The best online casino apps bring your favorite casino games straight to your mobile device. Play your favorite slot games, blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, baccarat, and more, all for real money!

We reviewed all of the top online casinos, including BetMGM, Caesars Palace, DraftKings, FanDuel, and more to let you know which one will best suit your interests. This guide to the best legal online casino sites gives you insight into all of that, plus the latest online casino bonus offers.

✅ Best Online Casino Bonuses for December 2024

Just like their sports betting counterparts, online casino sites are doing their best to draw in new US players with the best online casino bonuses. Here are the latest welcome bonuses from our favorite online casino apps:

🇺🇸 Where is Legal Online Casino Gambling Available in the US?

There are currently six states with legal online casinos that will payout real money:

• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Michigan
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

Delaware was the first state to allow legal online gambling in the USA, but we generally don’t think much of it because the major players in today’s industry aren’t involved there. That said, perhaps we should have known The First State would indeed be the first state to legalize online casino activity back in 2013.

New Jersey was the next state to launch online gambling and online casinos in 2018, followed by Pennsylvania in 2019, West Virginia in 2020, and Michigan and Connecticut both in 2021.

The number of real money online casino options varies wildly in these states, with Pennsylvania currently allowing the most at 21.

What States Could Legalize Online Casinos Next?

It’s been nearly four years since a state has launched legal online casinos, and while many states have had legislation put forward to follow suit, no bill has made it to the finish line yet.

New York feels like the white whale in the industry. New York online casinos have been felt close at times but, in reality, have been so far away. It’s been the biggest state for online sports betting, and online casinos would likely fare the same there, but don’t expect legalization to come any time soon.

The biggest American states—California, Texas, and Florida—are still working through their own sports betting issues, and aren’t even in consideration for iGaming at the moment.

No state appears to be on the verge, although there has been movement in places.

Ohio is likely closest to legalizing online casinos on paper, but there’s still a long way to go. A bill was introduced in the state senate in September 2024, and it’s still in committee.

Another state to watch for is Arizona, where there’s interest, but no pending legislation for online casinos. The state legislature will not meet until April 2025.

Maryland legislators worked to get a referendum on the November general election ballot, but it failed in April, never getting to the voters.

Lawmakers in Indiana spent a good chunk of 2023 looking at online casino legislation, but decided late in the year not to move forward with any bills through 2024. Studies have been launched in the state, but nothing has moved forward.

North Carolina is the latest state to legalize online sports betting, but there doesn’t appear to be much momentum for online casinos yet.

🆕 Newest Online Casinos for 2024

While new states haven’t joined in legalizing online casinos recently, there have been plenty of new online casino apps that have popped up on the market.

Some of the best new online casino apps for 2024 are Horseshoe Online Casino, Fanatics Online Casino, and Hollywood Casino. Some launched late in 2023, and some are re-brands of older apps, but the expansion and new competition is good for online gamblers.

🤔 Understanding Online Casino Bonuses, Free Spins, No-Deposit Bonuses & More

Welcome offers at online casinos are easy to claim—just enter the bonus code or promo code!—but can sometimes be a little more difficult to understand.

Like at an online sportsbook, you’ll find a variety of casino offers when you start an online casino account. Here’s a look at what’s on the market, and how they work:

• Bet/Get bonus: Bet a certain amount and receive a casino bonus. Sometimes you’ll need to bet on specific games to earn the bonus, and that bonus is very likely to come with a playthrough requirement, which we’ll discuss later.
• Deposit match bonus: This one is pretty self-explanatory on its face—make your first deposit and the online casino will match it (or a percentage of it) with a bonus.
• No deposit bonus: While they’re becoming more rare, no-deposit bonuses are a set amount that’s given for simply registering your online casino account.
• Deposit bonus: This is different than a match, as it’s a set amount for making a minimum deposit. For example, deposit $5 and receive a $50 casino bonus.
• Free spins: These are sometimes connected to a welcome bonus, but will also occasionally be awarded to existing customers. Free spins often are connected to specific slot games and the winnings are subject to playthrough requirements.

Basically all online casino bonuses come with a playthrough requirement, meaning that you’ll need to meet certain wagering requirements before the money from that bonus is eligible to be withdrawn, even if you’re winning.

To figure that out, simply multiply your bonus by the playthrough requirement to see how much you’ll need to bet before it becomes withdrawable. For example, if you have a $100 bonus with a 10x playthrough requirement, you’ll need to bet at least $1,000 before it’s eligible to be withdrawn.

Playthrough requirements can often be different between different games, too, meaning that your sign-up bonus might have to be 5x for online slots but 10x for table games like blackjack and baccarat.

Always make sure to read the terms and conditions (T&Cs) that come along with your bonus to make sure you know what you’re getting. Customer support at most major online casino operators is also typically very good, so they can help clear any uncertainties up as well.

🎰 Real Money Online Slots

Your favorite slot machine titles have made their way to online casinos, and these online slots have brought along all the sights, sounds, and real money payouts that you’re used to.

Online slot games are the most familiar part of the casino experience for many gamblers, as often the only difference can be that it’s on your Apple or Android phone as opposed to the casino floor.

You can win thousands in real money with a progressive jackpot or bonus spins on your favorite games, including Cleopatra, Divine Fortune, Buffalo, Triple Diamond, and much, much more. Most online casinos also have a wide range of choices for Megaways, steppers, and Slingo games.

With online slots, you never have trouble finding a chair, and you can set your bet amount per spin, as well as how many lines will be in play. Another major pro to playing an online slot is that you can view statistics about the slot, such as its RTP (return to player) and volatility scores.

Best Online Casino for Online Slots: BetMGM Casino

Online slots are the closest thing you’ll get to a retail casino experience while using an online casino app, and nobody gives you a larger game selection or better chance at winning big than BetMGM—making it the best casino for online slots.

The BetMGM Casino progressive jackpot options are best in industry, both in how many they have to offer and how much they payout at the top end. Multiple BetMGM customers have won more than $1 million on progressive jackpots over the years—on their phones.

Classic titles like Wheel of Fortune, Bison Fury, 88 Fortunes, Loot’ En Khamun, and much more are all available as part of the more than 500 progressive jackpot slots at BetMGM, and that’s just a fraction of the more than 4,700 online slots on the app.

BetMGM exclusives, such as MGM Grand Millions and MGM Riches are also available and manage to be among the most played games in the country, despite only being available at BetMGM.

You’ll also find slot favorites from top gaming software providers such as NetEnt, White Hat, Light & Wonder, IGT, Red Tiger, Aristocrat, and more.

♠️ Online Casino Table Games

I’m not going to lie to you and say the experience of playing table games on an online casino app can match the social experience of sitting at a blackjack table in a retail casino. But if you want to play a few hands or take a few spins on the roulette wheel for real money, it’s all available at top online casinos.

At most gambling sites, you’ll find the following table games:

• Blackjack
• Roulette
• Baccarat
• Craps
• Video poker

We specify video poker, as some states offer real money online poker, which features tournaments and cash games with other real players. Those are different apps.

Looking through the table games available at your online casino can seem overwhelming at first, as there are often dozens of options in each category. Some of those are actually different games—Lightning roulette, multi-hand blackjack, high-limit baccarat—but most of the time the difference is simply the theme.

That means you’re playing the same game of blackjack, but rather than a standard green felt, you’re looking at Detroit Lions-themed table.

While I pointed out the lack of a social element earlier, I understand that can also be a benefit for new players looking to learn a game without experienced gamblers sitting around them and potentially judging. For me personally, I learned how to play craps online before giving it a shot in a casino as the in-person version looked exciting but also complicated and intimidating.

Best Online Casino for Table Games: DraftKings Casino

DraftKings has a massive amount of table games for online gamblers to choose from, which isn’t all that different than its fellow online casino providers.

However, it’s the organization of games, along with the themes that could appeal to any online bettor that sets it apart.

While we know that a lot of experienced players are likely looking for a straight forward blackjack game without too many bells and whistles, having a blackjack game with a Thanksgiving, Vegas, or even WWE theme could be what makes you comfortable to click on the game.

And it’s not just blackjack where DraftKings busts out the themes—take Andrew Dice Clay Craps, for example. Some might ask why, but we would respond: why not?

On a more serious note, DraftKings’ jackpot feature on its table games, which opts you into a random drawing when you bet a certain amount on a game. The more you bet, the more entries you get in the drawing.

🤵 Live Dealer Online Casino Games

As technology improved at the best online casinos, they added more live dealer games to their offerings. These games are actually being run in a physical location by a real person with a live video feed being sent to your phone or computer.

All table games now have a live casino option at online casino sites, so you can play blackjack, baccarat, roulette, craps, and different versions of poker on your phone with a live dealer.

For some, this feels like a safer option, as they can see the cards being dealt or the roulette wheel spinning. It also adds a social element to the online casino experience. While you can’t speak to the dealers, there is a chat function, and they’ve been trained to converse with players.

Best Live Dealer Online Casino: Caesars Palace Online Casino

The live casino at Caesars Palace online casino provides a wide array of live deal options and a fun gaming experience.

All of the table game staples are there, and in multiple forms. For instance, you can play blackjack, NFL blackjack, speed blackjack, or power blackjack. Roulette and baccarat also have multiple options. You can also play live dealer craps or specialty “game shows” like Stock Market Live, Football Studio, or Crazy Coin Flip.

The live dealer games at Caesars Palace come with a variety of wagering minimums and maximums. For some games, you can bet as little as $0.10, while some high-roller blackjack tables have a minimum bet of $100. Maximums can go as high as $5,000 per hand.

🏧 Online Casino Banking Options

Anyone who is familiar with online sports betting knows about the various payment methods available to bettors, from cash at a retail casino window to simply using your Apple Pay account.

Here are some of the deposit and payout methods you can expect at most legal online casinos:

As you can see, various online banking methods are available to make deposits and withdrawals quick and easy for online gamblers. On top of that, since most online casino and sports betting operators run both in legal states, your e-wallet is shared between the two.

My preference is using Venmo betting apps, but I also appreciate the simplicity of PayPal betting apps and Apple Pay betting apps when looking at online casino payment options.

Best Online Casino for Payouts: DraftKings Casino

If you’re looking for the fastest payout gambling apps, look no further than DraftKings. It advertises instant payouts with some methods, and I’ve even experienced a payout that took less than 5 minutes.

BetMGM might be paying out the most money for online casino customers but when it comes to every day transactions, DraftKings will get it to you quickest.

🔒 Safety and Fairness at Online Casinos

Two of the most common questions I’ve encountered when talking with people about online casinos are: “Is my money safe?” and “How do I know the games aren’t rigged?”

The answers are that yes, your money is safe, and no, the games aren’t rigged. But both boil down to regulation at the state level, which is why we only ever recommend legal online casinos that have been approved by the gaming commissions in their respective states.

Those regulations are put in place to protect you, the customer, against fraud, and possible irregularities. Now, those irregularities are uncommon, as online casino games must go through rigorous testing to prove they are fair and safe before they’re even allowed on an app.

You’re essentially dealing with random number generators that are spitting out cards, roulette wheel spins, or slot machine spins. So, no, online casino games aren’t rigged. Your losing streak is happening for the same reason it was happening in person—bad luck.

❓ Online Casino FAQs

We’ve covered a lot here, but here are some quick answers to commonly asked questions about online casinos.