US online casino

I thought federal jurisdiction took precedence and it's always illegal to gamble online in the US.

Hi Jonathan and welcome to the forum.

Actually cvbeck there is no U.S. federal legislation that makes online gambling illegal. There is the UIGEA act that prohibits financial transactions from U.S. accounts to "unlawful internet gambling sites", but it does not define what is lawful and what is not. Some states have specific laws that pertain to internet gambling but most do not. More info here: Is online gambling illegal in the USA?

As for Jonathan's specific question, assuming what you say about the difference in legality between Mississippi and Louisiana is correct, then you should probably register from your Louisiana address. I don't know whether it is correct though. In fact our article linked above says it is illegal in Louisiana but does not mention Mississippi. That information is based on the states that Microgaming casinos formerly used to refuse play from before they shut down to all U.S. players. If you want a definitive answer though, you should talk to a local lawyer.

I'd also check the website that you want to register with, as some will flat out tell you as you register that they cannot accept players from certain states...although I do not recall seeing Mississippi on that banned list.

For example, I know that Washington state expressly forbids online gambling and it is a felony. There are a few other states with specific laws, although emphasis needs to be placed on the word FEW. What you are more likely to encounter is a website that is going to shut itself down to US players rather than being dragged to court by someone in law enforcement.

I am a US citizen. I live in Michigan, and have been online gambling for a short bit and nothing has ever happened to me. What we need to be concerned about right now as US people is the number of casinos closing their doors to us, and getting online gambling legalized and regulated through our government to protect us from stuff like this happening. It looks like it may be coming, but progress is going relatively slowly (and looking at our government, are you surprised? 😉 )

If you decide you still want to online gamble, I can recommend a few great sites. Aladdin's Gold, High Noon Casino, and 3Dice are all great options, and the companies that own them are stable and have a great reputation for customer service and payouts. You can read reviews on the sites here and even get a free chip and other offers through this site.

If you are looking to see what the legal deal is in your state, you may want to check this out: http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Law-Summary/ . It has a list that shows what states have specific laws on the books. It looks to me like Louisiana has a specific law against online gambling, so you may need to go to Mississippi to register, as many sites will not let you register from a state with a specific ban on online gambling.

Also, don't take my word for it, consult a lawyer. 🙂

Thats a really grey area which I honestly don't have the answer to. Legalities aside, the casino may block your access or they may not - it will depend on the individual casino.

I see it as the same situation as say someone from the UK having a legal account at a casino which doesn't accept US players, which they then try to access while in the United States. In most cases the casino will block them simply due to their current location rather than bother to deal with the legalities.

Besides having the casino block your access to the site, you would have to worry about somehow having the state of Louisiana finding out that you were online gambling in their state. It is likely their laws prohibit ALL online gambling within their state, no matter where the resident is from.

Take it this way:

You are a US resident where land based gambling is legal. You take a trip to Dubai, where all gambling is prohibited. Just because you are legal to gamble in your country of residence, does not enable you to place wagers in Dubai. If you are caught gambling there you would be subject to their penalties.

Maybe that is how it works in Louisiana, but I am not sure. I wish I was a lawyer so I could answer that for you...it is an interesting question, indeed.

This of course also raises the old question - if you are sitting at a computer in Louisiana playing at a site which has its server in Malta, are you actually gambling in the United States at all? There are plenty of arguments for and against that one.

Quite a few casinos are launching mobile versions of their games these days. We actually have someone going through our database and adding info on casinos that support phones at the moment. However from what I have seen, not many of the US-facing casinos support mobiles at this time. Off the top of my head I can think of Slotland - and that is because their games are HTML only which means they will play on anything with a web browser, even a phone or a Playstation or a Wii.

The last time I checked, online casinos in the US weren't fairing too well 👎

You mean I can gamble on my PS3?!? Yes, please!

Jeopardy wrote:

The last time I checked, online casinos in the US weren't fairing too well 👎

That's exactly right. The argument over legality doesn't really matter if the U.S. government decides to freeze the funds of the payment processors being used to transfer money between players and the casinos.

Hi, Has anyone played at the casion slots inferno. I cashed out for $2,000 on July 20th and cannot get any answers from them only that it is in the processing stage. Never once rec'd a reply to my email. Worst casino i have ever played on. Can i please get some advice or help.

Also, Can anyone recommend a casino for US players that has flashplay that will give you your withdraw in a timely manner?

Monica, I created a thread just for you here:
Slots Inferno - any information?

oh the US legal situation is so complicated, I sometimes think the authorities too feel confused...