US friendly online casinos are online casinos that allow registrations from players who reside in the United States. This is a relatively new category of online casino. The reason for this is that prior to 1996, virtually every online casino accepted members from US residents. However, with the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIEGA) in September of 1996, the gambling landscape changed dramatically. The options for US residents is much more limited than it has been in the past.
One of the reasons for this is that the language used in the UIEGA is unclear and often misunderstood. The act fails to clearly define exactly what the government considers to be “unlawful” when it comes to internet gambling. A common misconception is that the law makes it illegal for players from within the United States to gamble and that there is no such thing as “US friendly online casinos” because they are all considered to be illegal. However this is not the case. The law does not even address players specifically. Instead, it prohibits American banks from doing business from known online casino operators. As a result, any online casino that continued providing services to United States residents became known as US friendly online casinos.
Where to Find US Friendly Online Casinos
When it comes to US friendly online casinos, the options are somewhat limited. Publicly traded companies like Microgaming, Wagerworks, Playtech, and Cryptologic avoid any risk of contravening the UIEGA. Thankfully there are still major software providers still willing to license their gaming platform to US friendly online casinos. These software providers include Top Game and Realtime Gaming (RTG). There are others of, but these are by far the best known.
In recent months there has been another significant development when it comes to US friendly online casinos. Towards the end of 2013, certain states within the United States began launching the first fully licenced and regulated online casinos. New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada have all launched US friendly online casinos. These are the only states in which the online casinos are 100% legal. The other US friendly online casinos may be licensed, but not within the US. Players can still play at these casinos without fear of breaking the law, but there are some drawbacks. For example, if a player from the United States is playing at one of these offshore casinos and they experience a problem such as not getting paid, there is not a whole lot they can do about it. If the offshore casinos are licensed, the player could lodge a complaint with the licensing body, but that does not necessarily mean that they will ever receive their funds.
The Future of US Friendly Online Casinos
Despite some opposition based on moral, economic, and political grounds, it’s reasonable to expect that there will be a growing number of US friendly online casinos over the next few years. Federal law does not prohibit online gambling. States have the freedom to regulate gambling within their borders and with three states already benefiting from online gambling revenues, it makes sense that other states will soon follow suit and US friendly online casinos will only become more readily available to gamblers throughout the United States. As always, be sure to check the laws in your jurisdiction before registering at a US online casino just to be safe.
