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Legal online casino states January 2024: Everything you need to know

(Wayne Perry / Associated Press)

Check our our guide to the best casino promos in the current legal online casino states across the United States in January 2024. Online gambling can be tough to navigate to find the best operator or promotion since it differs from state to state.

Legal online casino play is still in its infancy in the United States. Currently, only six states are available for legal online gambling such as online poker and other casino games.

We’ve provided a ranking table for the best online casinos and their current offers below. Keep reading to check out each state where online casino gaming is legal.

The best online betting sites January 2024

Rank Betting Site Bonus States Claim
1
BetMGM Logo
100% deposit match Up to $1,000 + $25 on the house
  • AZ, NJ, IN, CO, DC, IA, MI, OH, TN, VA, WV, WY only.
  • New customers only. Must be 21+. Full T&C apply.
2
Caesars Sportsbook Logo
Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $2,500and 2,500 Rewards Points!
  • NJ, MI, PA, WV,ON
  • New customers only. Must be 21+. Welcome offer not available in NY & PA. Full T&C apply.
3
bet365 Logo
100% deposit match Up to $1,000
  • NJ, CO, VA, OH only.
  • New customers only. Must be 21+. Full T&C apply.
4
Caesars Sportsbook
Get a $1,000 Play It Again Bonus (Only 1x Play Through) And 50 bonus spins
  • MI, NJ, PA Only.
  • New users only, 21 or older. Full T&Cs apply.
5
Fubo Sportsbook
100% deposit matchUp to $1,000 + $20 at sign up
  • Available in NJ, PA only.
  • New users only, 21 or older. Full T&C apply.
6
SuperBook Sports
100% deposit matchUp to $1,000 + 200 free spins
  • Offer available in NJ, MI only.
  • New users only, 21+. Full T&C apply.
7
Party Casino
100% deposit matchUp to $1,000 + 25 free spins
  • Offer available in NJ only.
  • New users only, 21+. Full T&C apply.

History of online casino gambling

Online casinos and other forms of online gambling began to directly emerge with the prevalence of the internet. While early forms of gambling began to emerge at physical locations as early as the 1930′s, legal online gambling began to appear in the mid 1990′s.

One of the first sites to appear was Planet Poker in 1998. Online poker began to emerge with ParadisePoker.com in 1999 as well, and online poker specifically, rapidly grew in the early 2000′s.

Online poker and online casinos took a brief hit in 2011 when fraud allegations hit three of the biggest online poker sites in the U.S. Since this gaming enforcement hurdle, there have been serious challenges to growing online casinos and online poker.

This is why there are currently only six states where online casino is legal. Check out the list of states below, including the top operators in each state and the current promotions they are offering.

Legal online casino states

Connecticut

Connecticut is one of the more recent states to offer online casinos. Online gambling went live in Oct. 2021 and currently the state offers two online casinos with Mohegan Sun and DraftKings.

The good news is sports betting is also legal in Connecticut so customers can find everything they are looking for from online casinos to placing their first sports wager. Check out Mohegan Sun and DraftKings in Connecticut for two of the best online casinos and some of the best promotions across the country.

Online casino Current promo
Mohegan Sun a 100 percent deposit match up to $500 for new players
DraftKings a 100 percent casino deposit match bonus up to 2,000 in casino bonus funds

Delaware

The state of Delaware is well ahead of the curve with online casinos first able to operate in 2012. Besides New Jersey and Nevada, Delaware has pioneered the online gambling space.

The downside of playing online in Delaware is that there are only three online casinos available and no current legal online sports betting. Delaware is a unique case ― the three online casinos are horse racing operators that happen to operate an online and physical casino as part of their offerings.

These ‘racinos’ are raceways and casinos often have larger ownership groups such as 888 Casino. However, the three online casinos that do operate in the state have great current promotions including some large deposit matches.

Online casino Current promo
Delaware Park President's Day giveaways/slot drawings & jackpots
Dover Downs a 100 percent deposit match up to $100 & $10 instant bonus
Harrington Raceway Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $500

Michigan

Michigan has one of the widest selections of online casinos in the entire United States. Sports betting is also legal in Michigan so there are endless options for your first wager whether it is online casinos or online sports betting.

While online fantasy gaming was legal slightly earlier, Michigan legalized online gambling and online sports betting in one bill in Jan. 2021. This opened the state to a wide variety of online casino gaming, online fantasy sports, online poker and online sports betting.

Online casino Current promo
BetMGM Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000 and $25 on the house
BetRivers Casino 100 percent Deposit Match up to $500 in Bonus Money!
Caesars Palace Online Casino Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $2,500 + 2,500 Rewards Points!
DraftKings a 100 percent casino deposit match bonus up to 2,000 in casino bonus funds
FanDuel Casino Get a $1,000 Play It Again Bonus (Only 1x Play Through) + 50 BONUS SPINS!
Golden Nugget Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000 + 200 bonus spins

New Jersey

New Jersey has some of the least restrictive betting laws in the United States. In fact, in-state online gambling has been legal since 2013.

New Jersey is probably the top of the list in terms of variety of online casinos available. As of Feb. 2023, there are 30 different online casino sites available for customers in New Jersey.

Similar to the online gaming options, New Jersey is also one of the top states for online sports betting. There are endless operators for your first wager whether it is a casino table game or sports betting.

Generally, all casino sites will offer the most popular table games, slots and poker to give you the same experience as the physical location casinos. Check out our list below of popular online casinos available in New Jersey and the various promotions they are offering.

Online casino Current promo
Bally Casino Get $50 on Sign Up + Up to $100 Back in Cash on Your First Deposit
Virgin Casino $100 real cash back with first-time account registration
Caesars Palace Online Casino Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $2,500 + 2,500 Rewards Points!
BetMGM Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000 and $25 on the house
Golden Nugget Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000 + 200 bonus spins
Resorts Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000
Ocean Casino Deposit $50, Get 500 Bonus Spins
A dealer conducts a card game at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on Dec. 2, 2022. Figures released by New Jersey gambling regulators on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, show Atlantic City casinos casinos matched their all-time high of $5.2 billion in total gambling revenue in 2022, although only half of that was won from in-person gamblers physically present at casinos.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania was also early to the online gambling scene. In Oct. 2017, the governor of Pennsylvania signed a bill into law that allowed in-state legal online gambling.

Since then, Pennsylvania has over 12 licensed operators in the state providing online slots, poker and the best table games. The action doesn’t stop there; however, as Pennsylvania is one of the best states for sports betting as well.

The state offers some of the best sports betting operators in the country such as BetMGM, FanDuel Sportsbook and Caesars Sportsbook. Whether it’s online gambling or sports betting, you’ll be sure to find an operator for your first wager.

Check out our list below to find some of the most popular casinos in the state and their best promotions.

Online casino Current promo
BetMGM Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000 and $25 on the house
Golden Nugget Casino PA Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $1000 in Bonus Funds!
Caesars Palace Online Casino Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $2,500 + 2,500 Rewards Points!
DraftKings Casino a 100 percent casino deposit match bonus up to 2,000 in casino bonus funds
FanDuel Casino Get a $1,000 Play It Again Bonus (Only 1x Play Through) + 50 BONUS SPINS!
BetRivers Casino a 100 percent casino deposit match up to $250

West Virginia

West Virginia is one of the more recent additions to legal online casino games and other online gambling. Online casinos and online casino gaming were legalized March 2019 with the official launch in July 2020.

Luckily, West Virginia was also ahead of the curve for sports betting. Online sports betting is also legal in the state, meaning you can find an online casino or sportsbook for your wager.

For now, West Virginia only hosts some of the more popular operators: DraftKings, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, FanDuel and Golden Nugget. We will preview some of the best promotions for all the best online casinos in the state.

Online casino Current promo
BetMGM Casino 100% Deposit Match up to $2500 + $25 on the House
FanDuel Casino Get a $1,000 Play-It-Again Bonus (Only 1x Play Through!)
BetRivers Casino a 100 percent casino deposit match up to $250
Caesars Palace Online Casino Get a 100% Deposit Match up to $2,500 + 2,500 Rewards Points!
DraftKings Casino a 100 percent deposit match up to $1,000 + 200 free spins

Where is mobile sports betting legal?

Similar to online gambling, mobile sports betting has had a long and arduous legalization process across the United States. Sports betting became legal in 2018 after a reversal by the Supreme Court of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which had outlawed sports betting.

Pennsylvania was the first state to legalize online sports betting six months after the Supreme Court decision. Check our full list below to see if sports betting is available in your state or if it is coming soon.

State Legal?
Alabama No
Alaska No
Arizona Yes
Arkansas Yes
California No
Colorado Yes
Connecticut Yes
Delaware No
Florida No
Georgia No
Hawaii No
Idaho No
Illinois Yes
Indiana Yes
Iowa Yes
Kansas Yes
Kentucky Yes
Louisiana Yes
Maine Yes
Maryland Yes
Massachusetts Yes, March 2023
Michigan Yes
Minnesota No
Mississippi No
Missouri No
Montana No
Nebraska No
Nevada Yes
New Hampshire Yes
New Jersey Yes
New Mexico No
New York Yes
North Carolina No
North Dakota No
Ohio Yes
Oklahoma No
Oregon Yes
Pennsylvania Yes
Rhode Island Yes
South Carolina No
South Dakota No
Tennessee Yes
Texas No
Utah No
Vermont No
Virginia Yes
Washington No
Washington D.C. Yes
West Virginia Yes
Wisconsin No
Wyoming Yes

Legal online casino FAQs

What states are available for online gambling?

Unlike sports betting, online gambling and online casinos are only currently available in six states. The states where you can find online casino games and online poker are Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia.

Why are less states available for online casino than sports betting?

Sports betting is a much more common and popular form of online gambling. Sports betting has a long history in the United States and became vastly more popular when the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize sports betting occurred in 2018.

Online casino games and other online betting closely tie to the popularity of physical casinos in that state. Online casino also suffered a blow in 2011 when several poker sites were accused of fraud with payment services.

Online gambling is making a comeback in the U.S. closely tied to sports betting.

What types of games or features are available with online casino gaming?

Online casinos feature the best table games from their physical casinos as well as online poker, virtual sports casino games, jackpots and other forms of slots. Many of the online operators feature live dealer games and endless features for every customer.