Online gambling has become one of the most frequented activities in the US. But it can be overwhelming at first due to the large amount of info related to it.
Thankfully, articles like these can help any newcomer understand the legal aspects of online casinos in the US.
Can Anyone Access The US Online Casinos?
Nowadays, many online casinos are licensed and respected in the USA, but not all of them work in every state. Most of these sites are only available for residents of specific states and won’t accept foreign users.
For example, suppose a Texan player tries to log into a NJ casino. In that case, the casino will likely block him and impede any further access unless the casino gets a Texas license.
These rules apply to casinos in other countries as well. If a foreign online casino wants to operate in the US, it must get a license from any state where gambling is legal.
It’s also important to note that most US-based casinos don’t accept players from other countries. If someone tries logging in from another country, the casino will block his access or redirect it to another website.
In some rare cases, a US online casino will accept registration from foreign players, but they need help to verify their account or make deposits.
When Did Online Gambling Become Legal?
Officially speaking, gambling became legal for the first time in the US around the 40s. During those years, the tourism committee of Nevada planned to use gambling as a selling point in Las Vegas and attract visitors.
The plan was an absolute success, and Nevada began to generate millions in gambling taxes and thousands of new jobs.
After seeing this, many states, like New Hampshire, created state lotteries in 1964 to gather funds for public buildings. Others, like New Jersey, began to allow gambling in 1976, but only in limited areas, like Atlantic City.
A few decades later, the internet would finally appear in the United States’ life. While there weren’t many families with computers back in the day, that didn’t stop InterCasino from becoming the first online casino in the world.
Since no laws restricted the use of these websites, many people took advantage and started playing on them, at least for a short time.
Some years after the establishment of the internet, the legal system of the US made use of the Federal Wire Act to restrict online gambling. Still, this law wouldn’t hold for long since 2011 the Department of Justice declared that it only applied to sports betting sites.
Thanks to this declaration, the casino industry was free to prosper throughout the country. In 2018, the Supreme Court released a ruling that allowed every state to regulate gambling in whatever they want including, of course, online casinos.
The sports betting sites also made a total return after removing the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (or Bradley Act), which forbade betting on sports events.
How Secure Are The Online Casinos In The US?
Regarding safety and protection, the US casino sites are as safe as any other casino site from Malta, Curaçao or the United Kingdom.
Most of these websites use encryption technologies like Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to ensure customers’ data at any moment.
Apart from the safety measures, US casinos are compromised to detect and stop any cases of identity thieves, for example, new users need to prove their identity by using identification documents and a photo. If anyone fails to do this they won’t be able to deposit or withdraw money from their account.
And, of course, like in other countries all the US online casinos must pass the revisions and get a license from the respective gambling organization of the state where they want to work.
If a casino fails to obtain the permit they won’t be able to operate there even if they are registered in another state.
Which Payment Methods Are Used In These Casinos? Can Users Pay With Crypto?
Payment options are always important in any website that deals with money and the more options there are, the more attractive the casino will be for more people.
US casino players can deposit and withdraw through credit cards like Visa or e-wallets like Skrill or PayPal. Some of these websites have even begun to accept alternative methods like Wire Transfer or Instadebit.
As for cryptocurrencies, there aren’t too many options available and most casino sites in the US only accept Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, USD Coin and Ethereum.
However, it’s worth mentioning that a lot of these sites offer deposit bonuses and free spins to those who use cryptocurrencies for payments so they’re still worth using.
Like in other countries, the transfer speed between each method varies a lot. For example, credit cards can take from one to two days to become effective. But cryptos and e-wallets can take just a few minutes to be effective.
What Is The Present And Future Of Online Casinos In The USA?
After the release of the 2018 ruling, many states like Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware began to lift their gambling restrictions.
Meanwhile, states like New Jersey have become the central base of US online casinos. The state has over 30 different websites available and a total yearly revenue of $1.09 billion.
California, New York, Indiana and other states have also begun the discussion to lift or not the restrictions over online casinos. Yet, it seems the debate won’t reach a definite result until next year.
According to many experts the online gambling market in the US will generate a total revenue of $19.14 billion during this year. These increases in winnings will continue all the way to 2027.
Online casinos won’t be the only ones to grow, though. The sports betting market will also see a significant revenue of $7.62 billion by the end of the year.
Thanks to the removal of the Bradley Act, over 30 states have started to allow online betting on sports events and many others are expected to follow in the future.
