Is online gambling legal in the US?
Online gambling in the United States operates on a state-by-state basis. There is no single federal law that governs all online casino gambling. Some states have legalized and regulated online casinos; many have not. The legal landscape is still evolving.
Which states have legal online casinos
As of 2024, states with legal regulated online casino gambling include New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Delaware. Others are in various stages of legislation. Online sports betting has been legalized in far more states following the Supreme Court’s 2018 PASPA ruling, but casino table games and slots remain restricted in most jurisdictions.
Federal laws to be aware of
The Wire Act (1961) restricts interstate sports betting but its application to online gambling has been debated. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA, 2006) restricts financial transactions with gambling sites — it targets payment processors, not individual players directly. Players in unregulated states often access offshore casinos, but these sites operate outside the protection of US state regulation.