Legitimate Gambling Sites

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  1. When you play at an online casino, you need to be 100% Confident that the site you're playing at is SAFE and LEGIT. This guide shows you how.
  2. When using legitimate online gambling sites, the play is going to be safe. All the sites we recommend implement the latest security features including SSL encryption, firewalls and frequent auditing.
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  6. Are Online Gambling Sites Legitimate

In fact, there is a legitimate reason to worry about dishonest US gambling sites taking your. Legitimate licensing and attractive betting lines are super important when choosing an Internet gambling site. But so is speed of betting confirmation. Some less than reputable Internet bookmakers offer ridiculously attractive parlay and teaser pay tables and betting lines, but are slow to confirm your bet. Which CS:GO gambling websites are legitimate 2020 Update August 22, 2018 August 16, 2020 SlyJesse 0 Comments CS:GO Gambling Websites, CS:GO Skins, csgo, CSGO Gambling With all the C:SGO gaming websites popping up it’s hard to know which ones are legitimate and which ones are fake.


When you play at an online casino, you need to be 100% confident that the site you’re playing at is safe and legitimate.

That means making sire the games are fair, and that the casino will pay out when you win.

At the end of the day, it’s your money at stake. So you need peace of mind. This isn’t a decision you can afford to get wrong. There are some dodgy sites out there, and we want to make sure you avoid them.

So here’s a guide to what you need to look for, to make certain a casino is legit.

Independent Reviews

What Gambling Sites Are Legit

Probably the fastest and easiest way to find a good online casino is to consult independent reviews at a site you trust.

If you find a reviewer that you consider trustworthy, then you can rely upon them to have thoroughly vetted the casino for you as part of their reviews.

A review should consider all aspects of the casino, including the factors listed in this guide, before deciding whether or not to recommend it.

Beware review sites that simply recommend everything, and don’t contain any neutral or negative reviews.

It’s no secret that review sites can earn commission if players sign up for casinos they recommend. That’s fine, as long as it does not impact on their impartiality.

But these days, you often see sites that just approve every casino they can, so they earn the most money. That’s a clear sign of someone working in their own interests, not yours.

Legitimate gambling sites

A genuinely credible review site will only recommend casinos that are genuinely good for the player, and will not be afraid to tell it like it is and point out the bad casinos as well as the good.

Licensing

Every online casino should operate under a license from a relevant gaming authority.

US friendly offshore casinos are usually licensed in either Curacao, Antigua or Kahnawake (Canada). In the EU, licenses are issued in Malta (MGA), Gibraltar or Alderney. Any casino operating in the UK needs a license from the UKGC.

It is a well known fact that some licensing authorities are way stricter than others. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. In fact, many awful casinos have UKGC licenses, where regulations are probably the strictest. While some of the best and most trustworthy operators are licensed in Curacao which is considered the least strict.

However, there are some rogue sites out there that don’t have a license at all. These are the guys you really need to watch out for.

How To Verify A Casino License

So your first step, and something that every reviewer should have done too, is to check that a casino is licensed.

Don’t just take their word for it because they display a logo on their site. Click on the link and check the relevant regulatory authority website. Make sure the license exists, is up to date, and doesn’t have any endorsements due to the casino breaching regulations.

Once you have verified the license, you at least know that the casino is regulated, and hasn’t broken the terms of their license in the past. You also have somewhere to go and complain if they don’t treat you fairly.

Software

Another test that is quick and easy to do is to look at the software a casino uses.

The logic here is that if a site is powered by a well known casino software provider such as Microgaming, NetEnt, Play’n Go or RTG, then they are at least providing fair games, and are less likely to be rogue.

It’s worth noting though that in the past, scam casinos have been found to be providing fake versions of popular games, so this test doesn’t tell you anything on its own. But it serves as extra evidence combined with the others.

For example if you find a casino with no obvious license, that also doesn’t use any recognised software, I’d instantly reject them and look elsewhere.

Certified For Fairness

A legit casino will always want to demonstrate that its games are fair.

One way for them to do this is to obtain an iGaming Labs or eCogra certificate.

Legit Gambling Online

These are independent auditors who check online casino games to ensure that they are random, fair and not rigged.

If an online casino is displaying a badge from eCogra, IGL or any other auditor, then this is a good sign that they are legit.

However, just like licenses, fake casinos might try to pretend they have certification, so always click the image to make sure it links to the actual certificate on the auditor’s website, and confirm the certification is real.

Security

With any type of online transaction, you want to know that your data is being transmitted and stored in a secure manner.

There isn’t a lot you can do to confirm that a casino is holding your data securely, other than to make sure you check their license as I described earlier. One of the conditions of licensing is having adequate data protection measures in place.

However, it’s easy enough to verify that a website is secure simply by verifying its SSL certificate. This guide shows you how.

This won’t give you any guarantee of overall security on its own, but if a site doesn’t have an up to date SSL certificate then this is a definite red flag and I would not be betting there.

Dispute Resolution

Online casinos have the option to sign up to the Central Disputes System.

This is an independent arbitrator who will step in and mediate if there is a dispute between a player and casino.

If you have an issue that cannot be resolved directly, you can submit a claim to the CDS and they will deal with it on your behalf, for free.

Membership is voluntary, so if you see that a casino has signed up, you can take it as a positive sign and it should give you extra confidence that a casino is trustworthy. No operator would do this if they were planning to scam you.

Checklist: How To Find A Legitimate Online Casino

To summarise, here is a quick 6-Point Checklist that you can use to decide whether or not an online casino is legit or fake.

  1. Are there any positive reviews from trusted, independent testers?
  2. Does the casino have a license?
  3. Is it using a recognized software provider?
  4. Does the casino have testing certification?
  5. Does the website have an SSL certificate?
  6. Have they signed up to a dispute resolution service?

If a casino passes all or most of these tests, then it is highly likely they are a trustworthy operator and not a fake or scam site. If not, or if you’re in any doubt at all, then I would recommend you don’t take the risk.

Gambling

After all, there are so many decent, genuine online and mobile casinos around for you to choose from, so take your time, follow this checklist and/or an independent review expert, and you’ll be sure to join a site that will give you a great online gambling experience.

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Skip the Headaches and Play at a Legitimate Site

You’re looking for a legitimate U.S. gambling site, but can’t decide which site to trust with your hard-earned money?

Good news! We’ve been in the online gambling industry for over a decade (several decades, really, if you add all of our experience together), and we’ve spent countless hours to bring you a list of the most legitimate sites.

Here’s what all of these sites have in common:

  • 10+ years in the business with strong reputations.
  • Attractive promotions for first-time customers.
  • Quick money withdrawals (relative to the U.S. market).
RankSitePlayBonus
100% up to €250
  • Great user experience
  • Lots of casino games
  • Strong welcome bonus
200% up to €500
  • Eight Figures of Jackpots
  • Fast and Safe Payouts
  • Generous Bonuses Available
100% up to €400
  • Top of the line games
  • Good weekly promotions and bonuses
  • 100% deposit bonus
100% up to €300
  • Casino games and sports betting
  • Excellent bonuses and promotions
  • 100% deposit bonus offer
100% up to €400
  • Lots of options to choose from
  • Strong bonuses and promotions
  • 100% welcome bonus

Why Bovada Is #1 in the U.S.

#1: Fastest Check Cashouts

Bovada gets 10 times as much traffic as its second best US competitor and still delivers check payouts faster than any of them. Bovada processes check withdrawals in 7 days; many of its competitors take weeks, some more than a month to do the same. (There are other fast options, like the #3-ranked BetOnline, which delivers checks in 14 days.)

#2: Service

An equally important aspect of Bovada’s operations is its customer service. If there ever was an indication of how much a company respects its customers, it’s the level of customer service the company provides. I haven’t found any US-friendly site doing this aspect of the business better (although 5Dimes is a worthy runner-up).

#3: All-In-One

Finally, all parts of Bovada’s business (sportsbook, casino, poker, racebook) are popular. Bovada is best-known for sports betting and casino games, however, even its online poker room has around four times as many players online as the second biggest US poker site. You can access all of their games with one player account.

… But You Should Know This

Bovada is recreational-friendly, perhaps more-so than any other US site. You’ll find few golden opportunities in their sportsbook (read more about their use of dual lines), they have a relatively high overall house edge (especially after recently increasing house edge in video poker games) and their online poker room only has “anonymous” tables.

Although not everyone agrees with me, the recreational-friendly part is an advantage for skilled poker players. Since Bovada appeals to recreational gamblers, you’ll be like a shark among regular fish.

Bovada charges a 4.9% fee for credit card deposits (a lot considering how most sites charge nothing). The impact of the deposit fee is slightly compensated by their welcome bonuses, which are better than average.

All online gamblers look for entertaining games, attractive promotions and aesthetically pleasing software. To have a safe experience, however, you want a site to:

  1. Serve its customers with safety and respect,
  2. Operate with a reasonable house edge, and
  3. Handle money transactions promptly.

Yes, the third point is included in the first point but it’s also such an essential part of the customer experience that it must be mentioned separately. Many online gambling websites operate without an adequate level of service so these points are worth considering. It’s rare to find a combination of all three points.

Bovada fulfills all of the above criteria better than other sites but 5Dimes does well, too. In fact, I’m confident in ranking those two as the best USA gambling websites specifically because they deliver so well in the areas related to safety and trustworthiness. A site without proper customer service and safety measures is not one you should deposit money to, regardless of its promotions and whatnot.

What Are Some Alternative Options?

For Sports Bettors

5Dimes.eu is the best betting site in the US for the following reasons: they’re professional-friendly and offer reduced juice betting lines (in other words, less house edge). Before betting on any game, I recommend taking a look at the odds 5Dimes is offering. They’ve been a reliable sportsbook for over 10+ years — you’ll find few complaints about 5Dimes online, and the ones you find have been resolved quickly.

For poker and casino games, I would go with Bovada. But for sports bettors, it makes the most sense to have an account at 5Dimes.

Another Solid Option

BetOnline.ag is my third suggestion. It’s not significantly better than the others in any area but they’re simply a solid option. Prompt cashout processing, decent poker traffic, good sports betting options and entertaining casino games. Additionally, I’ve had good experiences with their customer service.

For sports bettors, BetOnline is worth signing-up at simply to be able to compare betting lines among a few sites. For poker players, BetOnline may offer some good games every now and then (keep in mind: you can bet on sports and play casino and poker games with the same account, so plenty of gamblers will stumble on the poker games eventually). For casino gamblers, BetOnline has a basic but reliable offering.

BetOnline charges a 6% fee for credit card deposits.

Is It Legal to Play?

The definition of ”gambling” and the laws surrounding vary depending on which state you live in.

In Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey, some forms of online gambling have been legalized and regulated (only state-licensed sites are allowed to operate legally). In other states, it’s likely (although not widely agreed upon) that playing – and certainly operating – online gambling games for real money is illegal.

On a federal level, sports betting is the only form of prohibited gambling via the Wire Act of 1961. For several years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) maintained that the Wire Act applies to all forms of online gambling, but in December 2011, they corrected that stance by stating that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting – a result of a 13-page memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel to the Criminal Division of the DOJ (source).

State laws, however, often indirectly prohibit gambling. Or to put it another way: it would be difficult to claim any forms of online gambling legal with absolute certainty in most states (lotteries and such aside). Most state laws indirectly prohibit gambling simply by making all forms of gambling unlawful that have not been made lawful.

Purely based on history, it’s unlikely you’ll get into legal trouble; then again, if something is illegal, you can get into trouble, and someone probably will. Gambling online may be illegal where you live. Contact a local gaming lawyer to get a better idea of your local laws.

Legal Troubles

Industry-changing events have taken place in the online gambling world – mainly concerning online poker – such as the UIGEA and Party Poker’s exit from the US market, or PokerStars’ exit from the US market in 2011.

Those crimes were committed by online poker operators, though, not players. Still, the mere fact that online poker companies were targeted was enough to cast a shadow over the legality of US online poker, and furthermore, players grew more and more worried about one of these sites getting shut down along with the money on their player accounts.

In fact, there is a legitimate reason to worry about dishonest US gambling sites taking your money. Some sites have indeed taken off with the money – a recent example is Lock Poker, which currently may owe its customers over $15 million. I created LegitGamblingSites.com mainly to give more exposure to the sites with strong track records of honest business practices.

The lawmakers, in that regard, have a point about not allowing unlicensed sites to provide online gambling games to US citizens. While that may not be the reason, it’s likely one of them. (If I had to guess, I’d say they’re more concerned about losing out on tax dollars and protecting the interests of brick & mortar casino owners such as Sheldon Adelson, although through the RAWA – Restore America’s Wire Act legislation – he tries to do that by himself.)

How to Move Money Around

Real Gambling Sites Usa Legit

Ever since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) became a law, US citizens have had a more difficult time finding a suitable deposit method.

There are only a few left, actually.

The most common deposit method for US citizens is still credit card deposits, out of which VISA is the most widely accepted brand, followed by Mastercard, with American Express being a distant third. Cards must be eligible for both international and online transfers.

The alternative method is to use a money transfer service such as Western Union. Western Union is mostly a deposit-only method. (Bovada is an exception since they only allow you to withdraw money via a check.)

Why to use a money transfer service instead of a credit card?

  • A card deposit fails to go through. This happens every now and then, and the only way to know if your card will be accepted is to try. According to various forum reports, Vanilla VISA is declined at most sites while Netspend VISA has been successful.

    Surprisingly, players have had problems with card deposits even at state-licensed sites due to banks like Bank of America outright declining all gambling transactions. Things will likely get better with the new MCC codes for VISA, Mastercard, American Express and Distant which will help casinos to identify gambling transactions more accurately. It’s unclear how much of a help this will be since banks still have the right to decline transfers marked with the new MCC codes, and due to not wanting to violate the UIGEA (according to which they’re prohibited from knowingly processing unlawful gambling transactions), banks may decide it isn’t worth it and keep cancelling transactions even if they were for state-licensed sites.

    This is expected to change once bigger states – perhaps even the biggest of them all, California – join internet gambling, since declining the transactions will then affect such a large percentage of any bank’s customer base.

  • You want a faster cashout. While money transfer services cost more (many sites, like Bovada, allow one free check cashout a month), the money is usually delivered to be picked up at a local Western Union location in five days or less.
  • You don’t want a check cashout. You need to go to a cashier to cash a check. Most people would rather avoid doing this, especially since banks aren’t allowed to knowingly process online gambling related transactions (unless in Delaware, Nevada or New Jersey, but people have had problems in those states as well).

In general, you’ll have higher transaction costs with money transfer services than with a combination of credit cards and checks. BetOnline and Bovada are the only major USA sites charging for credit card deposits and most allow one free check cashout per month – some, like True Poker, allow a free check withdrawal every seven days.

How to use a credit card/check combination?

  1. Enter your credit card details online after which you have the money on your player account instantly.
  2. When done playing, order a check cashout, which will take from a week to over a month depending on which site you’re dealing with.
  3. Go to your local bank to cash the check.

How to use a money transfer service (like Western Union)?

  1. Go to their website or a live Western Union location and send money to the gambling site. (You’ll need to contact the gambling site first to get their transfer details.)
  2. When done playing, initiate the withdrawal from your player account.
  3. Go to a live location to collect the money.

State-Licensed Sites

As mentioned, Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey have legalized and regulated some forms of real-money online gambling. Delaware started with online poker but has since expanded into casino games as well; Nevada offers online poker games only; New Jersey offers online poker and casino games.

As you can see, not a single one of these states offer online sports betting. In New Jersey – clearly the biggest market of the three – there’s a clause according to which sports betting may be considered to be added in the future.

Requirements

You must be physically located within a state’s boundaries to play at the licensed sites. If you’re currently located in California but live in Nevada, you’re unable to play until you return to Nevada; if you’re currently located in Nevada but live in California, you can play as long as you stay within Nevada’s state boundaries.

Licensed sites have to make sure nobody outside of the state can participate in the games. Geolocation – identifying exactly where a person is located – has been difficult, and there are still people who are unable to play even though they’re located within those states. This is one of the reasons licensed online gambling sites have done financially worse than expected.

Only existing brick & mortar casino owners within those states can apply for licenses, although they can apply together with an existing online gambling site in a software-licensing agreement, like Caesar’s Interactive and 888.com have done. If a poker site kept operating in the US after the UIGEA of 2006, it will be subjected to a ”bad actor” clause in Nevada and be prohibited from operating in the state for now.

Performance

Each state has had a rocky start, although New Jersey is doing OK. In March 2014, they did $11.87 million in revenue, which grew into $13.16 million in March 2015. A growth rate of 14.57% year-over-year is better than nothing, but still a far cry from the $1 billion within the first 7 months of operating Governor Christie expected (New Jersey gambling sites were launched in November 2013). In other words, his expectations were a little over $140 million a month on average, or about ten times the current revenue.

Legit Gambling Websites

According to PokerScout.com, Nevada’s online poker revenue is going downhill. Year-over-year decrease in revenue of around 44% (from February 2014 to February 2015) is, no matter how you look at it, a disappointing result. Problems with card deposits and geolocation – both of which exist in other states as well – and player liquidity have undoubtedly contributed to the significant decrease. Players have to deal with fewer problems when playing at offshore sites, and as long as that continues, it will be difficult for state-licensed sites to gain major traction.

In Delaware, the state keeps all yearly revenue up to $3.75 million. Since total revenue for 2014 was around $2.1 million, gambling operators have made nothing. The main reason for such a low amount of revenue is Delaware’s population of 0.94 million (in comparison, New Jersey has a population of 8.9 million). Liquidity is important for online poker since you need lots of players to run games at various stakes, in several forms and throughout the day. Delaware is trying to improve its poker liquidity by combining player pools with Nevada but so far there hasn’t been a significant improvement to its online gaming revenue.

If all of the three states were to combine their player pools, it would create a poker economy of around 12 million people, which could add significant liquidity to the games and thus bring in more revenue to each of the states.

Offshore Sites

Gambling sites accepting US customers from outside of the three states are all ”offshore” sites, meaning they operate from outside of the US and have no license to operate within the US. They have obtained a license in some other jurisdictions – such as Antiqua & Barbuda or Panama – but many of those jurisdictions have less-than-stellar reputations.

The disadvantage of gambling at offshore sites is the lack of safety. For an outsider, it’s impossible to know how strict testing measures these sites go through to prove their legitimacy, and hypothetically, if one of them were to disappear from the internet tomorrow along with your money, what could you do about it?

Lock Poker, as already mentioned, is an ongoing example. They’ve now lost their license in Curacao (weirdly, they were able to keep the license easily over a year after refusing to process customer cashouts) and there’s nothing anyone can do to make sure Lock Poker’s customers have their money returned. All we can do is spread the word to the people who are considering signing-up and depositing money to their site.

The best thing you can do is consider the reputation of the site rather than the jurisdiction since all jurisdictions have had dishonest sites. The longer a site has been fully operational, and the fewer complaints it has generated, the better. Essentially, Bovada has been in the online gambling business since 2000 when Bodog.com was founded (the US-friendly operations of Bodog were re-branded as Bovada in 2011), and as mentioned, they’ve achieved an excellent reputation with a high level of customer service.

But there are advantages to playing at an offshore site, too, and you can legitimately argue that the advantages override the disadvantages. Offshore sites place fewer restrictions on customers, need less personal information and have to compete with lots of other sites (within US states, competition is limited) which forces them to be at their best in order to succeed. There are no geolocation issues either.

Safety and legality aside – although obviously, both are big considerations – offshore sites are the better option in almost every area. Since only three states have legalized some forms of real-money online gambling in the US, they’re the only places for internet gambling for around 96.4% of US population.

What’s Next?

Legitimate Gambling Websites

US online gambling is in a transitional phase: after a long wait of legalization, three states have done it, mostly with lackluster success. Suggesting geolocation and deposit issues are resolved, revenue streams may grow. With online poker, though, most likely at least one of the bigger states has to legalize it and combine player pools with the others to create a meaningful poker economy.

Are Online Gambling Sites Legitimate

A federal legalization would create much-needed competition and player pools, which in turn creates a bigger incentive for operators to participate and, in many ways, a better environment for gamblers. If internet gambling was to be legalized nationwide, every operator and their grandmother would want a license. As of now, it’s more beneficial for most operators to stay outside of the US.