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Quick Links:

• US Online Casinos and Issues Facing US Players
• The UIGEA and US Online Gambling
• Issues with Payments (Deposits and Withdrawals at Online Casinos)
• Playing at US Online Casinos

US Online Casinos and Issues Facing US Players

In recent times, players from the U.S. have found playing at online casinos a complicated affair. Ever since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which banned the movement of money from financial institutions to internet gaming sites, was brought into effect in 2006, there has been a lot of confusion about what is legal and what isn’t, and where U.S. online casino players can gamble.

The main effect that the UIGEA has had is that online casinos, unsure of whether accepting money from U.S. players is legal or not, have taken the safe line and stopped allowing Americans to play at their sites.

People are also unsure about whether internet gambling itself is illegal, or whether the law merely prohibits the transfer of funds to internet gambling sites.

However, many alternate methods of payment are being used nowadays, as a way around this problem, and options like wire transfer, Click2Pay, eWalletXpress, UseMyWallet and NetSpend are legally used by U.S. players. The simplest way for a U.S. player make a payment at an online casino is through a credit card. Pre-paid phone cards can also be used for the purpose.

An American online casino player would be well advised to choose an online casino carefully, while deciding where to play. There are good casinos that legally accept players from the U.S., such as Rushmore Casino, Rome Casino, Golden Casino, Aladdin’s Gold Casino, Bodog Casino, Silver Dollar Casino, Da Vinci’s Gold Casino, Sun Place Casino, Cherry Red Casino and Super Slots Casino.

The UIGEA and US Online Gambling

What exactly is the UIGEA? This law – UIGEA stands for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act – came into force on October 13, 2009. Part of the SAFE Port Act, which is a law designed to increase the security and safety of American port operations, the UIGEA bars the transfer of funds to online gambling websites from financial institutions.

There is a fair amount of uncertainty surrounding this enactment. Many believe that although the UIGEA bans the movement of funds to online casinos, it does not actually make online gambling itself illegal for U.S. players. This has not prevented large numbers of online casinos from prohibiting American players from playing at their sites. Other casinos offer different payment methods, and accept players from the U.S. using these methods.

Whether or not internet gambling is legal for U.S. players, after the introduction of the UIGEA, things have become very hard for these gamers to go online and play their favorite games for money. And because U.S. players form a significant part of the market, the online gambling industry has faced considerable loss of revenue since 2006, when the UIGEA was passed.

The rules also vary as far as different states of the USA are concerned, and with different online casino operators. For example, none of the casinos that use a Microgaming, PartyGaming or Playtech platform will accept players from any state in the country.  However, many Rival Gaming, Real Time Gaming and Vegas Technology casinos allow players from all American states to play at their sites, with restrictions in some cases.

Issues with Payments (Deposits and Withdrawals at Online Casinos)

When it comes to depositing and withdrawing money at an online casino, U.S. players are subject to many limitations. In fact, it is a good idea for American online casino players to be particularly careful as far as depositing money at a casino online is concerned, because there are some less than honest operators around.

The financial rules, and the restrictive gambling laws have made it difficult for a player from the United States, first, to find a good casino that accepts U.S. players, and secondly, to find one that accepts a suitable deposit method. However, there are plenty of excellent casinos online where various alternate payment and withdrawal options are available to U.S. players – let us examine some of these.

Today, credit cards have become the simplest option for financial transactions with online casinos, and Visa, MasterCard, JCB, Diner’s Club and American Express are all accepted at many good online casinos. Other convenient deposit and withdrawal options at online casinos include bank draft, wire transfer, prepaid cards like Solid Debit, and other online payment methods like Click2Pay, UseMyWallet, NetPay, MoneyGram, NetSpend, 900Pay, NetMoney, Ipoint, WiredPlastic, rCash Cards and eWalletXpress that players from the U.S. can use to deposit money in their casino accounts. UseMyWallet, a casino instant deposit option is by invitation only, while 900Pay is a good option for those who prefer their payments to be added to their telephone bill. Neteller, MoneyBookers, Instadebit, FirePay, ePassporte, PayPal, Citadel, MyCitadel, Central Coin and Eco Card no longer handle gambling transactions for U.S. players.

Playing at US Online Casinos

Despite the strict regulations and laws when it comes to online casino gambling for American players, there are attractive choices for gamers from this country. Many casinos do accept players from some or all U.S. states, and offer convenient deposit and withdrawal methods to simplify matters.