US States Casinos Guide 2025

Updated on: January 3rd, 2025

Gambling across the US states is very popular with as many as the country’s 48 states offering some form of legal gambling to enthusiasts. What’s even great is that some of these states also permit punters to gamble online, allowing them access to a wider range of gambling games and sports betting options. Whether you’re looking for US casinos near you or top US casino sites online, we’ve got you covered with our top US states casinos finder.

Here, we cover everything you need to know about gambling in the different US states, from where the best casino destinations in US lie, to the laws and gambling activities available to you. We have researched all casino cities in US where you will get to experience gambling on casino games, state lotteries, horse racing, bingo, keno, sports betting, and a whole lot more. Find out more on our comprehensive guide below!

Current US Casino Laws

US casino laws differ with each state. This is because there are no federal laws which prohibit gambling anymore and the US states can to decide their own. However, there was an exception for sports gambling which the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) considers illegal. This also was overturned just recently. Now US states are allowed to regulate sports betting their own way. In addition to this, states in America are allowed to define gambling in their own words because some forms of gambling, such as fantasy sports, may be legal in one state and illegal in another. Each state is permissible by residents or legislature to expand on gambling.

Online Gambling Laws

Online gambling in the US is regulated under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) which prohibits interstate gambling. This federal law suggests that if an American state wants to legalize online gambling, they will need to have a location and age verification system to prevent punters from other US states from playing. When online gambling becomes legal in your state, then you can enjoy a variety of casino games including slots, table games, and other speciality gambling games.

Sports Betting Laws

The laws surrounding sports betting in America were really complicated before PASPA was revoked. Actually, sports betting was illegal in the US except in Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware. This is because they had already legalized betting before the bill passed. PASPA was finally annulled by the Supreme Court after a long court battle with New Jersey when the state wanted to legalize sports wagering and the law was opposing it.

US Land-Based Casino Establishments

The USA is home to many casinos. At first, you may think a casino is just a casino, but that’s not the case. Depending on which part of the United States you are in, there could be a mix of tribal casinos also known as Indian casinos, land-based casinos, pari-mutuel, and boat casinos.

Indian Casinos

Indian casinos in the US usually sit on federally recognised Indian reservations. These types of casinos may range from convenience stores, small truck stops, or even the largest casinos such as the Foxwoods Casino located in Connecticut. These casinos can choose to offer either Class II to Class III gaming depending on where the casino is located and the agreement with the state. Class II would entail the small games such as bingo or poker where its players compete against each other. They can also compete in player-banked table games. Whereas Class III is what a normal casino would look like with slots and tables.

Land-Based Casinos

The regular brick-and-mortar casinos you know are casinos such as those in Atlantic City and Nevada, Las Vegas. Nevada was the first and only state to offer gambling when it was legalized in 1931. New Jersey was second to follow suit in 1977 with its beachfront gambling destination in Atlantic City.

Pari-Mutuel Casinos

Pari-mutuel betting aka pool betting is allowed in US states such as Delaware and Arkansas. When you are a resident in the state, you can wager on legal horse or dog racing, and jai-alai game sin Florida. The pari-mutuel US casinos are also known as racinos as they are usually racetracks but also allow some other form of casino gambling. The casinos are similar to land-based casinos.

Riverboat Casinos

As the name may already suggest, these are casinos located inside boats on America’s rivers. These are popular across the South and Midwest of America including Iowa, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri. There have been many changes in the laws and structural advances throughout the years. Nowadays you can go on a cruise or gamble on barges that float in man-made creeks. States such as Mississippi even have riverboat casinos on land. States like Georgia that don’t have conventional land-based casinos have a casino cruiseliner that goes out into international waters where gambling isn’t prohibited.

Where are Casinos Legal in the US? Best US Casinos Finder

The US is home to more than 1,500 casinos which generate approximately US$71 billion in annual revenue. That is more than any other country in the world. A number of those casinos in the US can be found in Las Vegas, Colorado, California, and Oklahoma. Each state, as you may know by now, has its own laws. For instance, Oklahoma does not allow any dice games and spinning wheels but does host a wide range of casino games that use playing cards. Meanwhile in Colorado, the most one is allowed to wager in a casino is US$100 at a time. You can read all about the differed gambling US states below:

• Georgia
• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• Delaware

US States with No Gambling

Almost every state in America has a casino with only five exceptions. Alaska, Virginia, Utah, Vermont, and Tennessee are the US states where gambling is illegal. Although there might be a fairly large Native American population in Alaska compared to other states, the Indian reservations in the state do not fit the legal “Indian Lands” description. Whereas in Tennessee, there have been attempts to legalize casinos but the state still can’t pass the bills and allow casinos there. Residents in the state can only wager state lotteries and fantasy sports. Utah isn’t different from Tennesse except that they are overly conservative. In Vermont, some forms of casino gambling are allowed. However, it is not much of a priority to open a casino there; plus Vermont it is one of the smallest states in the US.

Online Casino Regulations

Most US states have been slow in regulating the online casino gambling industry. It has only been NJ and Delaware who have put an effort to legalize online casino games. Nevada also allows some forms of online gambling games including poker and sports betting. Other states allow online horse racing betting and the purchasing of lottery tickets online. Otherwise, to access a wider selection of casino games, you can wager at offshore online casinos such as those on our list. You will find exciting slot games and a variety of casino table games which you can wager using your smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

Check out our other state guides:

US State Casino FAQs

Are online casinos legal in the US?