Finding a casino site in the US is much easier than it used to be now that many states have legalized online gambling and dozens of casinos and sportsbooks have entered the market. While getting to a casino site is easy, you should almost never settle for the first option that you come across.
Looking through all the available casino sites in your state might be a daunting task, but it’s nevertheless an important step in having the best possible online gambling experience. To make this easier for you, every casino we put on our recommended list has been reviewed for its quality of games, the value of their signup bonuses, convenience of banking methods, the responsiveness of the customer service, and more. Continue reading to see how we evaluate top US casino sites in more detail.
Before recommending any casino site, we had to establish criteria to compare and analyze all candidates. With that said, here are all the things that we carefully look into when reviewing an online casino platform:
When looking at the casino’s game selection, we make sure that the games come from reputable software providers and that they have been tested for fairness by third-party auditors.
The variety of games is important as well. A top casino should have a huge library of popular slot machines and a respectable collection of classic table games including:
We also check whether the casino features any live dealer tables. If any of the games are exclusive to that casino, that’s definitely a plus in our book. Most of the casinos on our list are likely to have a minimum of 300 games. Golden Nugget has the biggest game selection with over 800 games. While quantity is nice, their quality is also on par with high-end vegas-style slots.
If you’re looking for a real casino experience, but can’t make it to your favorite local casino, you’re in luck! Many of the major online casino brands now offer live dealer games, meaning there is a real person on camera dealing the cards, spinning the wheel or rolling the dice. These games come complete with casino background sound and even the ability to tip your dealer! Golden Nugget was the first to implement this in the space, so be sure to check out their offerings.
US casino operators know that bonuses are the number one marketing tool for attracting new players. Of course, not all bonuses are the same, so they are worth taking a look into to determine which casino will reward you the most. There are a few common types of signup promotions you will see:
For a no-deposit offer, you can just sign up and instantly be given money to start playing with for free. Of course, there are usually some limitations on when you can withdraw your money, as you may need to play through this money at least once, but often more than that before you are allowed to withdraw that money. If you win on your free money, however, you can withdraw that at any time.
If you’re looking to get even more bang-for-your-buck, a match deposit offer could get you upwards of $1,500 when you deposit your money of an equal amount. this could be really beneficial to get the most amount of winnings off of house money.
Free spins offers give you some amount of free spins on a slot machine. This could be great if you are planning to hit the slots!
Welcome bonuses are not the only casino promotions that we take into consideration when rating casino sites. Getting rewarded as a first-time player is nice, but what do you do after those initial bonus funds vanish?
That’s why we also pay great attention to other promotions that you can claim as a regular. Are there any reload bonuses? What about daily or weekly free spins? Does the casino have a loyalty program? These are just some of the questions that we ask when evaluating a casino based on its offers.
The available payment methods tend to be standardized on US casino sites, as most operators accept trusted methods like credit/debit cards, PayPal, bank wires, checks, and certain e-wallets. Still, the variety of payment methods can vary from site to site, so you should check each casino’s banking section before signing up to see whether they accept a payment option that’s most convenient to you.
The sheer number of payment methods is far from being the only thing that matters here. Deposit and withdrawal limits are crucial as well.
If you’re a casual player who likes playing in cents rather than dollars, you should look for sites that allow $10 minimum deposits instead of those that set their minimum deposit limit at $25, for example. Alternatively, if you’re a high-roller that plans to win big, you should find a casino that has high withdrawal limits so your winnings can be claimed in one go.
Another thing that goes into our evaluation is the fees. Ideally, the casino should not impose any fees on your deposits and withdrawals, but that can sometimes be the case with certain payment methods.
Mobile compatibility plays a big role in today’s iGaming industry. The number of US players who use their smartphones and tablets as primary devices for playing casino games is rapidly increasing, so it’s almost imperative for a casino site to have a mobile-friendly platform with responsive design.
Some operators even go a step further and develop a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. In our opinion, having an app is much better than just offering a browser-based mobile website, as the apps provide players with a more smooth user experience.
Of course, many people still use their desktop computers to log in to casino sites, so we spend a decent amount of time evaluating the desktop site as well. A quality platform should be clean-cut and intuitive with fast-loading pages, letting the players find what they’re looking for in a matter of a few clicks.
To be sure you have an experience that rivals being in the casino, you’ll often find top-notch graphics and fun bonus rounds on these online slot games that can get your adrenaline pumping!
Customer support is one of the backbones of every respectable casino site. No matter how easy it can be to find your way around a casino site and pinpoint the information that you’re looking for, it is likely that you will have a question or two for the operator’s support team sooner or later.
When this happens, you should be able to rely on a professional and responsive customer service that can provide you with all the right answers.
To make sure that the customer service of a given casino site ticks all the right boxes, we talk to them ourselves. This gives us information on how easy it is to get to the support team, how many modes of contact they have available (live chat, email, phone, etc.), how quickly they answer, and whether their answers are correct.
The most important thing for us is not to suggest any casino sites that might put our readers in danger or provide them with unfair treatment. Before even looking at anything else, we devote a little bit of time to check whether a given casino site is regulated and if it deploys all safety measures guaranteeing the protection of their customers’ sensitive information.
It’s quite easy to check whether a casino site is regulated. If it is, it must have a staple on the homepage (usually at the bottom) claiming that it has been approved by a given regulatory body in charge of gambling in that state.
Online gambling is not legal in every US state, so we know how tempting it might be to try your luck at one of many offshore casinos that accept US players.
However, not a lot of those casinos are safe and can put your personal and financial data at risk. What’s more, offshore casinos are not regulated in the US, so if something goes wrong, you won’t have anyone to protect you.
On the other hand, regulated casino sites in the US have all received a proper license from their respective jurisdictions. They are working under the watchful eyes of various gambling authorities and are continually being monitored.
Only a handful of states have legalized online gambling, but many more are expected to make that move in the near future, so even if you are not in one of the legal gambling states, regulated online casinos might soon be coming your way. Be patient and avoid offshore sites.
When you use our links or bonus codes on this page, you ensure that you’re getting the best possible bonus for that casino operator that are currently available.
Signing up sooner as opposed to later is beneficial as many of these offers expire or change without notice.
Remember, you don’t have to sign up at just one casino. You can take advantage of each signup offer separately and try each casino out to see which one you enjoy playing on the most!
Yes. By virtue of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature on House Bill 4311 in December 2019, online gambling of many different types is now legal in Michigan.
Online casinos and online sports betting officially launched on Jan. 22, 2021. Online poker launched a week later.
Michigan residents have a variety of online casino games to choose from. This includes:
Live dealer games are very popular since it’s the closest thing to being at a casino. Several operators in Michigan will offer live dealer games.
Online casinos offer a few basic kinds of promotions. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the bonuses mentioned above.
No deposit bonus or bet: Does not require you to make a deposit to claim. Money can be used to bet, but cannot be cashed out.
Match bet or bonus: Requires you to make a deposit. The site then matches your deposit at a certain percentage up to a certain amount with bonus money that can be used to bet.
Risk-free bet: Requires you to make a deposit and place a bet. If you lose the bet, the site will refund you some amount of the bet (or up to a certain limit). The refund may be in the form of bonus money that can be used to bet again but cannot be cashed out.
In all cases, the use of bonus money may be subject to certain restrictions. For example, you will typically have to wager bonus funds a certain amount of times before they convert to “real” money.
Be sure to visit the site for full terms and conditions on any bonus offer.
No. Due to federal and state law, only persons from inside state lines are permitted to place wagers.
Online sportsbooks, casinos, and poker rooms all employ geolocation verification software to ensure that players are in the prescribed area. Due to how this software operates, it is more likely that players inside the state will be falsely rejected than it is for players outside the borders to gain access.