If you are a US citizen and love to gamble you have come to the right place! This article gives you a brief history of gambling in the USA, detailed information about US gambling laws, explains why you should use Bitcoin as deposit and withdrawal method and an overview of the best US friendly casinos, US friendly sportsbooks and US friendly poker sites.
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History of gambling in the USA
Does the USA have a history of gambling? Well, yes! Gambling comes from games of chance that were introduced by the settlers from Britain when they first landed on American soil. Especially lotteries stuck and became popular over time. During the California Gold Rush era, San Francisco became even more known for gambling than New Orleans. California then used various restrictions and laws to restrict gambling, forcing gamblers to go underground.
The Reconstruction era saw another spike in gambling, especially the lotteries. From Kansas City and Denver to Deadwood and Dodge City, there were sprawling gambling hubs all over the nation. Early 20th century, shortly before the strict Prohibition era, gambling became illegal through almost all US states.
The Prohibition era saw a rise in organized crime throughout the entire USA, as well as a refined illegal liquor supply chain. These contributed to a comeback of gambling. Further, following the Great Depression, some forms of gambling were legalized to help raise money for organizations.
What followed soon after was the stock market crash of 1929. Nevada was struggling. The Hoover Dam project was a devastating blow to the Nevada economy. Nevada, thus, legalized gambling so that the economy could prosper. Soon after, many other kinds of gambling were legalized, or legalized with certain limitations, in a number of cities or states. A few examples are slot machines in Southern Maryland, casinos in Atlantic City and riverboat casinos.
As for online gambling, a huge increase can be noticed during the early 21st century and popularity of online gambling soon overtook the popularity of gambling in brick and mortar casinos. Recently the 1992 prohibition against sportsbooks (betting on sports events) was overturned by the Supreme Court. This gives US states the opportunity the legalize online gambling and some states already started this process. In the meantime US citizens can use offshore gambling sites to enjoy their favorite pastime online.
Gambling laws in the USA
Under U.S. federal law gambling is legal. Each state is free to regulate gambling activities within its borders and lots of states choose to regulate some form of gambling. The state which is most known for its gambling regulation is ofcourse Nevada with its huge amount of casinos and other gambling options. Interstate gambling however is deemed illegal under the Federal Wire Act of 1961. This act begins with the following text: “Whoever being engaged in the business of betting or wagering knowingly uses a wire communication facility for the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce of bets or wagers or information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers on any sporting event or contest, or for the transmission of a wire communication which entitles the recipient to receive money or credit as a result of bets or wagers, or for information assisting in the placing of bets or wagers, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both”.
Because the Federal Wire Act only mentioned sports gambling the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) was introduced to regulate online gambling in general. The UIGEA does not specifically prohibit online gambling; instead, it outlaws financial transactions involving online gambling service providers. In other words, the UIGEA: “prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law.”
Some gambling providers reacted by shutting down their services for US customers. Other operators, however, have continued to circumvent UIGEA and have continued to service US customers. More recently the US Supreme Court also overturned the 1992 prohibition against sportsbetting. This paved the way for legalization of one the most popular forms of gambling.
Bitcoin gambling in the USA
Bitcoin gambling started in the early 21st century with the worldwide rise of online cryptocurrency casinos, poker sites and sportsbooks. It soon became a go to method for both gambling providers and gamblers because of the low cost of usage and quick money transfers. Currently, bitcoin gambling is extremely popular in the USA and after the initial adoption from tech-savvy youth there is currently a huge increase in usage noticeable with less tech-savvy internet users.
Now, let’s address the legality aspect. As mentioned above there is no federal legislation in place that makes online gambling illegal for players. The same applies for gambling with Bitcoin. Current laws do prohibit bookmakers and casinos to accept wagers on the territory of the USA, but there is no law prohibiting individuals to place bets at sites located outside of the USA. That is why almost all Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency casinos and sportsbooks are based offshore.
Advantages of using Bitcoin for gambling in the USA
As an American the use of Bitcoin has a ton of advantages. Besides having a huge range of gambling websites to choose from these are the most important advantages of using Bitcoin:
Speed: One of the most crucial things in the online gambling industry is speed. With the start of the game just a few minutes away you still want to be able to place a bet and you also want the winnings from that bet or your favourite casino game in your bank account as soon as possible! Bitcoin avoids the long wait for checks to clear or cash transactions to be processed. Depositing and cashing out with Bitcoin is easy and transactions are processed almost instantly.
Costs: The old days of paying hefty fees to deposit and withdraw your own funds have come to an end. With Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies withdrawal and deposit fees have reached zero, something which is definitely not the case when withdrawing via cashier’s check or wire transfer.
Security: Because there is no need to enter personal information like bank account details or credit card numbers you can be absolutely sure your sensitive data is safe. Most Bitcoin casinos and sportsbooks only require an email address and password to register for an account!
Privacy: Bitcoin casinos do not require your personal details to register, deposit, play and withdraw. On top of that, your betting transactions won’t appear on your bank account statements or credit card. Privacy is guaranteed!
Bonuses: Because the transaction costs of Bitcoin transactions are lower compared to other deposit and withdrawal methods Bitcoin gambling sites are giving much better bonuses on Bitcoin deposits!
Best US friendly gambling sites
With a huge range of US friendly online gambling sites choosing a trustworthy and reliable one can at times be rather difficult! Fortunately we from Bitcoingamblingexpert.com reviewed a bunch of US friendly websites and below you can find our favourite US friendly casinos, US friendly sportsbooks and US friendly poker sites for you to enjoy!
Best US friendly online casinos
| Rank | Website | First deposit bonus | US players accepted? | Rating | Register now |
| 1 |  | No deposit bonus available. |  |  (4.5 / 5) |  |
| 2 |  | 100% up to 1 Bitcoin | |  (4 / 5) | |
| 3 |  | 100% up to 1 Bitcoin | | (4 / 5) | |
Best US friendly online sportsbooks
| Rank | Website | First deposit bonus | US players accepted? | Rating | Register now |
| 1 |  | 50% Sports Welcome Bonus up to $500 | |  (5 / 5) | |
| 2 |  | 100% Bitcoin bonus up to $2000 | | (5 / 5) | |
| 3 | | 100% first deposit bonus up to 1 BTC | | (5 / 5) | |
Best US friendly online poker sites
| Rank | Website | First deposit bonus | US players accepted? | Rating | Register now |
| 1 |  | 200% up to $1000 when depositing with one of the 60+ cryptocurrencies or 100% up to $1000 when depositing with other currency | | (5 / 5) | |
| 2 |  | 200% up to $1000 when depositing with one of the 60+ cryptocurrencies or 100% up to $1000 when depositing with other currency | | (5 / 5) | |
| 3 |  | 200% up to $1000 when depositing with one of the 60+ cryptocurrencies or 100% up to $1000 when depositing with other currency | | (4.5 / 5) | |
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