It used to be that gambling in the US was severely restricted, with destinations such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City, being the key havens for people wishing to test their luck.
Today, online gambling has changed that. In a constantly increasing number of states, US citizens can gamble from their home. Five states have so far legalized online casinos and more are set to follow.
There are several key differences between the classic brick and mortar casinos and online casinos. One of the very biggest, and one of the main way online casinos advertise themselves, is their casino bonuses. In this article we will give you a quick overview of what you need to know about online casino bonuses and the future of online gambling in the US.
In the United States, the most common type of bonus is the match deposit bonus. This is the most straightforward casino offer there is. You simply make a real money deposit, and the casino will add in bonus money on top of it.
For instance, if you are claiming a 50% match deposit bonus and you are deposit $100, you will receive an additional $50 on the house.
The so-called “welcome bonus” is usually the very best bonus a casino has to offer. If you look over the first deposit bonuses currently available on the US market, you will quickly see that the casinos offer 100% bonus, or more.
However, don’t get too excited just yet. The most important thing to understand is that bonus money is not the same as real money.
Bonuses are a great way to extend gameplay and explore the casino’s game portfolio, but they always come with a set of terms and conditions attached to them. These usually include wagering requirements and even caps on winnings.
Seasoned players are able to better evaluate the value of a bonus by simply paying closer attention to the fine print. You should do the same. However, at the moment, Americans are in a very good position compared to players in many other countries. For instance, in Europe, wagering requirements as high as 30-40x are extremely common, while here wagering requirements of 20 and lower are quite easy to find.
Wagering requirements of 25 and down are typically seen as very good, and should thus be considered, while casinos with higher wagering requirements can be ignored. Caps on bonus winnings on the other hand is not a big deal in and of itself, as the cap will usually be set at a reasonable amount, but it is always worth double checking.
We already know what the next state to offer legal online casinos will be. Connecticut’s HB 6451 has been approved by both their House of Representatives and their Senate earlier this year.
The bill was officially signed into law by Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont on the 27th of May and has since been placed under the responsibility of the Secretary of State. Everything indicates that we can expect it to be implemented very soon.
To date, 12 states offer their residents one form of online gambling or another and legislation is on the way, across the US. What is important to understand however, is that what is allowed in each state varies, and that the status of sports betting sites, casino sites and poker sites are often held separate.
Only 3 states, namely New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware has legalized all three forms of online gambling, while only a further two, West Virginia and Michigan allows online casinos. The remainder focus on sports betting or poker.
With Connecticut just around the corner, and active legislation in states such as Missouri, Illinois and Massachusetts, it is only a matter of time before online casinos becomes a regular recreational pastime all across the US.