In the United States, most of the movement on expanded online gambling focuses on the sports betting market.
Ever since PASPA was overturned in 2018, upwards of 25 states have already passed legislation to regulate in-state domestic sportsbook offerings.
The majority of these states have made it available online, as well, accessible on computers and mobile devices.
Of course, some states have gone the extra mile to include online casino gambling in their new gambling laws, and while these are the exceptions (only six states have done so to date), the trend could continue to pick up steam in the coming years.
One of the goals for states in legalizing online casino games is to attract players who – until now – have only been able to legally gamble online at overseas operators.
These sites are safe and legal to use for US players, and millions of Americans have been gambling real money with the best online casinos for years.
In order for domestic iGaming venues to bring such players back into the fold, they’ll have to offer better value for those gamblers. The real question, then, is simply this:
Can they actually do it?
And right now, the answer appears to be a resounding “no.”
Though there are some advantages to gambling with a local online casino, most of these are for players who aren’t familiar with – or who question the legality of – offshore venues.
For them, local options are the only game in town, and they’re pleased with the opportunity to finally gamble in a state-regulated capacity.
For other players, the very fact that online casino games are regulated by their state governments may be enough to give them the necessary peace of mind to pony up and bet for keeps.
But outside of this psychological and logistical attractor, there’s nothing remotely “better” about the domestic iGaming experience.
When you gamble at a legitimate online casino operating outside of US borders, however, there are numerous palpable and compelling benefits, particularly when it comes to your options and your bankroll.
More Online Casino Games To Choose From
The best offshore casinos that legally accept USA players offer a much larger variety of real-money casino games.
With each site boasting hundreds of RNG online slots, online blackjack, online video poker, and other popular amusements – all made by reputable software developers that also design the games used in local brick-and-mortar venues – you have an incredible variety of entertainment that never gets old or stale.
Domestic iGaming operators typically offer between 50 and 75 games on average, with only the biggest vendors coming close to matching the selection and value of the games available overseas.
Better Online Gambling Bonuses
When you play with an international online casino, you’ll have a variety of casino bonuses to choose from. These not only give you more free plays on a per-deposit basis than domestic vendors, but they also have no time limits to worry about.
Casino bonuses offered by local operators can often match what offshore casinos provide on paper, but they have much higher rollover rates and also come attached to a literal ticking clock.
With a domestic operator, you may get a $1000 deposit-match bonus, but if you don’t meet the playthrough requirements within 14 to 30 days, you don’t get your bonus.
That’s never an issue with any reputable international gambling service provider.
More Deposit And Withdrawal Methods
When you bet with a local gambling operator, they take the standard assortment of payment options, which are – in the domestic betting industry – limited to debit cards, ACH checking transfers, and cash. That’s it.
You cannot use credit cards to gamble at domestic USA online casinos, and you cannot use cryptocurrencies.
With offshore operators, however, your online bet funding options run the gamut.
You can top off your account with credit cards, debit cards, secured credit cards, international gift cards, Bitcoin, altcoins (i.e. Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Stellar, Ripple, Cardano, etc.), cashier’s checks, money orders, bank wires, gambling vouchers, player transfers, eWallets, and even P2P apps like PayPal, Venmo, and more.
Better Online Privacy
While almost no legitimate international betting site offers complete anonymity (as they all use industrial KYC – aka Know Your Customer – standards to ensure that you are who you say you are when requesting payouts), they are much more strict with their data-sharing policies.
That is to say, their policies are that they do not share your personal or financial information under any circumstances.
Additionally, because you’re able to deposit and receive payouts with crypto, you can better control exactly how much personal info you give to your casino operator.
No Geofencing Restrictions
Domestic USA online casinos (as well as online sportsbooks and online poker rooms) all require you to be physically inside the state in which you’re actively gambling, and you can only gamble with operators that are physically present in the state in question.
This is called geofencing, and it mandates – by law – that domestic online casinos use GPS technology to track your location.
If you have a legal betting account with a particular operator in a given state and you go on a road trip or take an out-of-state vacation, you cannot gamble.
Conversely, when you have an overseas gambling account, you can play the best online casino games from anywhere, anytime.
Access To All Gambling Markets
The last (but certainly not least) major reason to use an offshore casino site is that, in many cases, these sites have far more gambling markets on offer than just online casino gaming.
Services like Bovada LV and BetOnline AG have robust electronic casinos, live-dealer casino games, online bingo, online lotteries, online keno, online sports betting, online horse racing betting, and online poker.
Some states have some of these over the Internet, but no state offers all of them. And they certainly don’t have them under a single roof.
Ultimately, while we appreciate the moves that many US states are making to destigmatize and legitimize online gambling within their borders, the basic fact remains that – when it comes to the value proposition on offer – there’s simply no competition with what offshore providers actually bring to the table.
And that’s why they’re the best places to pull up a chair.