How to Gamble Online for Real Money in the USA

In 2006, the United States enforced an act that banned online gambling. With it, Americans are supposedly unable to gamble online for real money in the USA. But we know the reality is different — it’s still entirely possible to gamble online with real money! You need to know how to go about it.

Since 2006, many online casinos and a few software providers have left the U.S. market, and gambling online for real money in the USA meant that you could join a limited website pool.

Nonetheless, you can still join hundreds of different ones to gamble online with real money. You should know which ones are good enough and will respect you as a player.

You should consider several things before you sign up, and we’ll tell you what they are.

Gamble Online for Real Money From the USA

As we’ve already said, the 2006 Unlawful Gambling Act meant that some software providers have left the market and don’t allow players from the USA to gamble online with real money on their games.

As a result, you can’t choose anyone you wish; you have to work with those who have stuck around. But don’t take this as a huge disadvantage. Many respectable and quality providers are still available.

Companies like Rival Powered and Realtime Gaming are still open for business and allow you to gamble online for real money from the USA. Admittedly, U.S.-friendly casinos do have a limited selection of games in their library than some of the European websites, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get bored too soon.

You can still find a casino with over two hundred games in its library (BoVegas and Eclipse come to mind). Now, the question is, aside from the software itself, how do you pick a good one?

Let’s start with their reputation.

Casino Reputation

Before joining any online casino, you should read out online reviews. Many websites specialize in writing casino reviews that will allow you to get a better picture of the casino. With the internet being hard to regulate, it’s easy to come across a rogue casino which doesn’t respect its customers.

The main issue with online gambling is that many casinos don’t follow up on the promise that they would make a speedy payment once you request a withdrawal. Instead, they often take weeks and months to send you your money, usually in several installments. It can also happen that they decline paying up entirely.

Casino reviews are there for you to avoid these unpleasantries. Check out how many online complaints the casino you’re interested in has garnered over time. If there are many complaints from the players, you should take their experience and not allow it to happen to you.

Additionally, many management groups are in ownership of several online casinos at the same time. You should look out if they have been acting wrong with their other ventures.

Even if one of their casinos is performing great, they are not to be trusted.

Terms & Conditions

Going through the entirety of the T&Cs section is a must. It’s undoubtedly boring to do so, especially when you visit a website to play games and not read a tedious legal text. But you have to do it! Oftentimes, T&Cs have many predatory clauses buried in between industry-standard terms, which casinos can abuse later on if needs be.

This section will also (normally) contain banking information, such as how much time you need to wait for them to approve your withdrawal request and the withdrawal limit.

Be on the lookout for any vagueness in the wording. They use unclear terms so that it leaves space for interpretation in a way that suits them.

For example, be wary of any clause that contains phrases like “at our sole discretion.”

This should instantly raise red flags in your eyes. This means that they do not need to justify their decisions to say, lock your account, and withhold any winnings.

Casino Bonuses

With so many different casinos to choose from, what will attract you to join one, rather than any other? If you ask them, one of the reasons is promotions. As a result, the majority of online gambling websites offer promotions to entice you to sign up.

They are most generous with welcome bonuses, offering to give you a 100%+ match of your first deposit. Furthermore, they also offer no-deposit bonuses. This means that you don’t have to put in your money and still have a playing balance. Consequently, you can gamble online on real money slots and win big without spending a dime.

Of course, while they are open-handed enough to lure you into joining, they are by no means a charity. Another reason to check out terms and conditions is to see bonus terms.

There, you will see which games are available for wagering, what the wagering requirements are, and whether you can cash in on the bonus money, or it gets removed once you withdraw.

These requirements represent the amount of money you need to wager before you can ask for a withdrawal.

Licensing

Another aspect of an online casino for your consideration is it’s licensing. There are several online gambling licensing commissions from which casinos can obtain their licenses.

Depending on their choice, you can get an idea of how devoted they are.

For instance, there are some low-tier regulatory bodies, such as Panama and Costa Rica. Namely, the latter only offers a regular working license, and they don’t make many requests from their licensees.

Contrarily, some commissions, such as Curaçao’s, have a much higher set of demands on their licensees. Moreover, they offer mediation in disputes, and, as a player, it’s a much better sign to see that the casino has a respectable license.

Gamble Online on Real Money Slots

Video slot games are the most popular casino game around. With the fact that there’s no learning curve to it, you can jump into a game, spin the reels, and hope for the best. Essentially, its simplicity paved the way to its popularity.

Since there are no physical restrictions on how many slots an online casino can operate, you can often find a casino with hundreds and thousands of different slot games in its library. Nowadays, apart from the standard three- and five-wheelers, you can come across machines with six or, sometimes, seven reels. Some games don’t take on a grid layout and have floating symbols.

But, creativity on the visual side is not its only advantage. Compared to physical machines, you’re much better off playing slots online. The main reason, of course, being the higher RTP of online video slots. The Return to Player represents how much money a particular slot pays out, on average.

As you’ve probably guessed, the RTP differs from one title to another. However, it’s a general rule of thumb that online slots feature a slightly higher RTP than their land-based counterparts. And this isn’t a coincidence by any means; rather, it’s a byproduct of the overwhelming amount of competition in the online gambling ecosystem.

With thousands of online casinos out there, they need to offer something new, different, and unique to attract the players. And what a better way to do so than to increase the payout percentage of the most popular game of chance — slots. Consequently, slots in online casinos offer a much better payout percentage.

The disparity can sometimes be rather significant, with an offline version offering an RTP that’s as much as 10% lower than in the online version.

Highest RTP Slots Available in the USA

We’ve already established that playing online is beneficial in more than one way. That said, there are hundreds of online slots out there, and you need to know which ones are the most lucrative if you want to maximize your odds.

Don’t worry; this doesn’t mean you’ll have to scour the entire Web to figure out what the loosest slots are. We’ve already done all the heavy lifting for you.

Here’s a list of the top 10 online slots for real money in the USA, along with their respective RTPs:

1. Cosmic Quest: Mystery Planets — 98.95%
2. Rock on! Slot — 98%
3. Paydirt Slot — 97.5%
4. Cleopatra’s Gold — 97.5%
5. Reel Crime: Art Heist — 97.03%
6. Diamond Dozen — 96.51%
7. Enchanted Garden — 96.38%
8. Watch the Birdie — 96.29%
9. Wheel of Cash — 96.29%
10. Outta This World — 96%

Key Takeaways

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to gamble online on real money slots. Simultaneously, there are quite a few things you need to take into consideration before creating an account in an online casino and making your deposit. First things, make sure online gambling is legal in your jurisdiction.

Both the Wire Act and UIGEA have peculiar wording and leave many loopholes.

As a result, it’s up to each state’s regulators to define whether or not online gambling is legal in their jurisdiction. So it’s best to double-check and make sure you can legally gamble online; otherwise, you might be in for an unpleasant surprise.

The next step would be to choose the right casino, as well as the right slot. We’re confident that you’ll have no trouble finding a reputable casino and a game that perfectly suits your gambling needs with the insight we shared in this article.

How to Gamble Online for Real Money in the USA. Frequently asked questions: