all forms of online gambling in 2019 with just one bill.

After that bill passed, things were a bit slow to catch up. The first thing to launch in MI was retail sports betting – these were active with just a few months. Online sportsbooks launched a bit later at the end of 2020.

Michigan online casinos are launching soon but again, the process has been slow. Currently, all of the state’s  23 tribal casinos and 3 corporate casinos can apply for online gambling licenses. With that in mind, it’s likely that many MI online casinos will launch this year. 

Delaware Online Gambling

Delaware has actually been in the game about as long as New Jersey. The first legal online casino sites launched here back in 2013 with online poker launching that same year. 

Online sports betting in DE launched a bit later in the summer of 2018. In fact, Delaware was actually the first state to launch legal sportsbooks after PASPA was overturned. The state is now home to three legal retail sportsbooks but no online sportsbooks have launched yet.

Delaware is home to three major brick-and-mortar casinos: Delaware Park Casino, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, and Harrington Raceway & Casino. Under the law, each one is allowed to offer online gambling including sports betting and online casinos.

Today, each of Delaware’s casinos offers a retail sportsbook as well as an online casino. Anyone over 21 who is located inside Delaware can access these sites and play classic casino games like slots, roulette, and blackjack. You will also find legal DE online poker via these sites.