Best Best Real Money Casinos

Legal, real money online casinos are available for play in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware, with Michigan pending launch. Many of the operators in these states will give you a shot at winning some cash just for signing up. Read on for the low down on the best no deposit casino bonuses in America today, and how to take advantage of them.

When you’re looking to win big, the best way is to find premium real money online casinos. And luckily for you, we’ve reviewed over 50 of these sites to bring you online the best. If you’re wondering why it matters, these are the sites that offer real money slots, blackjack, roulette, video poker, and many more games. A real money casino app makes online gambling for money so much easier. If you need the best casino apps for real money, create an account and play at top rated casinos. Mobile casinos for real money have become the standard when it comes to gambling online. A good internet casino must have casino apps that pay real money.

If you’re not lucky enough to live in one of those states, there’s another option available in the form of sweepstakes casinos. These, too, offer some risk free opportunities for new players, and we’ll fill you in on how they work a bit further down the page.

Best no deposit casinos

Almost every real money online casino offers some sort of welcome bonus for new players. Some of these are no deposit bonuses which you get just by signing up, while others are first deposit bonuses, requiring you to pony up some cash of your own.

Here, we’ll be focusing on the former, but some sites offer one of each, called a welcome package. If a site does have both a no deposit bonus and a first deposit bonus, we’ll be sure to mention it.

Jump to: US sweepstakes sites / NJ casinos / PA casinos / WV casinos

Sweepstakes casinos and free sweeps

Sweepstakes casinos are an alternative to online casinos in states that haven’t yet legalized online gambling. At the moment, that’s most states.

Chumba and Luckyland are some of big names in the sweepstakes casino space, all of which have no deposit offers available.

These casinos shouldn’t be confused with social casinos like High 5 Casino or Pulsz Casino. Whereas social casinos are just for fun, sweepstakes casinos allow you to win real cash. However, they use a combination of two legal technicalities to fall under sweepstakes law rather than gambling per se. There are also sweepstakes poker sites using the same technique.

First, they don’t allow you to deposit and withdraw real money directly. Instead, they have two virtual currencies, usually called Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Some sites use other terminology, such as Funzpoints, which uses that name for both its site and its currencies.

Gold Coins are nothing more than play money, the same as you’d see with any social casino product. You can win and lose them while playing casino games, but they have no cash value and can’t be redeemed for anything.

Sweeps Coins technically have no cash value, but can be redeemed for cash prizes. Legally speaking, they’re still a play money currency, but for practical purposes you can think of them like cash.

Instead of depositing money on a sweepstakes site, you’ll make a purchase of Gold Coins. Along with them, you’ll receive some Sweeps Coins as a “free” bonus, redeemable for prizes conveniently worth the same amount as you spent on the Gold Coins.

The other half of the trick is that there is technically no purchase necessary. You can send a handwritten request through the mail to a sweepstakes casino operator, and they will credit your account with a small amount of Sweeps Coins to play with. In practice, however, you’ll probably find that the amount they’ll give you is not worth the stamp and the effort of mailing a letter.

No deposit casinos in NJ

Along with Delaware, New Jersey is one of the longest-standing legal online casino markets in the US. Both states launched internet gambling in late 2013. Unsurprisingly, this means that New Jersey also has the greatest number of online casinos with no deposit bonuses.

Golden Nugget Online Casino

Golden Nugget has the biggest and arguably the best pure online casino product in the Garden State, especially if you’re into slots.

It does have a no deposit bonus, though not the most generous one. You’ll need to sign up using the bonus code PLAYBONUS. This will give you $10 to play with for free. The bad news is that is has strict clearance requirements and just a 15 day deadline to play through them.

Before that bonus money and any winnings from it becomes real money that you can withdraw, you’ll need to bet a total of $200 at slots, $1000 at table games, or some combination of the two. If you’re not going to deposit, you’ll need some good luck to make that happen.

The good news is that if you do decide to deposit, Golden Nugget has one of the best first deposit offers out there. You’ll get a 100% match on whatever you add to your account, up to a whopping $1500.

Tropicana Online Casino

Tropicana is another pure online casino without other gambling products attached. It has a decent welcome bonus, but one that will require you to make a deposit eventually if you’re going to get anything out of it.

When you create your account with Tropicana, use bonus code PLAY25 and you will immediately get $25 in casino credit. There’s no clearance requirement per se, but you can only bet with the credit, not withdraw it, and you have 30 days to do so.

The catch is that any money you win with your free play is can only be withdrawn once you make a deposit. However, you can try to run it up first and only deposit if you win enough to make it worthwhile. Better yet, when you do deposit, you get a seven-day risk free window, capped at $100. That is, if you end up down after your first week, the site will reimburse your losses or $100, whichever is less.

Virgin Online Casino

Virgin operates on the same license as Tropicana. It’s similar to that casino in a lot of ways, including the lack of an associated sportsbook or poker room.

Virgin has a better online casino no deposit bonus, however. Deposit with bonus code 30BUCKS and you’ll get what it says on the tin: 30 bucks of free money to play with. You do have to bet with it one time, but after that, whatever you’ve won is yours to keep.

Virgin has no first deposit bonus, but does offer one week of risk free play up to $100, with identical terms to Tropicana.

BetMGM Casino

Unlike the last three, BetMGM is a full-fledged gambling site with sports betting and poker as well as an online casino in NJ. It also has a full welcome package consisting of both a no deposit signup offer and a first deposit match.

To get the no deposit bonus, you’ll have to use the code PLAYNJFREE. This will get you $25 in free cash to play with, though it has a tough 20x play through requirement, similar to Golden Nugget’s.

If you subsequently decide to deposit, you’ll get a 100% match up to $1000, with the same terms to clear that money as the no deposit bonus.

Caesars Online Casino

Caesars is a well-known name in the land-based casino world. Its online casino is paired with a sportsbook, and the company also owns WSOP, though that legal online poker product is a separate download.

The online casino has a full welcome package with both deposit and no deposit options. On signup, use the deposit code PLAYFREE25 to get $25 in almost strings-free cash. If you play slots or video poker, you’ll only have to wager that money once to clear it, some of the most favorable terms in the state.

The maximum on the first deposit match is lower than some competitors’, at just $300. Here too, though, the clearance terms are easy: 5x for slots, 10x for video poker, and 25x for other games. The combination of a low maximum and easy terms, plus the generous no deposit offer makes Caesars a good choice for players on a budget.

No deposit casinos in PA

Pennsylvania’s online gambling market only opened in July 2019. It was thriving within a year, however, and should soon grow to rival New Jersey’s. For the time being, there are fewer brands operating in PA, but still plenty of juicy no deposit bonuses available.

DraftKings Casino

DraftKings, as a recent entry to the online casino space, has made a bigger splash in Pennsylvania than in already-saturated New Jersey. It has been using a particularly generous no deposit welcome bonus to tempt players away from competitors who have been in the game longer.

You’ll get $35 free for signing up, and won’t even need a promo code. There aren’t any clearance requirements, either, it’s just free money. It’s hard to beat that! The only catch is that you need to be a new DraftKings customer. You can’t get the bonus if you have an account with DraftKings Sportsbook or DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports, even one registered in another state.

There’s also a first deposit bonus, which is a 100% match up to $250. Clearing it will require betting 25x that amount, but it doesn’t matter if you’re playing slots, table games or something else and you’ll have 90 days to do it.

Hollywood Online Casino

The Hollywood Online Casino brand is managed by Penn National, a top name in retail casinos and sportsbooks. It’s accompanied by a mobile sportsbook, and Penn has a license to offer online poker in Pennsylvania as well, but hasn’t yet used it.

Hollywood has a small but uncomplicated no deposit offer. Just sign up and you’ll get $10 with no code needed (though see below). You’ll have to bet with it once, but after that it’s yours to keep.

Best Online Real Casinos

Hollywood offers a twist on the usual first deposit bonus. Using bonus code DOUBLETAKE, you’ll actually get a first and second deposit bonus, each one a 100% match up to $251, for a combined total of $502. The clearance requirement is 20x over 60 days, regardless of which games you’re playing.

Unibet Casino

Unibet is the flagship brand of the European company Kindred Group. It’s a popular brand on the far side of the Atlantic, but still struggling to make a name for itself in the US.

Its welcome package is interesting in that it has the same threefold clearance requirement for both its no deposit offer and its first deposit bonus.

Using code UBCASINO10 will get you $10 free on signup. You’ll then have to bet a total of $30 before you can withdraw the money or the winnings from it. That’s a little stricter than some other online casinos, but the first deposit bonus makes up for it.

You’ll want to use the code UBCASINO500 when making your first deposit, to get a 100% match up to $500. Here, the 3x clearance requirement works very much in your favor.

On other sites you might have to bet $10,000 or more to clear a $500 bonus, but at Unibet, $1500 will be all it takes. If you stick to making many small bets on low-volatility games, the odds are good that you’ll clear the bonus before losing much of your deposit.

No deposit casinos in WV

West Virginia is the most recent state to have launched online gambling, at least until Michigan follows suit. There are only two online casinos in the state for the time being, though more should be coming soon. Fortunately, both have no deposit offers available.

BetMGM Casino

BetMGM’s West Virginia casino product is much the same as it is in New Jersey. It’s a slots-heavy site with a loyalty program and first deposit offer geared towards big spenders.

As in New Jersey, you can get $25 in free cash, though you’ll need to bet it 20 times over to clear it. The code you’ll need is PLAYNJFREE, and despite the sound of it, it works just as well in WV as it does in NJ.

The same code will also get you a 100% bonus up to $1000 on your first deposit, with the same 20x clearance requirement.

DraftKings Casino

DraftKings was the first into the market in West Virginia. It, too, has the same offers in place here as in other states.

No code is required for the DraftKings welcome package, which includes $35free just for signing up. Absolutely no strings on this one. However, keep in mind that this is only for truly new customers, who’ve never opened an account on any DraftKings site (including daily fantasy sports), in any state.

You’ll also get a 100% match on your first deposit, up to $250. Compared to the no deposit offer, this is a bit stingy and the 25x playthrough requirement isn’t great either. The good news, however, is that you have 90 days to do it, which is pretty relaxed as deadlines go.

How do no deposit bonuses work?

Fundamentally, no deposit bonuses are a simple concept. You sign up for the site, and you get something right away, without needing to make a deposit. There are a few different forms they can take, but they’re all pretty similar.

Instant signup bonus

Instant cash is what most people have in mind when they think of no deposit bonuses. Very rarely is this truly strings-free cash. After all, operators want you to stick around and play, not to withdraw your bonus immediately and disappear.

Usually, before you can withdraw your bonus, you’ll have to clear it in some way. This can be as simple as betting it once, or require the bonus amount to be wagered many times over. Typically, there will be a deadline to do this. Some operators will let you play with your bonus money on a trial basis, but require a real money deposit before you can convert your bonus and winnings to real cash.

Free spins

Online casinos that emphasize their slots products might give you free spins instead of cash. In a sense, this isn’t all that different from receiving bonus money with a single playthrough requirement. The main difference is that you may be limited in terms of which games you can use the free spins for. Usually operators do this when they have specific slots titles they want to promote, such as progressive jackpot slots which benefit from having a high volume of play.

Free bets

Many online casinos have a built-in sportsbook with a shared account. Operators taking this approach might have bonuses specific to one vertical or the other. So, while you may want to play casino games, an operator might have a better bonus on offer for its sportsbook. It’s worth taking advantage of these even if you’re not a sports fan. Free bets still work out to free money even if you’re just picking teams at random.

Free Sweeps coins

Sweepstakes casinos (see above) often give you some free Sweeps coins just for signing up. Since Sweeps coins are redeemable for cash prizes, this kind of offer is functionally equivalent to an instant signup bonus at a real money casino.

Risk free play

Technically, risk free play offers don’t require a deposit. Unless they’re paired with an instant signup bonus, however, you’ll need to add some cash to your account to take advantage of them. The idea here is that the casino guarantees that you won’t suffer any early losses.

The risk free period might be a single day, a few days, or perhaps a full week. There will be a dollar maximum applied to the promotion as well. For instance, if you get 24 hours risk free up to $100, the site will compare your balance after 24 hours to the total amount you’ve deposited. If you’ve lost money, you’ll be reimbursed for the amount you’ve lost or $100, whichever is less.

Do no deposit casinos require a bonus code?

This depends on the site. Quite often the answer is yes, but not always. DraftKings, for example, does not require a bonus code for its current signup offer.

Be sure to check for the bonus codes above or on the casino review page before signing up. You only get one chance at this, so if you sign up without using a code, you might miss out on collecting some free cash.

Bonus offer terms and conditions

You’ve probably heard the expression “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” and the same is true for casino chips. Online casinos aren’t in the business of giving away money and not getting anything in return. They want you to play with your own money, and there are usually some strings attached to the bonus to increase the chances that you’ll stick around.

At OnlinePokerReport, we try to give you an honest picture of what you’re getting, but we don’t include all the fine print. Before signing up for a site, it’s a good idea to read the terms and conditions for whatever bonus is enticing you.

Some specific things to look for:

• What are the clearance requirements? Do you just have to bet the bonus once, or many times over? Does it clear in increments, or do you have to clear the whole amount before it becomes your money to keep?
• Is there a deadline on clearing the bonus?
• Do you have to make a deposit before the bonus converts to withdrawable cash? If so, when can you withdraw? Some sites will cause you to forfeit your bonus if you withdraw any money before meeting certain criteria.
• Can you clear the bonus at any game you like? Operators typically want you to play slots, so they may let you clear the bonus faster with slots and more slowly with table games.
• Is the offer mutually exclusive with any others? Typically, you can only use one bonus code at a time. Sometimes, you may have more than one to choose from. In those cases, you’ll have to work out which one is most favorable to you based on how you plan on using the casino.

Can I cash out a no deposit bonus immediately?

In most cases, this is not possible. Online casinos provide no deposit offers to entice you to play, so they typically have rules in place to prevent you from just taking the money and running.

Usually, the way this works it that you’ll have a bonus account and a cash account. Your cash account balance is always available for withdrawal and any winnings received by wagering cash are added to the cash account.

Your bonus account is available to wager with but not to withdraw. Winnings from bonus account wagers might be paid out in cash or additional bonus funds, depending on the site’s terms and conditions.

There will be rules about how to convert bonus money to cash. Usually this is a matter of wagering a certain multiple of the bonus amount.

Example: Golden Nugget Online Casino

Golden Nugget in New Jersey has a pretty typical bonus offer. You’ll get $10 free when you sign up, but you only have 15 days to clear it, otherwise the bonus and any winnings from the bonus will go up in smoke.

Golden Nugget’s clearance requirements are on the heavy side. For slots, the rate is $20 wagered per $1 bonus. For other games, it’s a whopping $100 wagered per $1 bonus.

In other words, if you play slots exclusively, you’ll need to bet a total of $200 before that $10 and any winnings from it become yours to keep. Play roulette or blackjack, and that becomes $1000.

You can also mix and match, however. For instance, $100 at slots and $500 at the tables would be acceptable (a 50/50 split), as would $150 at slots plus $250 at the tables (a 75/25 split).

What games can I play with my bonus?

All of them, usually. If a bonus is only applicable to one class of games, it will more often be given as free spins or bets, rather than bonus cash.

That said, the terms of a given no deposit offer might allow you to clear your bonus more quickly with some games than others. Typically, slots are the fastest way to meet the requirements, while table games might be treated as equivalent, or might only clear your bonus at a fraction of the rate.

Ready to make a deposit?

In most cases, the way to think about no deposit bonuses is as a way to try the casino for free.

It’s possible that you’ll hit a jackpot on your first spin and make some money without ever spending a cent. However, the way these deals are designed, you’re likely to lose the bonus before clearing it or only walk away with a trivial amount of cash.

That isn’t to say they’re not worthwhile, however. In effect, you’re getting paid to try out the casino, even if you’re not getting paid very much. If you were planning on shopping around anyway, there’s no real reason not to take advantage of every no deposit offer available in your state.

Once you’ve cleared all your bonuses, you’ll also have seen what the various casinos have to offer. That’ll help you decide where you want to deposit, ultimately. And fortunately, many no deposit casinos also have generous first deposit bonuses when the time comes. These take more effort to clear, but with dollar maximums in the hundreds or even low thousands, they work out to be a more significant amount of money.

Summary

Many but not all online casinos offer no deposit signup bonuses. In the US legal markets at this time, this usually comes in the form of cash. Those markets include New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware, with Michigan to join the club shortly.

Elsewhere in the US, sweepstakes casinos provide an alternative. These all have no deposit offers as well, that work very similarly.

In both cases, the bonuses are rarely without strings. You will typically have to wager your bonus money or some multiple of the bonus amount before you can withdraw.

The value of these offers is low in dollar terms, but they can be a good way to try out a casino for free, and potentially win some cash in the process. You shouldn’t expect to get rich from such offers, but they’re a good way to test the waters before taking the plunge by making a deposit and playing with your own money.

There are so many real money casinos on the web that it can be difficult to know which one to choose. That’s why websites like this exist.

Luckily, our team of experts has decades of experience in the industry and is trained to spot rogue casinos as well as world-class ones.

We’ll explain to you how we pick the best online casinos for real money to recommend, how the various games work and your chances of winning them, whether or not you can gamble for real money for free, and we’ll answer some frequently asked questions about real money gambling.

The casinos listed below all have:

• Top-Quality Graphics and a Large Variety of Games Available
• Excellent Ratings for Safety and Security
• Proven Real Money Payouts

Best Real Money Casinos by Location

If you’re unsure if the above accept players from your country, don’t worry; we still have lots of top-rated online casinos for real money which we can recommend to you. There are also some we definitely won’t recommend, and we want you to be aware of those, too.

It’s crucially important to pick a real money casino which accepts players from your country for a few reasons.

First, it’s possible that your government has some sort of minimum standards a casino needs to meet. That’s definitely the case if you’re from the UK or some other European countries.

Second, you don’t want to face unnecessary restrictions such as not being able to claim bonuses, not being able to play some games, or not being able to sign up at the given casino you have spent time researching.

Finally, this will help you stay on the right side of the law. Some countries prohibit players from their countries from signing up at anything other than state-sanctioned online casinos. While these laws are difficult to enforce, they do exist in some countries.

Take a look at some of the regions listed below. If you’re from there, click on the relevant button to see a list of online casinos for real money which accepts you.

Beating the House Edge

Every online casino game has a house edge. This is the casino’s built-in advantage and means that it’s mathematically guaranteed to make money over a long enough timeline.

In the long run, you honestly can’t beat it. It’s pure mathematics. Ever heard the saying “the house always wins”? Well, it does!

However, that doesn’t mean you can’t win in the short term. If everybody lost at online casinos constantly, it wouldn’t be long before people stopped playing at them. The fact is, some people do win real money at casinos.

Online Casinos Real Money Casino

While the majority of winners will simply double or triple their money and walk away after having had a great time, there are some crazy stories of life-changing wins that enter the realm of the almost unbelievable. If they weren’t documented, they might seem like fiction.

A Spin from Heaven

One such example is the story of the biggest online slots jackpot ever won. A British soldier playing Mega Moolah slot won £13,200,000, which shattered all existing records and hasn’t been topped since. Best of all, he won it with a £0.25 spin.

That’s just one headline story. There are many more, and it’s no coincidence that video slots are involved in many of them. If Lady Luck is going to visit you and then change your financial destiny, there’s a good chance that this type of huge win will come while playing slots.

These colossal wins aside, we’ve all heard stories of people winning enough to buy a house while playing poker, paying off debts after a great night at the blackjack tables, or going on a roll while playing roulette and buying something they’ve always dreamed of afterwards.

Even when these insane wins happen, the casino still makes money because of house edge. The majority of players won’t win, and you can be sure that over the long run the casino makes a percentage no matter what.

Not All Games Have the Same Edge

It’s important to recognize that house edge is not a fixed number across all games. Different games have different math involved in them, and understanding this can be the key to winning more often.

It’s widely accepted that some variants of video poker have the lowest house edge, whereas keno and lottery games have the largest house edge, meaning the worst odds for you as a player.

We’ll talk a little later about the odds of various games and their pros and cons. For now, just be aware that not all games are mathematically equal. There are some you have a much higher chance of winning than others, and there are some in which you have a greater degree of control over the outcome as compared to games of pure chance.

Safety and Legality

It’s essential to know how to stay safe while gambling online. There are a few potential pitfalls which you may not be aware of if you’re not an experienced online gambler.

Luckily, you have us to show you the ropes. Here are some of the things you have to be aware of to gamble safely online.

Risk Associated with Sharing Financial Details

Sharing your credit card, debit card, or bank details with any online merchant carries some degree of risk. If that merchant is untrustworthy, you could find yourself in a world of trouble quickly.

You can immediately find out if a casino site is trustworthy by reading our reviews.

Take the time to look around, and you’ll see that we certainly don’t recommend every site we review, and we aren’t afraid to call out scam casino sites when we discover them.

Financial predators are everywhere online, and sadly the casino industry attracts its fair share of them. Stick with expert-recommended real money online casinos to avoid falling into their clutches.

Predatory Terms and Conditions

There are real money online casinos which aren’t direct scams in that there are real games to play and you can win actual money.

However, they can make it extremely difficult for you to get your money out when the time comes to do so, even if it’s technically possible. The idea is to make you give up and go away without collecting.

Usually, a site will state in its terms and conditions that withdrawals can be held for no reason, that the casino can drag its feet before paying, or that they can simply void winnings on a whim without justification.

Believe us; we’ve seen it all in our years of reviewing real money online casinos. This type of casino site preys on the fact that nobody takes the time to read endless pages of legal jargon before registering.

Once again, having experience in dealing with casinos online can solve this problem.

Our experts know exactly where to look in the terms and conditions, and our casino reviews show you all of the deposit and withdrawal methods and any good or bad sides to the terms and conditions of the sites we review. If a site is going to try to screw you, we’ll let you know.

Fixed or Pirated Games and Software

As you gain experience in playing at real money online casinos, you get to know more about the software companies that provide the games. In time, you’ll know instantly by looking at the range of games whether or not you can trust an online casino.

This can help you avoid the fixed games which are run by some rogue software companies in order to fleece you.

However, it takes a little bit of more time to get to know how to spot pirated versions of legitimate games.

By assessing a real money casino’s licenses and looking at some other factors, our experts can instantly tell if the games on a casino site are pirated. By playing the games and assessing them against the published return-to-player figures, we can quickly figure out if they’re fixed.

You probably don’t have the time to figure this all out for yourself, and by the time you realize the games are fixed, it will likely be too late.

Once again, that’s where we come in. It’s our job to figure this out, so you don’t have to.

The Legal Situation in Your Country

While online casino gambling is a global phenomenon, each country is still sovereign and has its laws and regulations. This can confuse the matter of whether or not it’s illegal to gamble online in some places.

You can check out our gambling laws page for the latest and most up-to-date information on the legality of gambling in your country.

You won’t only have to contend with the authorities if you get caught, but scam artists know you have no legal recourse when they hustle you out of your hard-earned cash.

After all, if gambling is illegal in your country, you can’t exactly go to the police and report that you lost money to a scam artist while gambling on the internet.

Keeping things legal is one of the keys to gambling safely online.

Online Casino Bonus Offers

There are a few different types of real money casino bonuses available to new and existing players. We have an entire page dedicated to explaining the differences between these bonuses. Check it out by clicking the button below:

There are pros and cons to taking casino bonuses. Let’s start off by looking at the reasons you might want to take them before turning our attention to why they might not be suitable for you as an individual player.

Whether casino bonuses are right for you depends on what your goals are.

The Positives

You Can Test the Waters Without Risk

It’s nice to be able to play the games available in an online casino and to be able to check it out in general without having to make a financial commitment.

While some bonuses do require you to deposit to activate them, there are many which don’t. These are known as no-deposit bonuses and are the ideal way to test an online casino without risking your own money.

Once you’re sure you can trust the casino site and have decided you would like to play the games, then you can start playing for real money.

Some Bonuses Can Increase Your Chances of Winning

In the casino bonuses and promotions page we linked to above, we explain the concept of wagering or rollover requirements. Bonuses which have these attached make it difficult (without serious luck) for you to withdraw the bonus amount and are designed to allow you to simply test the casino.

However, there are plenty of casino bonuses with no wagering requirements available online these days. If you take these, you’ll more than likely be required to make a deposit, but they increase your chances of winning by giving you free spins or free games with no strings attached.

They may only slightly increase your chances of winning, but hey, any increase in the chance of winning is always welcome.

The Negatives

You Can Become a Marketing Target

If the casino figures out that you are a bonus hunter or that you like a particular kind of bonus, they might decide to pitch you regularly.

This can be a good thing if you like taking these offers, but if you sign up at multiple casinos, take the bonus, and don’t play, you can expect your email inbox, and sometimes your cell phone, to be bombarded with offers. The more accounts you create, the more intense this will become.

Some unscrupulous casinos will sell your information on to other operators who will pitch you, too. This can become a serious annoyance, and so if you’re going to take bonuses with no intention of becoming a real money player, we suggest setting up an email address specifically for that purpose.

Most Bonuses Have Terms Which Favor the House

If a real money casino bonus has rollover or wagering terms, there’s a very little chance you’ll ever be able to withdraw it or anything you win while playing with it.

You have to remember that bonuses are a promotional and marketing tool. The casino doesn’t want to let you play with house money and walk away with the multimillion-dollar jackpot. They also don’t want you to take the free casino chips and walk away without playing. That wouldn’t be very good business, would it?

Rollover requirements are explained in greater detail on the casino bonuses page linked to above. Basically, they mean you have to bet the bonus cash a number of times before you can withdraw it. For example, if a bonus has 20x wagering requirements, then you need to bet the total amount 20 times before you can withdraw it or anything you win while using it.

Real Money Casino Apps

Mobile casinos have become a huge deal in the past several years. Real money casino apps and mobile casino sites can now boast that they serve the majority of players. This trend will undoubtedly continue for years to come, at least until something comes along to replace mobile devices (chips in the head, perhaps?).

We’ve written an entire page to help you decide which casino app is right for you. Check it by clicking the button below.

Online Casino Games for Real Money

New players are often bamboozled by the vast range of casino games on offer and how to play and win them.

We’ve created game-specific pages on each popular real money casino game to show you how to play, how to give yourself the best chance of winning, and what the rules of each game are.

Take the time to familiarize yourself with the games listed below. Click any of the buttons, and you’ll be transported to a wealth of information on that specific game.

We also cover a bit about each game in the “which casino game is right for you?” section below.

Playing Free Casino Games to Win Real Money

Is it possible to win real money playing free casino games? The short answer is no.

A casino is a business, and usually, it’s a very profitable one. You can’t expect a casino to let you play real money games and assume all of that risk without getting anything in return.

It’s true that some bonuses will allow you to play real money casino games for free. However, these bonuses will have terms and conditions which favor the casino and make it almost impossible for you to withdraw all that money. See the page about bonuses for further details.

We’re telling you straight that if anyone tells you that you can win real money without any risk, they’re lying to you. They might be scam artists waiting to empty your wallet, or they may have merely misunderstood a bonus offer they read about online. There is no such thing as a free lunch. That’s an old saying for a reason, primarily because it’s always correct!

With that said, it is possible to play free casino games to win things like virtual points and virtual money. These can be enjoyed at social casinos, and sometimes the points can be traded in for prizes. Just don’t expect to cash out real money jackpots, or you’ll be disappointed.

Which Casino Game Is Right for You?

There are lots of great online casino games to choose from. They may be digital variants, but they’re not that different from what you would find at a real Vegas casino, or a casino anywhere else, for that matter.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular casino games you might be interested in playing. We’ll look at your chances of winning them, how fun they are, and some other things you might want to be aware of.

Hopefully, by the end of this section, you’ll have a better idea of which game you would like to play.

Please note that the “house edge” figures listed below can vary depending on how you play the game, the game variant, and the casino itself.

Baccarat

This is a fun card game with a simple objective – bet on either the player or the banker to get closest to nine, or bet on a tie between the player and banker. If you place a bet on the banker hand to get closest to nine and the banker does so, you win your bet for that hand.

It’s fast-paced, fun, and you just bet on the outcome, rather than actively participating.

• If you bet on the player, the house edge is 1.24%
• If you bet on the banker, the baccarat house edge is 1.06%
• If you bet on a tie, the house edge is 14.36%

Don’t bet on a tie! Also remember that if you bet on banker and win, the house can take a 5% commission.

Blackjack

This might be the most popular card game in the world. It’s a game with some degree of skill involved, and there are professional blackjack players out there. Entire movies and books have been made about this game.

The objective of blackjack is to get a hand totaling 21, or as close to it as possible without exceeding it. You play against the dealer, and whoever has 21 (or the highest hand not exceeding 21 in cases where neither has 21) after all the cards have been dealt wins.

Going by Vegas rules, the house edge is a tiny 0.28%. This will change if you play another variant of blackjack such as Atlantic City rules or Suit ‘Em Up.

The tiny house edge is what makes it possible for some people to make a living playing blackjack.

Keno

This is a fun lotto game, but it’s known for having the worst odds in the house. The objective is to pick between one and ten numbers from a pool of 80, and then wait for the draw.

The house edge in keno can be between 25% and 29%, depending on the variant and the casino itself. This game is okay for switching off and having a little fun, but it’s highly unlikely you’re going to win money playing keno, at least in the long run.

Roulette

This is one of the most fun casino games, period. The objective is to predict where a ball will land on a spinning wheel when it stops.

You can pick a color or a number between 1 and 36 (or the zero) if you want to make basic roulette bets. It’s also possible to select clusters of numbers, rows, or entire columns as you gain confidence and learn to understand the game.

• If you’re playing American Roulette (Double Zero), the house edge is 5.26%
• If you’re playing European Roulette (Single Zero), the house edge is 2.7%

You have a decent chance of winning roulette, but you are guaranteed to have a lot of fun whether you win or lose.

Video Poker

This is a machine-based game based on 5-hand poker. There are many different variants with different pay tables and slightly different rules, but the aim is always to make as valuable a hand as possible according to poker hand ranks. No matter the variant, a Royal Flush will always pay the most.

Covering some popular versions of video poker, you can expect the house edge to be:

• 0.46% when playing Jacks or Better with an optimal strategy.
• 0.71% when playing Deuces Wild with a perfect strategy. In this case, you as the player have the advantage.
• 0.64% when playing Joker Poker with perfect strategy. Once again, you have the advantage here.

If you are patient and want to make money playing casino games, video poker is your best bet. You’ll need to develop skill, though, and learn video poker strategy first.

Don’t expect to have the advantage when you’re new to video poker and don’t know what you’re doing. Even in these cases, though, the house edge is significantly lower than in most other casino games.

Video Slots

These are probably the most-played casino games online. There are tens of thousands of video slots ranging from simple 3-reel games with no features to 5-reel new slots with bonus rounds, free spins, and progressive jackpots.

They’re fun, highly entertaining, and if you’re lucky, you can win a fortune playing slots.

The house edge depends on the game in question. It can range from 2% to 15% – that’s no small difference! Knowing this, it pays to do your research on which slots have the best RTP.

A Quick Summary Before Moving On

Which casino game is best for you ultimately depends on your goals as an individual player.

If you want to real money playing casino games, then pick the games with the best odds and lowest house edge.

If you just want to have a little fun and relax, then any of the above games will do.

Choosing the Right Real Money Casino

If you already know what games you want to play, then it’s time to look at picking an online casino. If you’re new to playing casino games, there’s a lot more to this than you might initially think. As you’ll see, most of the top real money casinos have some things in common.

Consider the following factors before registering at any casino site.

1 – Reviews

Are there reliable, trustworthy casino reviews on the site? If so, what do the experts say?

It pays to pay attention to these reviews. If a casino expert says a site sucks, there’s a great chance you’ll want to avoid it.

If you were looking for a new car, you would probably talk to someone who knows a thing or two about cars before making a decision, or at least read a few reviews on various models, wouldn’t you? The same should go for choosing an online casino. There’s more to it than you might think, and reading a review can be a great way to get all the information in one place.

Be suspicious of reviews which are overly positive, though. Sometimes there’s an agenda at play. If a review site gives a real money online casino a glowing review, check out some of the other reviews, too.

If they’re all overly positive, that could be a warning sign. If the reviewers throw some terrible casinos under the bus, you’re probably dealing with an honest casino review site.

2 – Legality

Is this casino operating legally with a valid gaming license?

If so, what jurisdiction is the license from? Believe us when we tell you that not all casino licenses are equal. UK, Malta, Alderney, Gibraltar, Curacao, and Puerto Rico licenses are all respected and are good indicators that a real money casino can be trusted. Others, we don’t have that much faith in.

Also, make sure the casino isn’t accepting players from your country even if it’s illegal to do so. If they’re willing to break the law, what makes you think they’re going to be honest with you?

3 – Safety

A valid license is one way to make sure you’re dealing with the safest real money casinos.

There’s more to it than that, though. We advise checking that the website is operating on a secure, encrypted connection. You can do so by looking at the web address. If you see HTTPS:// in front of the domain, you’re dealing with a secure casino. If it’s just HTTP:// (no “S”), then the connection might not be protected.

Also look for published game payouts verified by third parties. This is a hugely positive sign, and it means that it’s highly likely this is a safe casino site. If the games are verified by eCOGRA, you’re in safe hands.

4 – Preferences

It would be a shame to go through the registration process only to find out the casino doesn’t offer the types of games you want to play or doesn’t offer very many of them.

Make sure the exact games you want to play are offered, make sure the casino accepts the types of bet you want to make regarding size, and check which betting services are provided. For example, some casinos also offer Texas Hold’em poker tournaments or sports betting as additional services, whereas others don’t.

We would also suggest taking some time to familiarize yourself with the site. If you like how it “feels,” that’s a great sign. A user-friendly website likely means the operator actually cares about its players and has invested time in figuring out what makes you happy. That’s likely to show across the casino as a whole.

5 – Bonuses

First, you’ll need to figure out if the online casino offers real money bonuses at all. Most do, but some don’t.

After that, you’ll need to look into exactly what types of bonuses are offered and their terms and conditions.

Don’t just look at the welcome offers, which are always emphasized to attract new players. Look at the ongoing weekly and monthly offers, too. These will give you an insight into what kind of casino you’re dealing with.

Also look at the terms and conditions of any bonus offers. Pay attention to minimum deposits and wagering/rollover requirements. If they’re excessive (40x or more), think twice about taking the offer.

If you like playing slots on weekends, it makes sense to find a casino which offers free spins on weekends, doesn’t it?

6 – Service

Everybody likes to feel like they matter, casino players included. It’s essential that a casino has top-notch customer service if you’re going to enjoy your experience playing there.

Check the number of customer service options available. Email and live chat are a necessity, but if a real money casino also offers telephone support, that’s an excellent sign.

Don’t be afraid to test the customer service if you wish. Ask a question or two. You’ll soon see how fast the responses are and how helpful (or unhelpful) the customer service agents are.

You know that old saying that goes “When someone shows you who they are, believe them”? That applies here. If an agent is slow to respond, avoids answering questions directly, or acts in an unhelpful manner, move on.

7 – Banking

You wouldn’t believe how many people register at online casinos for real money without considering the most important thing of all – withdrawing your money!

Most casinos will make it as easy as pie for you to deposit, but only the best real money online casinos make it as easy for you to withdraw.

Look for a roughly equal number of deposit and withdrawal methods, low (or no) fees, and fast withdrawals.

The last thing you want is to be sitting around waiting for weeks to get your money, or worse, never getting it at all!

Feeling Overwhelmed? Don’t Worry!

If all of this makes your head spin and you wonder how on earth you’re going to go about finding all of this information out, don’t worry; we have plenty of top casino reviews where you can find the information all in one place.

We don’t want you to think that all real money casino sites are scams out to get you. There are lots of world-class online casinos worth playing at. It’s just that you have to wade through a fair deal of not-so-great ones to find them.

Our job is to make that as easy as possible for you. If you see a casino on this site that you like the look of, there will be a full, in-depth review attached.

Other Real Money Sites to Consider

While playing at real money casinos is arguably the most fun way to gamble, there are other ways to have fun gambling and hopefully make a little money in the process.

Betting on sports, playing poker, playing bingo or lotto games, and even betting on financial markets are all possible thanks to the global connectivity the web facilitates.

Why not check out some of the other options? We have sections dedicated to each form of gambling. If you want to know more, click any of the buttons below.

Best Best Real Money Casinos Slots

Real Money Online Casinos FAQ

Q. Will I need casino bonus codes to claim the bonuses offered by online casinos?

A. In most cases, you won’t need a casino bonus code, but where one is required, the casino will make it abundantly clear before you register.

Sometimes casinos run temporary promotions which do require bonus codes. In these cases, the codes are often emailed directly to you or are listed in the terms and conditions of the offer. If in doubt, ask the customer service agents.

Q. Do real people win the slots jackpots, or are they fixed?

A. Real people most definitely win slots jackpots from time to time. Big slots software companies like NetEnt, Microgaming, and IGT are independently audited, and random number generators control the games. There is no possible way that these games could be fixed.

It’s unlikely that you’ll become a millionaire playing slots, but you never know! Many more people win hundreds or thousands, and you never hear about them. This is a far more likely outcome.

Q. Is it illegal to gamble online as an American player?

A. This is somewhat of a grey area. The relevant regulations (UIGEA – 2006) make it illegal for financial institutions to facilitate real money gambling online, or for casinos to accept deposits from US-based players.

That does not make it illegal for you to gamble online. There are still many casinos which do accept deposits from US players.

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Don’t worry; nobody wearing a S.W.A.T. vest with a machine gun is going to come through your door and shoot your dog before arresting you just because you played a little blackjack online.

Q. Are there any real money casinos which accept Bitcoin?

A. There are indeed. In fact, the number of casinos accepting Bitcoin is growing by the day. You could say Bitcoin is trending in the online casino world. It’s becoming a hugely popular way to make deposits and withdrawals quickly and safely.

If you’re looking for a Bitcoin casino, we have reviews on several. Feel free to check out our real money Bitcoin gambling sites page.

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Q. What’s the number-one sign that a casino is a scam site?

Best Online Real Money Casinos

A. Having no valid gaming license is a big warning sign. Having had a permit in the past, but having had it stripped for some reason is even worse.

Online Casinos With Real Money

We don’t recommend casinos to you which don’t have valid and legal gaming licenses. Without them, it’s the Wild Wild West, and casino operators can do whatever they want without fear of repercussions.