The USA has seen a radical shift in its relationship with gambling over the past few years. For decades, the only place most Americans could legally enjoy playing gambling games was in the casinos of Las Vegas or Atlantic City on Louisiana riverboats. However, changing attitudes, technology, and, latterly, changes to the law means that gambling, in one form or another, is legal in almost every state.
And that is where things get a bit complicated. What is legal in one state is not allowed in another. When the Supreme Court overturned the PASPA ban on sports wagering, claiming it was unconstitutional, the majority of the US legalized sports betting. However, not all of them legalized online sports betting, and the Supreme Court ruling of 2018 had no direct impact on casino and slot machine gambling.
Casino gambling for real money has not opened up in the same way, however. As mentioned by Hannah Cutajar from Casino.org,
It can be confusing for people in the USA to know what the laws are where they reside or visit. Online casino gambling for real money is only allowed in a handful of states, and there are hundreds of operators all vying for the gambling dollar. As well as legitimate sites, there are also scam operators pretending to be the real thing and offshore operators pretending to be legitimate.
What can be even more confusing is that social and sweepstake casinos can be played in almost every state as they do not involve gambling for real money. Gambling for and with virtual money is not covered by the same regulation, so nearly all Americans can legally play on these sites, which are, excuse the pun, sweeping the nation. Even though the prizes are initially in virtual Gold coin currency, it is possible to trade these in for real money prizes.
Cutajar says,
Real money casinos are legal in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In addition, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nevada allow online poker games. It is anticipated that Illinois and Indiana will try to progress legislation in 2025, and a referendum is expected in Maryland in November of this year. At the time of writing, the states that could be next to consider legalizing online casinos are Indiana and Massachusetts. However, these are still only rumors.”
Alex Korsager, who is the general manager at Casino.org, adds,
Unfortunately, some of the states are highly unlikely to legalize online gambling for a whole host of reasons. In these states, we recommend players try sweepstakes casinos instead. Along with social casinos, they are completely legal in many states and provide players with a high-quality, fun alternative.
Casino.org sees its role as keeping abreast of a growing industry. They apply their rigorous 25-step data-driven review process to all the online casinos popping up. They say the process has been honed over two decades, so when they make recommendations, they are down to a rigorous process, not just based on gut feeling.
Hannah Cutajar explains,
Our reviewers, writers, and editors do not just believe what the online platforms and game developers tell us. We actually stress-test their claims. Our reviewers are experienced gamblers themselves, and they go through the same process that a player would.”
It starts with setting up an account, reading the terms and conditions, and going through the verification process. We check that the site is legal in the state it is operating in and has the correct operating licenses. We check out the bonuses on offer and see what payment options are available.
At this point, we also verify the security protocols of the site we are reviewing; while some of this stuff might seem dull, it is part of our professional and independent service. We cover these less glamorous elements so our readers can get on with playing safe in the knowledge where they are is legitimate and secure.
We check how sites perform in different browsers and ensure they are optimized for smaller screens. We look in the Apple and Google stores for apps and make a note of what other players are saying about them. We want to gather as much intelligence as possible, so scour the web for player comments and feedback”.
Customer service is important, too; in fact, it is essential. What happens if something goes wrong? We want our readers to know what they are letting themselves in for. Is there 24/7 help, and is it by phone, email, or live chat? Many people find out until it is too late that customer services are non-existent or not very customer-focused.
When we are satisfied that the site has the functionality required to make it a good site, we start to look properly at the bonuses and games on offer. We look for the number and range of table and slot games. Some sites only have online slots. While this might be great for a slot player, it is useless for someone looking to play roulette or poker.
We check out which software developers the site works with. A reputable site will have close partnerships with the top game makers who might even have created specialist versions of games that can only be found on a specific site. Live dealer gambling is buzzing at the moment. Does the site we are reviewing offer these, and if so, at what times?
Then we do the fun bit, all in the interests of work, of course, and try out the games. We check out the gameplay and features and, of course, the jackpots, volatility, and percentage payout. When satisfied that we have tried every element of the game, we see how quickly the online casino pays out winnings.
Casino.org does not just do this for real money casinos either; they use the same approach for sweepstakes casinos too.
Staying on top of a growing industry means constantly checking what everyone is up to. When they say everyone, they mean everyone: the legislators, the regulators, the casino sites, the game developers, and payment providers. Last but not least, they also keep an eye on what the other punters are saying about the industry. This gives them and their customers a 360-degree view of this growing industry.