On this page you’ll find an overview of the land-based casinos across the USA, with specific pages to go to for each state. We’ll tell you where the nearest casinos to you are, either in your state of residence or in a nearby state if yours doesn’t have any brick and mortar casinos.
Legislation is different in each state, and we have covered that in detail in our state-specific articles linked to a bit further below where we describe the gambling laws, recent developments, and where we review every land-based casino that’s present in the state. We also cover online casinos for each state, as some have a regulated gambling scene, some only allow online presence to land-based casinos, and some only allow offshore casinos.
From the moment the first casinos appeared on US soil, gambling has been an integral part of American life. Today, there are numerous casinos across the country, so, gamblers can hardly complain about the lack of offerings. However, these gaming establishments are spread unevenly from state to state and depending on local regulations, can come in different forms and feature different kinds of gambling entertainment.
So finding the one that suits you can be kind of tricky. Our goal here at PlaySlots4RealMoney.com is simple. We look to help you find the best casinos near you and learn everything you may need to make an informed decision about gambling where you live, or online. On this page you’ll find information on what each casino has to offer as well as the details on gambling regulations in every US state. Here is some of the useful stuff you’ll find:
For passionate gamblers and casino enthusiasts, the USA is probably one of the best countries in the world, at least when it comes to the number of places offering this type of entertainment. No matter where you live, in a big city or rural area, you’re more than likely to find a casino that can suit your every need fairly close to your place of residence. Besides just gambling itself, this also means that you’ll be able to enjoy a range of additional services, including dining, accommodation, and various entertainment events.
Even if you live in one of the few US states where the local regulations still prohibit gambling, you will probably be able to reach the nearest casino with a relatively short drive in almost any direction across the state line. Of course, loads of available options don’t always mean that you should settle for any casino. We recommend that you check our state subpages, where you can find the details on every casino in your area and gather the information that should help you enjoy the best possible gambling experience.
Alternatively you can find plenty of USA friendly online casinos where you can enjoy slots, roulette, blackjack and many other casino games.
If you’re wanting to find the nearest live casino to you in your state (as well as online options), choose one of the pages below.
| Alabama | Arizona | Colorado | Delaware |
| Alaska | Arkansas | Connecticut | Florida |
| California | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho |
| Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas |
| Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland |
| Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi |
| Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada |
| New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York |
| North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma |
| Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina |
| South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah |
| Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia |
| Wisconsin | Wyoming |
While we can say that gambling in the US is not prohibited under federal law, things are a bit more complicated than that. For the better part, there’s not much nationwide regulation of gambling operations. Instead, in most cases, each state is in charge of regulating gambling entities within its own state lines.
The only exception to this is tribal gaming, which was authorized on a national level with the introduction of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1998. This agreement between the tribal government and the state provided an opportunity for the Native American Trust Land to be used for organizing gambling activities. Today, gaming on Native American land is regulated on the tribal, state, and national levels.
The Act from 1998 divided games organized in these casinos into three categories. The class I category involves more traditional games, with minimum wagering or no wagering at all. Class II category includes bingo and certain non-banked table games, while Class III covers all the casino games, including those where players bet against the house. At the moment, tribal casinos exist in 30 US states.
As for commercial casinos, the situation is much different. Only two states, Nevada and Louisiana, allow casino gaming statewide, while every other state has some sort of restrictions in place. This means that only certain types of gambling are allowed, or that the casino operations are restricted only to certain areas in the state or the Native American reservations. Some states, such as Utah and Hawaii, prohibit all forms of gaming on their territories. Currently, classic commercial casinos operate in 24 states. Some states prohibit traditional land-based casinos but allow some other establishments, such as riverboats, pari-mutuel, or racetrack gambling.
State laws are, of course, subject to change, and new laws are brought into effect every now and then. Even at this moment, there are a couple of gambling bills going through the legislative procedure in a couple of states. A good example of this is sports betting, which has been legalized in numerous states since the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports wagering in 2018. So, always make sure to check the current regulations in your state before deciding to visit a casino. The easiest way to keep track of all these changes is to follow our site, as we always look to bring you the latest news from the US gambling industry.
There are normally four main groups of gambling legislative frameworks that US states fall unto. The worst one is a total ban on all forms of gambling, which is what you see in Utah, for example. Players in these states have no gambling options other than online gambling on offshore casinos, and to physically gamble they have to drive to a nearby state that has casinos – if there are such states nearby.
Similar to this are the states that aren’t stricly prohibiting gambling and aren’t enforcing the ban, so people can gamble on offshore casinos, it’s just that there are no land-based casinos present because there is no way for them to apply for a licence. These states tend to have some sweepstakes casinos or bingo halls, or other forms of gambling that aren’t slot machines. It’s essentially the same thing as in Utah – gamblers will have to either go online or drive to another state.
Of the two main groups that legalize gambling and offer a legal framework for the big casinos to operate in, we have to distinguish between those states that give the monopoly to the Indian tribes or to other land-based casinos, and those that allow big gambling companies such as BetMGM or Caesars to have an online presence.
Some states will only allow online casinos that have ties to a real, licensed land-based casino, Indian or not, and will refuse entry to any outsider. This can usually be exploited so an outside company will still partner with the local casino.
Finally, in some states any company can apply for an online gambling license. In these states you’ll see big USA companies as well as big European companies, and the gamblers will have access to all the most modern online games, including live dealer games.
In most states, however, gamblers will have to visit the local casinos, usually the Indian ones, and when they want to play online they will still have to visit the offshore casinos.
|
1 |
WinStar World Casino & Resort |
Thackerville, OK |
400,000 sqft |
|
2 |
Mohegan Sun |
Uncasville, CT |
364,000 sqft |
|
3 |
Foxwoods Resort Casino |
Mashantucket, CT |
340,000 sqft |
|
4 |
Thunder Valley Casino Resort |
Lincoln, CA |
250,000 sqft |
|
5 |
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino |
Tampa, FL |
245,000 sqft |
|
6 |
Riverwind Casino |
Norman, OK |
287,000 sqft |
|
7 |
Yaamava’ Resort & Casino at San Manuel |
Highland, CA |
222,000 sqft |
|
8 |
Choctaw Casino Resort |
Durant, OK |
218,000 sqft |
|
9 |
Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort |
Mt. Pleasant, MI |
210,000 sqft |
|
10 |
Encore Boston Harbor |
Everett, MA |
210,000 sqft |
As you can see from the list above, the largest casino resorts (by gambling space) are located in Oklahoma and Connecticut, and these would be the resorts that you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. They are huge resorts with hotel rooms and suites, fine dining, shops, pools, and venues with live music.
You travel to these resorts for a weekend at least, and you intend to stay at that one specific resort that caters to all your gambling and other needs. As opposed to this approach, you can visit a gambling hub, which would be a geographic location that has numerous casinos you can visit, and the idea here is that you’ll be walking from one into the next, and so on.
Most people would agree that the best casinos in the United States are at places that have the longest and most storied gambling tradition. This, of course, includes Las Vegas, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Reno, and Mississippi. Below, we’ll take a closer look at the finest gambling establishments at each of these locations.
As you would expect from the city that is commonly called the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas features the greatest number of casinos in the country. While there are dozens of high-class gaming establishments you can visit, both on and off the iconic Strip, most people would agree that the two casinos described below are at the very top of what Vegas has to offer:
New Jersey is the fastest-growing gambling destination in the country and Atlantic City is at the center of it all. Located by the ocean, Atlantic City offers a unique opportunity for both gambling in a unique setting and enjoying the seaside. All forms of gambling are legal, including sports betting which was launched in 2018. The city features several noteworthy land-based casinos, but the two described below are probably most worthy of your attention.
New Orleans is, of course, always worth a visit, and several fantastic casinos will make the experience of visiting the city even more fun and enjoyable. Two gambling establishments certainly stand out and we’ll look into them in more detail below.
Reno, aka the biggest little city in the world, has always been one of the major destinations on the United States gambling map. The whole city revolves around gambling and when visiting, you’ll have numerous opportunities for a fun gaming experience. Reno is packed with eh casinos, and the two described below are our pick of the bunch.
There’s no state more synonymous with old-timey gambling than Mississippi. However, Magnolia State is still one of the most attractive gambling destinations, featuring more than 30 casinos offering nearly all forms of gambling. The two stand-out casinos are described in more detail below.
The answer depends on local state laws. In most states, including Nevada and therefore Las Vegas, the minimum legal gambling age is 21. However, tribal casinos often have a way to allow gambling at age 18, and that is the case in some tribal casinos in California, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington. Also, some casinos in Florida, Montana, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Wyoming also allow entry to persons aged 18.
So, the answer does not depend only on your state laws in general, but it might depend on the venue, as some have found legal loopholes that allow people under 21 to enter the casino and gamble real money.
With so many casinos available in the United States and new ones being opened almost every month, the gaming offer can become a bit overwhelming. As you likely have at least several casinos near you, navigating through all the opportunities and deciding which one is the right one can get a little tricky. And, that’s one of the main reasons why we created this section of our site and our mission is to serve you as a guide through this oversaturated gambling market.
PlaySlots4RealMoney.com makes it easy to find the best casinos near you, as all you have to do is choose your state from the list and browse its subpage to find the casino that best suits your personal preferences.
By visiting your state page you’ll also gain an understanding about the gambling legislation in your state, and you’ll see a list of casinos that are near some town or big city. So that should be your first stop when you’re looking for a land-based casino to play at.
If you’re visiting a land-based casino, you will most likely be doing so in order to play slot machines. Therefore, the type, selection, variety and number of slot machines will make or break
your gambling experience. Ideally you want the true slot machines, not some sweepstakes or bingo based attempt to circumvent a slot machine ban. You want the slot machines by top developers and you want to play the best-known titles that everyone knows. That guarantees that you’re playing a real slot machine that is fair. You also want to play the machines that have progressive jackpots.
The type of slot machines available in each state will differ greatly, so the only way to know is to visit a page about your specific state and see what’s available. Sometimes it’s a good choice to also read a page about a state nearby, as it might just have better slots than yours.
As we already established, no matter where you live, there will probably be numerous gambling opportunities in your area. Land-based casinos in the United States come in all types and forms, so choosing the one that’s best for you is not easy. Below are a few tips on what you should pay attention to that should help you narrow down your choice and find the casino that will provide the ultimate gambling experience.
While we are very much committed to telling you what a good land-based casino near you is, and you should definitely visit the good ones, let us just pause for a moment and say that it’s better to visit an offshore online casino than some bad land-based casino.
Reason being, fairness of games. At some land-based casinos – in fact, a lot of them – you have no
idea what the theoretical payout in the long run is while most online slot developers publish that information. You also don’t know if the machine is set up to pay better when your stakes go up, so all you have is circumstantial evidence.
While the top land-based casinos are definitely worth visiting, always ask yourself is the casino you’re entering a legit operation and are the slot machines fair. If you have any doubts, you might be better off visiting an offshore casino to play online slots – and you’d win more.
Since 2018 and the Supreme Court ruling to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that made sports betting illegal in the better part of the country, over 30 US states have stepped up and legalized different forms of wagering on sports., and a couple more are on their way to do the same. As every state introduces its own gambling legislature, the rules obviously differ. Some allow both in-person and online betting, while others only allow sports wagering at land-based casinos. So, if the state you live in has legalized sports betting, chances are that your local casino will also feature a sportsbook facility.
As new land-based casinos are opened every year, and some others shut down their operation, this number can vary greatly. In general, the estimated number of land-based casinos is commonly around 1,500, including both commercial and tribal casinos.
Gambling, in one form or another, is now legal in the large majority of US states. The only two states that have a complete ban on gambling are Utah and Hawaii.
Again, this depends on the regulations in the particular state. Currently, online gambling is fully legal in Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
Since 2018, there’s no federal regulation prohibiting sports betting, so every state can decide for itself whether it will allow sports betting. At the moment, sports betting is legal in more than 30 US states.
