There are many benefits to gambling online. The benefit that stands out the most to me is convenience. When you play games like blackjack and casino holdem online you don’t have to worry about traveling, dealing with lines and crowds, or the rude guy that insists on chain smoking while sitting next to you.
However, American players don’t get to experience the benefit of convenience that everyone else in the world gets to. At least not to the same extent.
For example, the majority of poker sites prohibit Americans from even signing up. US players have to deal with their credit cards and checks being declined. And that’s when they actually receive their checks, which is usually 3-4 weeks after requesting it.
It just isn’t as easy for Americans to gamble online. In fact, depending on where you live, it might be more convenient to head down the road to your local Indian casino or poker club.
That being said, some people have that ‘hell or high water’ mindset. They’re going to play casino holdem online no matter what, regardless of how difficult, time consuming or risky that it may be.
Being players ourselves we understand and can appreciate this mindset. So what we’ve done to help you out is that we’ve found, researched and listed the best online casinos for Americans. You’ll find that list below. Click a link to get started, or alternatively, you can read each review to ensure that the casino has the games you want to play and deposit methods you can use.
Immediately below the table you can read a little more about why gambling in the US is so difficult lately.
Why is Gambling in the US Such a Pain in the Ass?
Above I mentioned that gambling online is inconvenient for American players. I thought I’d provide some context and explain why.
The primary reason why online gambling is a pain in the ass for American players is the UIGEA. Now, the UIGEA doesn’t make it illegal for you to play your favorite casino game online. What it does is make it illegal for banks to process your transactions to and from the online casinos. In other words, whenever you try to make a deposit using your Visa debit card your bank is supposed to decline that transaction.
This creates a headache for all parties involved.
For the customer (you), it means dealing with your card being declined and forcing you to find alternative methods. That might mean (signing up and) trying a new credit or debit card, or going to the local department store to buy a Visa gift card. You might also have to try a money transfer service like Western Union.
On the business end of thing, online casino operators have to constantly look for processors that can make the transaction from the customer to the casino and vice versa. Many processors are shut down, which can cause delays. That’s why it can take weeks to get a simple bank wire or check. These problems compound when you’re playing at a casino that’s not as honest about their issues. You might wait for weeks to be told that it’ll be a few more weeks because the process had to be started from the beginning.
Ultimately, until these laws change this will always be a problem. Players are going to play because it’s not exactly illegal to do so (in most states), and online gambling operators are going to cater to these players because it’s like hating money if they don’t, even if it’s illegal to process payments.
At the end of the day you have to decide whether or not you’re willing to deal with these headaches. Some players, like me, choose not to. Considering how much I play, it makes more sense to head to my local casino to play a few hands of blackjack or poker. For others, that choose to play a few times per week (or more), it’s more than worth the effort to play from the privacy of their own home.
How to Find a Safe Online Casino
For the people that choose to continue to play casino holdem online, the biggest challenge is finding a casino that not only accepts US players, but is safe and reputable, too. There are just so many casinos that want to take advantage of the gap in the marketplace, but don’t care about screwing over the players.
These are the types of companies you want to lookout for.
What I recommend doing is finding 1-3 casinos to play at. You can start with the casinos we recommend on the site. We’ve already done the research for you. All the casinos here are licensed, regulated, tested regularly for fairness and have been in business for more than a couple of months. To the best of our knowledge they’re not known for taking advantage of their players (although you should do your own due diligence anyway).
If none of these casinos appeal to you, or you already have accounts at each one, I recommend keeping the following in mind when reviewing sites on your own:
- Company Info – Look for licensing details, where the company is located, how often their software is tested, how long they’ve been in business, if their company is public and anything else that would tell you if the company is legit or not.
- Game Info – What games do they offer? Do they have what you want to play?
- Software – Is their software compatible with your operating system? Do they have mobile games? Is their software regularly tested?
- Banking – Do they have banking options you can use? Be sure to find more than one option in case you’re first choice is declined or doesn’t work.
This is basic stuff, but very important nonetheless. I also recommend sticking to online casinos that don’t use a .com for a domain name. Stick to sites that use .lv, .eu. ag and similar. That way the US cannot seize their site (and your funds) in case the casino does something the US deems illegal.
From here, I recommend spreading your bankroll across the 2-3 sites you play at. That way if you run into any problems you’ll still have money to play with or withdrawal. You won’t be at a total loss. That’s the best way to do things if you’re an American wanting to play real money games.