The United States has no single federal online-gambling regulator: legality is decided state-by-state, layered with federal statutes including the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA, signed 13/10/2006) and the Wire Act. Online casino gaming is licensed in only a handful of states, while the Supreme Court's Murphy v. NCAA decision (14/05/2018) struck down the federal ban on state-authorised sports betting, opening a much wider state-by-state sports-betting map. Verdikt lists ZERO operators for the US — this page is authority/legality information only.
Licensing authority: No single federal regulator — each state licenses (or prohibits) online gambling independently; federal statutes (UIGEA, the Wire Act) apply on top
Key facts
- Federal payment-processing statute: Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), signed 13/10/2006 — targets payment processing connected to unlawful internet gambling, not the bettor directly
- Sports-betting federal ban struck down: Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, US Supreme Court, decided 14/05/2018 — ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional
- Online real-money casino licensing: Licensed in a minority of states only — verify the current list against each state's own gaming regulator before relying on it
- Online sports betting licensing: Legal in a majority of states following the 2018 Murphy v. NCAA decision — verify the current state list before relying on it
- Offshore operator posture: Hostile/illegal — some state laws (e.g. California's AB831) target so-called "media affiliates" who promote unlicensed offshore operators to US players
- Sweepstakes/social-casino model: Operates under separate state sweepstakes/promotions law, not gambling law — availability and exclusion lists vary by platform and state and change frequently
Regulatory timeline
- — President George W. Bush signs the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) into law as part of the SAFE Port Act. (Source)
- — The US Supreme Court rules in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association that the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is unconstitutional, allowing states to legalise sports betting individually. (Source)
Frequently asked questions
Is online gambling legal in the United States?
There is no single national answer — it depends entirely on the state. A minority of states license real-money online casino gaming; a much larger majority license online sports betting following the 2018 Murphy v. NCAA ruling. Offshore crypto casinos are not a legal route anywhere in the US. Always check your own state's current gaming regulator.
What does UIGEA actually do?
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (2006) targets the processing of payments connected to unlawful internet gambling — it is aimed at operators and payment processors, not at prosecuting individual bettors directly.
Does Verdikt list any US operators?
No. The US is authority/legality content only on this site — zero operator listings, zero affiliate links — because there is no legal offshore route for US players and promoting offshore operators to them carries real legal liability under laws like California's AB831.