Card games and beyond: The best real money US casinos
by Jude Goodwin © Great Bridge Links
Casinos have always been cool. The big resort casinos in places such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City are major attractions and draw millions of visitors on vacation every year. Sometimes, however, you just want to play a few games without having to travel all the way to a street-side establishment. Depending on where you live, finding a high-quality, brick-and-mortar casino can be a real undertaking.
Thankfully, we are living in a time when there is a digital version of almost everything. Online casinos have become massively popular over the last decade, but particularly in the last few years. These real money casinos allow you to play all your favourite casino games for a chance to win actual cash payouts.
This article will give a brief overview of what real money casinos are, then list some of the top real money casinos that you can play at in the United States.
What are Real Money Casinos?
There are two main types of online casinos:
- Real Money Online Casinos: These casinos require players to deposit real money, which they use to bet on games. Winnings can be withdrawn as real cash. This type of online casino is regulated by financial and gaming authorities to ensure they operate fairly and legally.
- Social or Free Casinos: These platforms do not require real money to play. Instead, they use virtual currency or tokens that have no monetary value outside the game. Players might buy virtual coins to extend play or access special games, but these purchases can’t be converted back to real money. Social casinos are primarily for entertainment rather than gambling. We have a great article: What Are Social Casinos?
What games do Real Money Casinos offer?
Real money online casinos offer all the same types of games that traditional land-based casinos offer. Slot machine games are one of the most popular games and most online casinos offer hundreds of different kinds of slot games.
Table games, including blackjack, roulette and poker, are also very popular at online casinos and are available in two different styles. Regular games are played against an AI, while live dealer games are played with an actual dealer and streamed to players via video feed. These live dealer games very closely mimic the experience of being at a real casino. Unfortunately, most online casinos don’t offer bridge since there is no house advantage. Some, however, will host bridge tournaments for promotional purposes.
Where can you play?
Gambling, both in person and online, is regulated at the state level. That means that every state has its own laws regarding where and how you can play casino games. Even though online casinos are fairly new, states have rushed to legislate them. In order to make sure it’s legal to gamble where you live, you’ll need to check out a real money casino guide. They provide up to date information on the topic, as well as links to reputable casinos.
Borgata
Borgata, part of MGM Resorts, might not be a recognizable name for West Coast players, but it is one of the biggest casinos in Atlantic City. And they also have an online casino and sportsbook and even bingo games, which is a fun addition.
The number of payment methods accepted makes it very convenient to get started at Borgata. They accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover cards, as well as bank and wire transfers, payment apps and Pay+.
FanDuel
FanDuel is known primarily for its sportsbook, but it also has one of the best real money online casinos. Some online casinos focus most of their resources on making either their desktop website or their app work well and look good. FanDuel breaks that mold, with both their app and the desktop site working well and being easy to use.
Part of the appeal of FanDuel is the number of promotions they offer. Welcome bonuses, such as free spins or deposit matching, are common at online casinos. FanDuel takes it a step further and offers promotions such as Super Slots Tuesday and Win-Win Wednesday.
BetMGM
The MGM Grand is one of the most recognizable and respected casino brands in the world. Their decision to launch an online casino in 2018 made it obvious that online casinos were here to stay. As you would expect from MGM, they have put their decades of experience running successful casinos into their online version.
BetMGM has one of the widest selections of online games. These include live dealer games, which are quickly becoming player favourites. They also accept a wide range of payment methods for deposits and withdrawals. These include credit and debit cards, digital wallets and payment apps such as Skrill and PayPal.
Hard Rock Casino
The Hard Rock brand is another established and well-respected casino brand. They bring the fun and funky vibe of their restaurants, hotels and land-based casinos to their online casino. One of the major pluses for this online casino is their dedicated app — it has an intuitive interface that lets you easily navigate between the casino and the sportsbook.
While Hard Rock online casino does offer good welcome bonuses, some users have noted that they don’t have many perks for returning customers. If you tend to favour only one online casino, this might be a negative for you.