In many countries it is. If you are living in an area where
gambling in physical casinos is illegal it is also illegal for
you to play in an online casino. Don't think just because you
are not actually there and play at home, you can cheat your
way out of that. Upon the signup in an online casino the casino
will carefully go through the information you provide and will
find out if the city, state or county you are living in prohibits
gambling. If you are not sure about the law in your area contact
the local authorities.
Also in September 2006, just before adjourning for the midterm elections, both the House of Representatives and Senate passed legislation (as an amendment to the unrelated Safe Port Act) that would make transactions from banks or similar institutions to online gambling sites illegal. This differs from a previous bill passed only by the House that expanded the scope of the Wire Act. The passed bill only addresses banking issues. The act was signed into law on October 13, 2006 by President George W. Bush, and there is a provision for a 270-day period to develop enforcement measures. At the bill-signing ceremony, Bush never mentioned the Internet gambling measure, which was supported by the National Football League and opposed by banking groups.
In response to this new legislation, a number of online gambling operators including PartyGaming, Cassava Enterprises, and Sportingbet announced that real-money gambling operations would be suspended for U.S. customers. PartyGaming's stock dropped by 60% following its announcement. Other operators such as PokerStars, Bodog, and others announced their intention to continue serving customers in the U.S. using alternative payment methods.
For a regular U.S. player it is absolutely legal to play at online casinos and pokerrooms.
The choice depends on your playing strategies, your favorite
games and the time you want to spend playing at the casino you
search for. There are hundreds of casinos on the internet and
there are opening more and more each day. Inform yourself of
the casino you are about to play in. We gathered all kinds of
information from many different online casinos and selected
only the best. Try our Casino Site and you will find a wide
range of different casinos it is safe to play in.
Generally, Yes. Most legitimate online casinos don't have
to manipulate their games because like in a real casino the
house edge and the players mistakes make them enough profit.
Most casinos constantly test their games on fairness and to
find out if there is something strange going on with the games.
Still, there are some dishonest casinos out there so make sure
security comes first.
Not necessary. Some casinos offer no download or browser
based (usually Flash) games. No download games can be played
at any computer in a matter of minutes while software download
based games require installation of the software to play. Nevertheless,
download based software games usually have better graphics,
are more secure and allow more room to configure them to your
taste. In case you don't care if the graphics and animations
are better or not it is recommended you don't download anything
for gambling.
You have to make a deposit to the casino. Most online casinos
accept credit cards, checks, money order, wire transfer or paypal
to get you started. Credit cards used to be the most popular
way to make this deposit because you can start playing right
away and don't have to wait until the casino gets your check
in the mail. These days many people will not be able to successfully
use their credit cards to purchase chips because of stringent
laws passed in some jurisdictions. My personal favorite to use
is paypal based on speed and ease of use. Your winnings will,
based on the casino, be returned to your credit card, your paypal
account, or sent to you by check.
Usually you could collect your winning to you credit card
(up to the amount deposited) and the rest could be sent by check
or wire transfer depending on the amount of your winnings. As
explained above most casinos will send you a check for your
winnings within a week. In case you made the deposit with a
check or money order the casino will send you a check for the
winnings and your original deposit, if you want to. If you made
your deposit by credit card the casino will only credit your
card up to the amount you originally deposited and the rest
of the winnings will also be sent to you by mail.
Almost all online casinos listed here use gaming software
of independent parties: Microgaming, OddsOn, CryptoLogic, Playtech
and BossMedia. Casinos have no incentives to cheat you because
they have enough profit built-in with the house edge and player
mistakes. As a business standard, the payout percentages are
monitored by PriceWaterHouseCoopers or other big 5 accounting
firms.
The casinos are happy to give you the opportunity of trying
out their games and playing for some time for free. You will
find that as a regular player at any of the casinos listed here
that you will be included in special promotions and be able
to enter all sorts of contests. Some casino even pay you each
month for your loyalty in form of comps programs. Remember that
that's not a real money in your pockets, just electronic chips.
Usually, these bonuses should be wagered several times before
being cashed out. Another reason why casinos give away free
money is the competition among the online casinos. The casinos
try to attract and retain real, regular players by giving away
some part of their profit.
All of the casinos that you will find here have high security
measures in place and process millions of dollars of players
transactions every year. However, because of some limitations
imposed by credit card issuers, it's better to open an account
with FirePay, Netteller or Prepaid ATM and use it to fund your
accounts in several casinos.
After installing casino software or starting flash or other
browser-based games you can open a real account and try your
luck. You may fund you account by credit card, by check, or
by wire transfer. With your credit card you can deposit money
quickly and start playing immediately. But don't forget about
Neteller, FirePay, Gaming Card or other systems. Most of the
casinos allow you to open a guest account and play for free.
Use it before you get known all the game rules and be confident
playing the game.