Legal online casinos first hit the US betting market in 2013 when New Jersey was the first state to allow betting on slots, table games, video poker and more from the comfort of your computer or mobile device. Since then, three other states have legalized and launched online casinos with many more looking to bring legal online casinos within their borders.
Best Online Casinos in the US
What States Offer Legal Online Casinos?
New Jersey
- Market Status: Legal and Live since 2013
- Highlights: The largest online casino market in the US
Long before legal sports betting arrived, New Jersey launched online casinos and online poker within their borders. The first legal casino wagers took place in February 2013 and has since grown into the most robust gambling market in the US.
New Jersey is home to over 20 online casinos, with more being added each year. The online casino list consists of Atlantic City mainstays like Ceasars and Borgata alongside newcomers to the online gambling industry such as FanDuel and DraftKings have also joined in on the fun.
In this extremely competitive market, New Jersey also boasts the most lucrative new player bonuses in the US market.
Pennsylvania
- Market Status: Legal and Live since 2019
- Highlights: Highest population market in the US
The Pennsylvania online casino market was part of a huge gambling expansion package brought forth in 2017. The gambling package included online sports betting, online poker and a revamp of the retail casino categorization. After nearly a two year wait, the virtual casinos finally took their first bets in July 2019 when SugarHouse Online Casino opened their doors. Since then, nearly a dozen online casinos have joined in on the action.
Pennsylvania is home to nearly 13 million residents, making it the largest legal online casino market in the US. Each retail casino can have unlimited skins through their license but the high tax rate has made it not the most desirable landing spot for some of the smaller online casinos. Pennsylvania is home to many of the top names in online gambling like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars.
Michigan
- Market Status: Legal and Live since 2021
- Highlights: Typically one of the highest handle in all the US market
As part of a huge gambling expansion package signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in December 2019, online casinos are thriving in the Wolverine State. Alongside online sports betting and online poker, Michigan launched Online Casino games in January 2021.
Michigan is home to all the big names in online casinos such as DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars and BetRivers and is consistently among the top states in gambling revenues in the US market. Michigan residents can enjoy table games, live dealer, slots and more!
West Virginia
- Market Status: Legal and Live since 2020
- Highlights: Each License Owner can have up to 3 skins
West Virginia passed legislation to allow online sports betting and online casinos in March 2019 but did not officially launch until July 2020. With sports betting options being at a premium during the launch period thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a strong tilt towards online casinos during this time.
West Virginia is home to many popular online casino brands such as FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Golden Nugget and BetRivers. With West Virginia’s small population, it comes in as the smallest market in the online casino world, but with plenty of options, there is no shortage of games to be played when living or visiting the Mountaineer State.
Sign-Up Bonuses for New Customers
Each online casino will offer new customers a bonus of some type when registering a new account. You may be wondering why they would just give away money, but in this competitive market, customer acquisition is extremely important.
Imagine you purchase a new car, and the dealership offers you three free oil changes when you buy from them. The car dealer is willing to eat the cost of the oil changes to retain a customer long term in their service department after experiencing the high level of service they receive during this promotional period.
The same principal applies to online casinos. When they offer you free money to sign up, they hope that you enjoy your experience, win some money so that when you do decide to play casino games online, you return to their site.
| Online Casino | New Jersey | Pennsylvania | Michigan | West Virginia | Sign-Up Bonus | Deposit Bonus | Promo Code |
| BetMGM Casino | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $25 Free | 100% up to $1,000 | ATS1000 |
| FanDuel Casino | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $1,000 Cashback | Just Click This Link | |
| DraftKings Casino | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $50 Free | 100% up to $2,000 | Just Click This Link |
| Wynnbet | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | 100% up to $1,000 + 200 Free Spins | Just Click This Link | |
| BetRivers | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | 100% up to $500 | CASINO | |
| Caesars Casino | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $10 Free | 100% up to $2000 | ATS2000 |
| Borgata Casino | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | $20 Free | 100% up to $1000 | ATS20 |
| Virgin Casino | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | $15 Free | $100 Cashback | Just Click This Link |
| Golden Nugget Casino | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | 100% up to $1000 + 200 Free Spins | NONE NEEDED | |
| Party Casino | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 100% up to $1000 + 25 Free Spins | ATS1000 | |
| Unibet Casino | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | $10 Free | 100% up to $500 | Just Click This Link |
| 888casino | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | $20 Free | 100% up to $500 | Just Click This Link |
| Pala Casino | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | $25 Free | 100% up to $500 | NONE NEEDED |
| Bet365 Casino | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | 100% up to $1,000 | NONE NEEDED |
Furthermore, after that initial sign-up period, these casinos are all running daily and weekly promotions, including cash-back rebates on losses on certain days, reload bonus offers on certain days, and different promotions, new games, and offers to keep you coming back for more and more fun and excitement.
How Do I Claim These Bonuses?
Each US online casino is different. Some apps will give you a No-Deposit Free Bet so that you can try everything out. It’s just like test driving a car before you buy it.
Other apps will give those aforementioned Match Bonus offers. That means that you will get a percentage of bonus money based on the amount of your first deposit. You always want to look at the terms and conditions because there is usually a maximum match bonus amount on that first deposit, but these are usually very well-defined and stated on the offer page.
This is how you claim your casino bonus at a licensed US casino:
- Click on the sign up button
Signing up for an account at all of these casino apps is very easy. Remember, they want you to play and have fun, so the Sign Up buttons are usually a contrast in color or there are probably advertisements for how to sign up right when you access the page.
- Enter Account Details
Just enter the pertinent personal information. Don’t forget to add the Promo Code in the registration process to make sure you receive your bonus.
- Make a Deposit
Unless you have been awarded a sign-up bonus it’s time to make your first deposit to trigger your cashback bonus or matched deposit bonus.
Card Games
While slot machines would certainly seem to be the easiest, and we’ll add video poker and video blackjack in that group as well, these casino apps offer an extensive collection of card games.
Blackjack is probably the favorite for most users, but blackjack variations are also available at most sites, like Blackjack Switch, Spanish 21, and all of those side bets that you are used to seeing on the table are available at a lot of places as well.
Card games are far from limited to blackjack. Carnival games like Three Card Poker, Let It Ride, Four Card Poker, and Caribbean Stud Poker can be found, along with Casino War, Ultimate Texas Hold ‘Em, and Pai Gow. Remember, the plan is to have the full casino experience and that means a lot of different game offering.
Table Games
Other table games include roulette and craps. Virtual craps is a great way to learn a high-octane game. If you find a full craps table in a casino, chips and bets are going to be flying around everywhere. It can be extremely overwhelming and confusing. With the online craps games, you are always the shooter and you can place your bets at your leisure without being pressured by the other players or the stick man. You can also play the “dark side” without hatred from the other people at the table as well!
Poker
Non-table game versions of poker are in a different spot. Most sports betting apps and casino apps also have some sort of poker app tied in as well. You can read all about those in our section dedicated completely to poker.
Cashier
Another key element to look for in all of these casino apps is the cashier. You want options. If you want to deposit with PayPal instead of Visa or Mastercard, that is something that you may have to look for. If you want to use a credit card or do a bank transfer, just about every casino app will offer that. Some may offer a lot more than that and some of those aforementioned deposit bonuses may be contingent on a certain deposit method, so you’ll want to look into that as well.
Just as important is the right amount of withdrawal options. These casino apps are tied in with the brick-and-mortar facilities, so you can always withdraw at the casino cage, but the convenience of these apps is what makes them so special. If you can get your money via PayPal or a bank transfer as opposed to waiting on a check, that might be something that you want to look for prior to signing up.
The ATS Experience
With these new frontiers of expanded gaming across the United States, we want to make sure that our readers are informed and know what to prioritize as they choose between the different apps and websites. That is why we take a deep dive into the different sportsbooks, poker apps, and the casino apps.
The ATS Experience is all about doing the work to review and evaluate these different companies and apps so that you don’t have to. We have years of experience in studying online gaming and know that what we want and what we would prioritize is exactly what you would be seeking.
With that in mind, scan through our reviews, take a look at the things that we have talked about, find the right app(s) for you, and start winning today!
