Finding a good online casino to play at within the United States might seem like a hassle, but in truth it’s a lot easier than you might think. It’s true that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, passed in 2006, acts as a big hindrance to the industry in the U.S., but many sites have found ways around the UIGEA. The law basically prevents financial institutions from sending money to or taking money from online casinos. So instead, a lot of sites use third party companies to process transactions. As of right now, this is a big grey area within the courts. Remember, playing at an online casino is not expressly criminalized by this law; it is the act of executing a direct financial transaction with one of these sites that is the issue. There is a very good argument to be made that these third party transactions are not a legal issue at all.
Some of the bigger software platforms have simply decided to outright forbid U.S. customers from playing at their sites because of this confusion. Microgaming and RealTime Gaming fall into this category. But there are many other, albeit smaller, companies that continue to encourage U.S. players. Rivals Gaming and TopGame are two platforms that have casino sites available to U.S. residents. They might not have hundreds of site clients to their credit, but these are still major players within the industry and they offer very good products for gamblers to enjoy.
| Rank | Casino Site | Bonus | Payout | Mobile | iPad | US | Review | Go to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | $3,000 | 98.4% | Yes | Yes | Yes | Read Review | Visit Site |
| 2 |  | $4500 | 96.9% | Yes | Yes | Yes | Read Review | Visit Site |
The thing is, just because your options are limited if you want to play and you live in the U.S. does not mean that you have to make sacrifices. There are still a lot of choices for you, many of which offer superior graphics and animations, high quality games, and very attractive bonus structures. You might not be able to go with your first pick of sites, but there are well over 1,000 casinos online as of right now, so this really isn’t a huge deal. Even though it might not be quite as easy, it is still far from tough to find something that will surpass your expectations.
One of the great things to keep in mind is that there are also a lot of casinos now offering mobile gaming apps for U.S. customers. This is a big business right now, and as mobile devices improve, this specific area will definitely get a lot more attention. Mobile gaming on your smartphone or tablet is really easy and you can take your fun anywhere you might go. Casinos that cater to United States customers might not have all of the same technology that the major platforms do, but it is very likely that the mobile market is going to keep improving in the U.S. at a rapid pace over the next few years.
The biggest hindrance to selecting a good casino is going to be whether you’ll be able to deposit and withdraw money from the casino. If you can’t get them your cash, you won’t be able to play at all. And even worse, if you can’t get a good method of withdrawal to work, all of your hard earned money is in jeopardy. These are definitely things that you’ll want to check out before you need to worry about them. A lot of casinos will allow you to use a credit card to a third party for a deposit, and then will send you a paper check for your withdrawal. There may or may not be fees for these transactions, depending upon the amounts you are dealing with and the individual casino. Still, a small fee is usually a non-issue in exchange for the fun you have while gambling.
The future of online gambling is unclear in the U.S. Some individual states are already taking steps toward making certain domestic sites legal. Don’t be surprised if five or ten years from now there are a few states that have fully legalized online gambling with certain sites. This will more than likely very tightly regulated, but the way discussions are going in a few states, it does appear that this is a real possibility. The legal process is slow, though, so don’t expect a change overnight.