Is online casino legal in the US?

If the state regulator does not list the site, the legal US lane stops there — whatever the homepage claims.

Nevada statute lets the Gaming Commission license “interactive gaming” for qualifying resort hotels (NRS 463.750). The Board’s Regulation 5A.140 then bars operators from accepting wagers on any game other than poker and approved poker derivatives.

So a Las Vegas land licence does not make online slots or online blackjack legal in Nevada. The street-level floors on CasinoList are a different licence from any interactive gaming permit. A dispute with a licensed online operator follows that state’s complaint path — a different lane from a tribal land-casino prize dispute (/en/guides/can-you-sue-a-tribal-casino/).

1. AUTH

   Authorized-sites list

   The regulator’s own roster of approved internet gaming sites (New Jersey publishes one).

   Tip: Not on the list = not approved

2. LOGO

   Regulator logo check

   Pennsylvania tells players to verify the official PGCB logo and use its operator links before betting.

   Tip: Verify from the regulator page

3. PROV

   Licensed provider list

   Michigan publishes licensed internet gaming providers and active licensee / vendor registration lists.

4. SELF

   Self-exclusion database

   Voluntary ban list licensed operators must honor — offshore sites do not.

   Tip: Licence-bound protection

5. DISP

   Patron dispute path

   A formal regulator complaint route after the operator answers. Exists only for licensed sites.

6. C&D

   Cease-and-desist

   Public letter telling an unlicensed operator to stop serving that state’s residents.

   Tip: Enforcement, not a licence

Each label points back to a regulator page — not an affiliate roundup.

1. 1

   Step 01

   Name the state you are physically in

   Licences are state-by-state. A site legal in one state is not automatically legal in the next.

2. 2

   Step 02

   Open that state’s regulator, not the site

   NJ DGE, PGCB, MGCB, CT DCP, the state lottery in DE / RI / WV — whichever applies. Find the authorized-operator list there.

3. 3

   Step 03

   Look for the name on the official list

   Match the legal operator name, not just a brand banner. No match means unlicensed for that state.

4. 4

   Step 04

   Separate land from online

   A famous casino hotel’s floor licence is a different filing. For brick-and-mortar facts start from the land guides below.

1. ✕

   01Treating “not prosecuted” as “licensed”

   Enforcement is selective. Only a state licence and a place on the regulator’s list make a site lawful for that state’s players.

2. ✕

   02Using one state’s list for another

   Seven states license online casinos; the rest do not. Check the state where you are, every time.

3. ✕

   03Assuming Nevada = online casinos

   Nevada’s licence stack is land floors plus online poker. Regulation 5A.140 blocks wagers on other games.

4. ✕

   04Quoting the Wire Act as a total ban

   DOJ’s 2018 opinion read it broadly; the First Circuit ruled in 2021 that it applies only to sporting events or contests. UIGEA and state law carry most of the weight.

5. ✕

   05Believing sweepstakes branding changes the licence

   A state regulator may call a casino-style product unlicensed no matter what the terms say — Michigan’s 2026 notices list sweepstakes-style games next to casino games.

Tap a resort — each row opens that casino’s CasinoList page (hours, parking, loyalty, floor facts). Sorted by published table units when we have them — confirm on property.

Browse all Las Vegas casinos →

• Ranked shortlistFirst-timer StripFamiliar Strip resorts with tables — skip ultra-high-limit dens.Open shortlist→
• Ranked shortlistBoardwalk casinosAtlantic City floors on the boardwalk map lane.Open shortlist→
• Ranked shortlistDetroit: Rating-eligible floorsTable floors that clear the published rating threshold.Open shortlist→

A 90-second guide cannot cover every table moment. Tap a group, then a question — answers are short paragraphs, not one-liners.

1. UIGEA — 31 U.S.C. § 5361 (findings; rule of construction) · accessed Oct 12, 2026Federal payments law: subsection (b) does not alter any Federal or State law permitting or prohibiting gambling. §§ 5362–5363 define unlawful internet gambling and the in-state carve-out.
2. UIGEA — 31 U.S.C. § 5362 (definitions; intrastate transactions) · accessed Oct 12, 2026Subsection (10)(B): in-state bets authorized by state law with age and location verification are not “unlawful Internet gambling.”
3. Wire Act — 18 U.S.C. § 1084 · accessed Oct 12, 2026Federal statute on wire transmission of bets and wagering information.
4. New Hampshire Lottery Commission v. Rosen (1st Cir., Jan. 20, 2021) · accessed Oct 12, 2026Held the Wire Act applies only to interstate wire communications related to sporting events or contests; DOJ OLC’s Nov. 2, 2018 opinion had read it more broadly.
5. NJ Division of Gaming Enforcement — Internet Gaming Information · accessed Oct 12, 2026Authorized-sites list and permit holders; any site not on the list is not approved to offer internet gaming in New Jersey.
6. Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board — licensed online gaming operators · accessed Oct 12, 2026PGCB hub for verifying interactive gaming, sports wagering, poker, and fantasy operators; “look for the logo.”
7. Michigan Gaming Control Board — Internet Gaming and Fantasy Contests · accessed Oct 12, 2026Licensed internet gaming providers, active licensee / vendor registration list, acts and rules, patron disputes.
8. MGCB news — 33 cease-and-desist letters to offshore operators (Oct. 8, 2026) · accessed Oct 12, 2026Regulator enforcement against casino-style, sweepstakes-style, and sports betting offers without a Michigan licence; self-exclusion applies to licensed operators only.
9. Connecticut DCP Gaming Division — law, regulations and technical standards for online gaming · accessed Oct 12, 2026Public Act 21-23 and regulation of online casino gaming, online lottery, keno, and sports wagering.
10. Delaware Lottery — About Us · accessed Oct 12, 2026States Delaware launched an authorized iGaming system on Nov. 7, 2013, offered through the state’s three casinos.
11. Rhode Island General Laws — Chapter 42-61.2 · accessed Oct 12, 2026Video lottery, table games, sports wagering, and iGaming: §§ 42-61.2-3.4 (iGaming regulation) and 42-61.2-17 (iGaming requirements).
12. West Virginia Code — Article 22E, Lottery Interactive Wagering Act · accessed Oct 12, 2026State authorization of interactive wagering at licensed racetrack facilities and the historic resort hotel.
13. Nevada Gaming Control Board — Regulation 5A, Operation of Interactive Gaming (rev. 02/26) · accessed Oct 12, 20265A.140: operators may not accept wagers on any game other than poker and approved derivatives. Statutory basis: NRS 463.750.
14. Revised Code of Washington § 9.46.240 — gambling information · accessed Oct 12, 2026Example of a state criminal statute reaching internet gambling information, with an exception for authorized activity.
15. Maine Legislature — LD 1164 (Wabanaki Nations internet gaming) · accessed Oct 12, 2026Enacted Jan. 11, 2026 (Public Law chapter 538, unsigned). Launch status is not asserted on this page.