Top Online Gaming Sites

Finding Best Online Game Websites? Here is the list of best sources. It doesn't matter how old you are, you may love to play video games. Pro gamers play video games on PlayStation, XBOX, or PC. However, to play heavy titles, you will need a powerful computer. But, there is one alternative available. You can play online games on your PC or laptop. In this modern era, everyone has a PC/Laptop and an internet connection. That's why most of the people prefer to play online. Also, you don't need to download the games on your PC.

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• Best Websites To Play Games

Moreover, when you are getting bored, you can play online games for time pass.

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However, there are tons of online game sites available on the internet. But, most of the websites are not trusted, because some spam websites may contain malware and viruses. Spam websites may steal your data or ask for your credit card information.

So, here is the list of best online gaming websites to play online without worrying about spam, malware, and viruses. You just need a PC/Laptop and an internet connection for this. These games also run on low specification computers because most of the online games are flash based.

Moreover, there are numerous categories of games available on these websites. You can play action, puzzle, multiplayer, games for girls, fighting, shooting, sports, and racing games, etc.

There are many benefits to playing video games. You can feel relaxed after playing online games. Also, it helps to improve brain speed, coordination, social skills, and problem-solving skills.

Top 10 Game Sites (Quick Overview)

1. Y8.com
2. Miniclip.com
3. Pogo.com
4. Bigfishgames.com
5. Addictinggames.com
6. Kongregate.com
7. Armorgames.com
8. Shockwave.com
9. Games.com
10. Fog.com

Contents

• 1 List of 30 Best Online Game Websites

List of 30 Best Online Game Websites

The list is given below to check out the best online gaming sites.

1. Y8

Y8.com website started in 2006, and with 30 million players, it is one of the best and top online gaming sites. It has more than 63k games with 12 different categories including sports games, driving & racing, shooting, thinking, action & adventure, fighting, skill, ROG, etc games.

The most popular genres on Y8 are arcade and classic games since the service launched.

You can also play multiplayer games on Y8. Well, more than 300 multiplayer titles are available on this site.

You can browse and play your favorite games by searching or category. Also, the Y8 website available in 22 different languages, and you can select your language easily from the homepage. However, you can create an account on Y8, but it is not necessary. You can play without registration.

The UI of Y8 is a little bit similar to YouTube. Below the game, it shows the number of plays time, percentage of likes over dislikes, game detail, and comment. To comment on the game, you need to sign up for the account.

Pros:

• Don't need to create an account.
• Offers thousands of titles.
• You can write comments on games.
• It offers multiplayer games.
• New titles added hourly.

Cons:

• It shows ads.

2. MiniClip

Miniclip.com was launched in 2001 and is the largest, leading, and best online game websites. It offers unique and multiplayer games that are available only on Miniclip. Also, it has more gaming categories (more than 65+ categories) than other sites.

The top categories available on MiniClip are Action, Adventure, Alien, American Football, Arcade, Award, Golf, Pool, Puzzle, Fighting, Racing, Motocross, Flying, Dress up, Cricket, Tennis, and Stunt, etc.

Moreover, the website offers the list of top 10 and top 100 games that help its users to find popular ones.

Miniclip also provides games for mobile phones. You can download games on your Android and iPhone devices. There are more than 1 billion Miniclip game downloads on mobile phones. 8 Ball Pool is one of the most popular games from Miniclip. After that, the popular titles on Miniclip are Agar.io, Tanki online, Diep.io, Flip master, Zombsroyale.io, Happy Wheels, Double trouble, Basketball starts, and Little big snake.

You can change the language of the Miniclip website. It offers 15+ languages. Also, the registration is optional and you don't need to create an account. But, you can get extra features after registration – you can receive awards by playing, you can create an avatar, play multiplayer games.

Pros:

• Optional registration for playing.
• Offers mobile application for selection.
• Huge library.
• Offers top list to find popular titles.

Cons:

• Requires Adobe Flash player.
• Show ads.
• Registration required for multiplayer games.

3. Pogo

Pogo.com was launched in 1999 and is owned by Electronic Arts. It is one of the oldest websites in its category. If you're a fan of solitaire, word, and puzzle games, then this is the best destination for you.

Pogo has a nice collection of 200 titles with categories like a puzzle, word, card, and board games. This website offers classic Hasbro and multiplayer games. You can also make friends on Pogo.

Some popular game titles on this website are chess, spider solitaire, and bejeweled. However, you can play games on Pogo without registration. But, it offers free and paid registration with extra benefits. So, it's your choice whether you want to create an account or not.

After registration, it offers to save progress, chat and post, and daily challenges. Moreover, paid users can get premium titles, no ads, loyalty benefits, premium challenges, and full-screen player option.

Pros:

• Registration is optional.
• You can find and browse games easily with categories.
• Sort by Top, Alphabetical, Players Online, and Recently Played.
• Multiplayer games are available.

Cons:

• The free account shows ads.
• Most of the games and features for paid users.

4. Big Fish Games

Bigfishgames.com was launched in 2002. It offers more than 2000 online games with the downloadable options for Windows PC, MAC, iPhone, and Android.

There are almost all genres of games available on this site. The available genres are hidden object, time management, adventure, match 3, puzzle, family, word, brain teaser, strategy, arcade and action, card and board, and mahjong.

You need to create an account to use this website. Without sign in, you can't play online games. Moreover, it provides its country-specific websites (11 global sites available). So, you can open the big fish game website in your language. Some popular games from this website are Big Fish Casino, Mystery case files, EverMerge, Gummy Drop, Cooking Craze, Toy Story Drop, Fairway Solitaire, Bush Whacker 2, Hidden express, Cubis gold 2, and Dreamfields, etc.

Moreover, the website is available in 8 languages.

Pros:

• Offers downloadable games for offline playing.
• It provides mobile games as well.
• It offers the best games than other platforms.

Cons:

• Registration required.
• The website required a flash player.
• Most of the titles are paid.

5. Addicting Games

AddictingGames.com was launched in 2002. It is the most popular online game website in the US with more than 10 million monthly users. You can play Strategy, Car, Shooting, Sports, Action, Puzzle, Funny, Zombies, Word, and RPG games. Well, it provides 30+ categories. Also, new game titles added every week.

It also offers its users to review and rate the game. So, it is quite easy to find the best games with a rating and reviews.

There are few multiplayer games available and this is the major drawback of this website. However, you can play all titles without registration. But, you need to create an account to review and rating the games.

On the homepage, the website shows the most addicting games and you may fall in love with these games. The most addicting titles are Pirate cards, Big farm, 1000 blocks, The impossible quiz, Dropdown jewel blast, Empire, and Forge of empires.

Pros:

• Rating and reviews feature.
• A good collection of multiplayer games.
• 30+ categories to browse easily.

Cons:

• Show ads.
• Adobe flash player required.

6. Kongregate

Kongregate was launched in 2006 and it is a leading web gaming portal. It has more than 128k online games. Also, it offers all categories of single-player and multiplayer games.

It is quite easy to find the best games on the Kongregate website. On its homepage, it shows the Hot new, Highest rated, Most played, Mobile, and top games of the month.

Also, its Sort/Filter feature helps to find the results by highest rating, most plays, newest, oldest, date published, has badges, and under judgment.

To play the games, you don't need to create an account. Because the registration is optional. Registration gives features like chat, highest score, rate and reviews the games, etc. AdVenture Capitalist (with more than 50 million plays) and Mutilate-a-Doll 2 are a most played game on Kongregate.

After registration, the website shows recently played and recommended games according to your played taste.

Moreover, if you are a developer, you can upload your own games. That's a unique feature offered by Kongregate.

The categories available on Kongregate are action, adventure and RPG, multiplayer, shooting, Puzzle, Sports, Racing, Strategy, and Defence.

Pros:

• Chat room and high score for all games.
• Huge library.
• Optional registration.
• Allows rating and comments.
• The website is available in 3 languages.

Cons:

• Include ads.

7. Poki

Well, Poki is the best source to play games with friends and one of the top game sites. However, you can also play alone. The service provides 1000 titles from different categories. You can play Poki's games on PC, tablet, and even on mobiles. Also, there is no need to download any title.

The most popular games on Poki are Subway Surfers, Iron Snout, and Stickman Hook. You can play these titles only on Poki.

Every month over 30 million users open this website. The website is available in 28 languages. The service also accepts the games from the developers.

Pros:

• Play Android games online.
• Some games are available only on Poki.

Cons:

• It takes time to load the games.

8. Armor Games

ArmorGames.com is another popular website in this category. A lot of categories available on ArmorGames like MMO, Shooting, Action, Strategy, Adventure, Puzzle, and Idle. It also offers games for Mobile phones. You can download Armor Games on your Android and iPhone.

Armor Games was launched in 2004. However, registration is optional. But, you need to create an account for some games. Also, it is easy to find popular games because it shows the popular games on its homepage. Some popular Armor titles are Lord of the Arena, Battle Pirates, Rings Road, The King of Towers, Mighty Party, Dungeon Crusher: Soul Hunter, Holiday City Reloaded, and Wartune, etc.

The website shows the player rating and a number of plays for every game that helps to find the best one easily.

However, registration is optional. But you can get some features by creating a free account. Free account feature includes – Create playlist, chat rooms, armor points.

Like a Kongregate, it also allows the developers to upload their games.

Pros:

• Registration is optional.
• A large collection with various categories.

Cons:

• Ads supported.
• Flash player required to play.

9. ShockWave

Shockwave.com is another oldest online, downloadable, flash, and multiplayer gaming portal. The service was launched in 1998 with the slogan – Shockwave is where the world comes to play games. It contains more than 1800 games in all categories like Action, Adventure, Kids & Family, Puzzle, Music & Photo, Racing, Shooting, Word, and Matching games.

It gives a sign-up option, but, you don't need to sign up. You can play without sign up. After creating an account you can get the features like – play with friends, win trophies, and earn tokens. You can also create and share your own games

Moreover, shockwave provides the games to download on your PC. The downloadable games are not free, but you can download a free trial. Also, it added a new game every week.

Pros:

• Registration not required.
• More than 1.8K games.
• Play with friends.

Cons:

• Shows Ads.
• Downloadable games aren't free.

10. Games

Games.com owned by AOL and it provides classic and popular games. On this gaming site, you can play online games without creating an account. There are only a few titles available on this website with few categories like Board, card, Casino, and Puzzle.

The homepage shows the game of the day in the featured widget. If you love card games, this source may useful for you. The website is free from malware and spyware. So, you can trust it.

The website shows the ad before loading the time. Moreover, there are no extra features offers by AOL games.

Pros:

• Play without login.
• Trusted source.
• Best for card games

Cons:

• Fewer titles.
• No extra features.
• Basic games.

11. FOG

Want to play free and high-quality online games, freeonlinegames.com is perfect for you. FOG gives some extra categories like Defense, flying, and 3D games. It gives an option to browse the most played and top-rated games. So, you can easily find out by popularity.

When you open the FOG.com website, you will see the hundreds of games on its homepage.

The most popular categories on FOG are Racing, Puzzle, Action, and MMO. Well, the website is also available in 32 languages with different subdomains.

FOG allows its users to rate the game. Rating helps other users to find the best games.

Pros:

• 40 categories available.
• No need to log in.
• It offers a list of most played.
• Huge library.

Cons:

• Shows advertisements before loading every game.
• Need flash player.

12. King

King is one of the most leading smartphone game companies. If you ever played the Candy Crush Saga on Android and iPhone, you may know about the king. Well, you can also play online games from the developers of the king.

However, it offers only 22 game titles, but you may fall in love with these games. It also allows syncing your progress. So, you can play your favorite Kings games on PC, mobile, and tablet.

The website is available in 16 languages and you need to log in to your account to sync your progress.

Pros:

• Addicting games.
• Option Sync the progress.
• Cross-platform games.

Cons:

• Fewer games.

13. AGame

Agame offers a large collection of different types of games includes girls, adventure, racing, shooting, multiplayer, and puzzle.

Well, Agame is the best source to found and play HTML5 based games. The most popular game on Agame is Five Nights at Freddy's.

This is also the best destination for girls with a variety of games for girls including cooking, dress up, makeup, dating, beauty, and princess.

Moreover, it offers thousand of the multiplayer, classic, board, and other popular titles like subway surfers, happy wheels, and scare maze.

You can create an account on Agame, but it is not necessary for playing. Also, it allows us to rate every game by like or dislike the title.

Pros:

• Thousand of multiplayer games.
• Covered all categories.
• Allow ratings.

Cons:

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• Support ads.

14. Bored.com

Feeling getting bored? Open Bored.com and play the best online titles. It offers more than 219K of free online games from hundreds of categories.

The website provides a user-friendly UI to find the best titles from the list. Apart from searching you can find the games via tags, popular list, new list, and categories.

Moreover, you can filter the results by date added and source. Apart from filter, you can sort the results by popularity and date.

Pros:

• Thousand of games (more than 219,000).
• Best UI.
• List of popular titles.

Cons:

• Gives external links (sources).

15. NewGrounds

NewGrounds.com is an entertainment website that offers flash games, animated movies, audio, and arts. The service was launched in 1995 and one of the oldest service in our list.

The service also accepts the user produced content. So, you can submit your game on it. It allows its users to collab with other gamers on the site. This will help to build the team. Moreover, you can browse games with medals, scoreboards, and content sharing.

You can find games by categories, ratings, or tags. Users also allow rating of the game. It shows the uploaded date, votes, ratings, faves, and views of every game. However, registration is optional. But registered users see fewer ads.

Pros:

• Registration is optional.
• Fewer ads after registration.
• Collab with other gamers.

Cons:

• Needs flash player.

16. Crazy Monkey Games

However Crazy Monkey Games isn't much popular and shows a lot of advertisements (the website doesn't show popup ads), but still has a good collection of flash games.

The website shows the list of 15 top-rated games on its homepage. This list helps to find popular titles.

The service mainly focused on categories like action, RPG, fighting, arcade, and puzzle.

All games are free and you don't need to create an account. Moreover, the service offers full-screen playing option.

Pros:

• No need to log in.
• Top-rated list to find popular titles.
• Offers full-screen mode.

Cons:

• Adobe flash player required.
• A lot of advertisements.

17. BGames

BGames (B stand for BOYS) is offers the games especially for boys. So, if you're finding the source to play war, MMO fantasy, car & monster truck racings, and shooting games, then this is the perfect destination for you.

The website doesn't offer any download option, all services are online. Star trek online is a popular title on this site.

The service shows the sub-categories that help to find the titles easily. Recently, it also added the girl's games.

Pros:

• There is no need to log in.
• Shows Subcategories.
• Like or dislike button for every title.

Cons:

• Video advertisements.

18. Zynga

Launched in 2007, it is one of the popular social game providers. The website gained its popularity in 2009 with the game FarmVille on Facebook.

The service has over 30 million monthly users. Most of the games from Zynga are for mobile devices. But, it also offers online games through Facebook, because it offers social games.

Some featured games of Zynga are Game of Thrones Slots Casino, Words with friends 2, and CSR2.

Pros:

• Addicting games.
• Best graphics.

Cons:

• It needs a social media account like Facebook.

19. Cartoon Network Games

Everyone knows about the Cartoon Network TV channel. If you love the cartoon shows on this channel, you must play the games with your favorite cartoon character.

Cartoon Network games offer free cartoon games with popular characters like Ben 20, Gumball, Apple & Onion, etc.

The website also shows a cartoon video. Also, you don't need to sign up for an account.

Pros:

• No sign-up option.
• Games with popular cartoon characters.
• Premium website with fewer advertisements.

Cons:

• Fewer games.

20. Popcap

Popcap.com was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka. Now the service acquired by EA sports.

EA sports removes most of the games. But still, it has a great collection of popular games like Plants vs. Zombies: Heroes, Bejeweled Stars, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, Peggle Blast, Peggle 2, Solitaire Blitz, BookWorm, Zuma.

You can also download these games to Android and iOS devices.

Pros:

• Popular classic games.
• Trusted source.

Cons:

• Only 10 titles are available.

21. PlayRetroGames

Being an online emulator website, this is the best place to play retro games. The service also offers classic games and supports classic systems.

Well, it still supports 8 bit and 16 bit systems, Nintendo NES and SNES, Sega Master System, and genesis.

If you're finding your childhood or 90's games, this website can fulfill your requirements.

However, you can create your account on it. But, there is no need to sign up for playing. Even you can rate the game title without login.

Pros:

• It offers Classic games.
• Support 8 bit and 16 bit systems.
• Optional to log in.

Cons:

• Loading time.

22. MMOGames

MMOGames.com was founded in 2007 and provides online games, news, reviews, and articles about MMOs and MMORPGs.

Its library contains more than 2000 games from various categories. You don't need to install any file from MMO, just open the site and play the games in the browser. It just requires JAVA to install on your PC.

You can find and play RPG, multiplayer, war, and shooting titles for free. Moreover, registration is not compulsory.

Pros:

• Offers news and reviews.
• Best for the RPG category.
• Large library.

Cons:

• Java software required.
• Loading time.

23. Arkadium

If you love card, puzzle, solitaire, and word games, then Arkadium is the best place for you. Arkadium was launched in 2001 and it gained its popularity from that time. Arkadium created/developed the Microsoft Solitaire collection 2011.

With the modern UI and thousands of titles, you can easily find the best titles for you. On its homepage, you'll see the fan favorites, new releases, daily, popular, quick, and solitaire games.

Pros:

• Best solitaire games.
• Impressive User interface.
• No ads.

Cons:

• Fewer categories.

24. GamesGames

There are more than 20K game titles available on this website to play online. On top of its homepage, it shows options like new, puzzle, girls, simulation, action, multiplayer, skill, sports, and for you.

In ‘for you' section, it shows the recommendation based on your playing interest. But, you need to create an account to activate this feature.

The service is available in different languages. Well, the website offers family-friendly games and you can play multiplayer games with your friends and family members.

Pros:

• More than 20,000 titles.
• Multiplayer games.
• Unique categories.

Cons:

• Video ads.

25. A10

A10.com offers hundreds of free online games from almost all categories. It covers all titles include shooting, zombies, driving, skill, single-player, two-player, multiplayer, racing, 3D, cars, fighting, and funny games.

The UI of the website is simple and you can easily find your favorite titles.

Pros:

• Simple user interface.
• Limited but addicting games.
• Fewer ads.

Cons:

• Old games.

26. GamesHouse.com

It offers more than 2500 online and downloadable games. The service was launched in 1998 and one of the oldest services in this list.

However, you can play some titles for free for 60 minutes. But, premium members can access exclusive titles.

GameHouse is a premium site and offers some unique categories like time management and hidden object.

Pros:

• More than 2500 titles.
• High quality.

Cons:

• Free for 60-minute play.

27. GirlsGoGames.com

The website specially designed for girls and provides all titles that are dedicated to the girls. Girls can play dress up, cooking, makeup, beauty, fashion, and other titles.

You can easily find the popular titles from the list of recommendations for you, editor's picks, and weekly top list.

Pros:

• Dedicated to girls.
• Best titles.

Cons:

• Limited games.

28. 2PG.com

2PG offers 2 and 3 player games only. The website allows you to play online games with your friends and family members.

You'll see the top and hottest titles on its homepage. Moreover, you can find the best titles by tags.

Well, its database contains more than 200k titles. However, all titles are not multiplayer.

Pros:

• Multiplayer dedicated platform.
• More than 200K titles.

Cons:

• Slow to load.
• Need a fast internet connection.

29. PCH Games

Formerly known as Candystand, this is the best destination to play strategy, arcade, word, and card games online. However, their library is not as huge as other services, but still, this is the best source who loves classic games.

PCH games offer prizes to its top players. The players in the top score list can get the tokens and prizes.

The website offers to play games without creating an account. But, to win the prizes, you need to log in to your account and make the place in the top score list by playing.

Pros:

• Play without login.
• Offers prizes.

Cons:

• Limited library.

30. FreeArcade

FreeArcade.com has a nice collection of different types of online games. The website is commonly known for Crossword Puzzles. Apart from it, multiplayer, arcade, shooting, sports, 3D, card, board, graphic adventures, text adventures, and fast simple games available.

Moreover, if you're finding the high score games, then this site is for you. You can find tons of high score games on this website.

Most of the games on freearcade are java based, so you need to install java on your PC to play online.

Pros:

• Thousands of titles.
• A large collection of high-score and multiplayer games.
• 3 new games added every week.

Best Websites To Play Games

Cons:

• You need to install Java and Flash player.
• Ads while playing.

What are Online Game Websites?

Online Game websites allow you to play games online on your PC by using a browser. By using these sites, you don't need to download the files on your PC.

The game's graphics on the online sites are not advanced and realistic as heavy PC games. But, to kill some minutes or hours, these are the best options.

Well, thousand of websites available on the internet. But, most of them trying or force you to download malware or spyware on your device. That's why most people stay away from online sources to play short games.

In the above list, I write all trusted sources. However, these services show ads to generate revenue.

Requirements to use Online Game Websites

There are no advanced requirements to use these services. Also, most of the services are free. You don't need the PC with high specifications.

These services just required a modern browser and some other software. However, for HTML5 games, you don't need any software or player.

Requirements:

• Modern browser.
• Adobe Flash Player.
• Java Software.

Conclusion

So, guys, these are the best and most popular online game websites. Though, these websites provide HTML5, Flash, and Java-based browser games. So, you don't need to download the games on your PC. You can play these games on your browser. However, other websites are also available on the internet. But, these are trusted and spam-free sites. Write in the comment section if you know about another good gaming website.

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Skip the Headaches and Play at a Legitimate Site

You're looking for a legitimate U.S. gambling site, but can't decide which site to trust with your hard-earned money?

Good news! We've been in the online gambling industry for over a decade (several decades, really, if you add all of our experience together), and we've spent countless hours to bring you a list of the most legitimate sites.

Here's what all of these sites have in common:

• 10+ years in the business with strong reputations.
• Attractive promotions for first-time customers.
• Quick money withdrawals (relative to the U.S. market).

Why Bovada Is #1 in the U.S.

#1: Fastest Check Cashouts

Bovada gets 10 times as much traffic as its second best US competitor and still delivers check payouts faster than any of them. Bovada processes check withdrawals in 7 days; many of its competitors take weeks, some more than a month to do the same. (There are other fast options, like the #3-ranked BetOnline, which delivers checks in 14 days.)

#2: Service

An equally important aspect of Bovada's operations is its customer service. If there ever was an indication of how much a company respects its customers, it's the level of customer service the company provides. I haven't found any US-friendly site doing this aspect of the business better (although 5Dimes is a worthy runner-up).

#3: All-In-One

Finally, all parts of Bovada's business (sportsbook, casino, poker, racebook) are popular. Bovada is best-known for sports betting and casino games, however, even its online poker room has around four times as many players online as the second biggest US poker site. You can access all of their games with one player account.

… But You Should Know This

Bovada is recreational-friendly, perhaps more-so than any other US site. You'll find few golden opportunities in their sportsbook (read more about their use of dual lines), they have a relatively high overall house edge (especially after recently increasing house edge in video poker games) and their online poker room only has 'anonymous' tables.

Although not everyone agrees with me, the recreational-friendly part is an advantage for skilled poker players. Since Bovada appeals to recreational gamblers, you'll be like a shark among regular fish.

Bovada charges a 4.9% fee for credit card deposits (a lot considering how most sites charge nothing). The impact of the deposit fee is slightly compensated by their welcome bonuses, which are better than average.

All online gamblers look for entertaining games, attractive promotions and aesthetically pleasing software. To have a safe experience, however, you want a site to:

1. Serve its customers with safety and respect,
2. Operate with a reasonable house edge, and
3. Handle money transactions promptly.

Yes, the third point is included in the first point but it's also such an essential part of the customer experience that it must be mentioned separately. Many online gambling websites operate without an adequate level of service so these points are worth considering. It's rare to find a combination of all three points.

Bovada fulfills all of the above criteria better than other sites but 5Dimes does well, too. In fact, I'm confident in ranking those two as the best USA gambling websites specifically because they deliver so well in the areas related to safety and trustworthiness. A site without proper customer service and safety measures is not one you should deposit money to, regardless of its promotions and whatnot.

What Are Some Alternative Options?

For Sports Bettors

5Dimes.eu is the best betting site in the US for the following reasons: they're professional-friendly and offer reduced juice betting lines (in other words, less house edge). Before betting on any game, I recommend taking a look at the odds 5Dimes is offering. They've been a reliable sportsbook for over 10+ years — you'll find few complaints about 5Dimes online, and the ones you find have been resolved quickly.

For poker and casino games, I would go with Bovada. But for sports bettors, it makes the most sense to have an account at 5Dimes.

Another Solid Option

BetOnline.ag is my third suggestion. It's not significantly better than the others in any area but they're simply a solid option. Prompt cashout processing, decent poker traffic, good sports betting options and entertaining casino games. Additionally, I've had good experiences with their customer service.

For sports bettors, BetOnline is worth signing-up at simply to be able to compare betting lines among a few sites. For poker players, BetOnline may offer some good games every now and then (keep in mind: you can bet on sports and play casino and poker games with the same account, so plenty of gamblers will stumble on the poker games eventually). For casino gamblers, BetOnline has a basic but reliable offering.

BetOnline charges a 6% fee for credit card deposits.

Is It Legal to Play?

The definition of 'gambling' and the laws surrounding vary depending on which state you live in.

In Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey, some forms of online gambling have been legalized and regulated (only state-licensed sites are allowed to operate legally). In other states, it's likely (although not widely agreed upon) that playing – and certainly operating – online gambling games for real money is illegal.

On a federal level, sports betting is the only form of prohibited gambling via the Wire Act of 1961. For several years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) maintained that the Wire Act applies to all forms of online gambling, but in December 2011, they corrected that stance by stating that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting – a result of a 13-page memorandum from the Office of Legal Counsel to the Criminal Division of the DOJ (source).

State laws, however, often indirectly prohibit gambling. Or to put it another way: it would be difficult to claim any forms of online gambling legal with absolute certainty in most states (lotteries and such aside). Most state laws indirectly prohibit gambling simply by making all forms of gambling unlawful that have not been made lawful.

Purely based on history, it's unlikely you'll get into legal trouble; then again, if something is illegal, you can get into trouble, and someone probably will. Gambling online may be illegal where you live. Contact a local gaming lawyer to get a better idea of your local laws.

Legal Troubles

Industry-changing events have taken place in the online gambling world – mainly concerning online poker – such as the UIGEA and Party Poker's exit from the US market, or PokerStars' exit from the US market in 2011.

Those crimes were committed by online poker operators, though, not players. Still, the mere fact that online poker companies were targeted was enough to cast a shadow over the legality of US online poker, and furthermore, players grew more and more worried about one of these sites getting shut down along with the money on their player accounts.

In fact, there is a legitimate reason to worry about dishonest US gambling sites taking your money. Some sites have indeed taken off with the money – a recent example is Lock Poker, which currently may owe its customers over $15 million. I created LegitGamblingSites.com mainly to give more exposure to the sites with strong track records of honest business practices.

The lawmakers, in that regard, have a point about not allowing unlicensed sites to provide online gambling games to US citizens. While that may not be the reason, it's likely one of them. (If I had to guess, I'd say they're more concerned about losing out on tax dollars and protecting the interests of brick & mortar casino owners such as Sheldon Adelson, although through the RAWA – Restore America's Wire Act legislation – he tries to do that by himself.)

How to Move Money Around

Ever since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) became a law, US citizens have had a more difficult time finding a suitable deposit method.

There are only a few left, actually.

The most common deposit method for US citizens is still credit card deposits, out of which VISA is the most widely accepted brand, followed by Mastercard, with American Express being a distant third. Cards must be eligible for both international and online transfers.

The alternative method is to use a money transfer service such as Western Union. Western Union is mostly a deposit-only method. (Bovada is an exception since they only allow you to withdraw money via a check.)

Why to use a money transfer service instead of a credit card?

• A card deposit fails to go through. This happens every now and then, and the only way to know if your card will be accepted is to try. According to various forum reports, Vanilla VISA is declined at most sites while Netspend VISA has been successful.

  Surprisingly, players have had problems with card deposits even at state-licensed sites due to banks like Bank of America outright declining all gambling transactions. Things will likely get better with the new MCC codes for VISA, Mastercard, American Express and Distant which will help casinos to identify gambling transactions more accurately. It's unclear how much of a help this will be since banks still have the right to decline transfers marked with the new MCC codes, and due to not wanting to violate the UIGEA (according to which they're prohibited from knowingly processing unlawful gambling transactions), banks may decide it isn't worth it and keep cancelling transactions even if they were for state-licensed sites.

  This is expected to change once bigger states – perhaps even the biggest of them all, California – join internet gambling, since declining the transactions will then affect such a large percentage of any bank's customer base.

• You want a faster cashout. While money transfer services cost more (many sites, like Bovada, allow one free check cashout a month), the money is usually delivered to be picked up at a local Western Union location in five days or less.
• You don't want a check cashout. You need to go to a cashier to cash a check. Most people would rather avoid doing this, especially since banks aren't allowed to knowingly process online gambling related transactions (unless in Delaware, Nevada or New Jersey, but people have had problems in those states as well).

In general, you'll have higher transaction costs with money transfer services than with a combination of credit cards and checks. BetOnline and Bovada are the only major USA sites charging for credit card deposits and most allow one free check cashout per month – some, like True Poker, allow a free check withdrawal every seven days.

How to use a credit card/check combination?

1. Enter your credit card details online after which you have the money on your player account instantly.
2. When done playing, order a check cashout, which will take from a week to over a month depending on which site you're dealing with.
3. Go to your local bank to cash the check.

How to use a money transfer service (like Western Union)?

1. Go to their website or a live Western Union location and send money to the gambling site. (You'll need to contact the gambling site first to get their transfer details.)
2. When done playing, initiate the withdrawal from your player account.
3. Go to a live location to collect the money.

State-Licensed Sites

As mentioned, Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey have legalized and regulated some forms of real-money online gambling. Delaware started with online poker but has since expanded into casino games as well; Nevada offers online poker games only; New Jersey offers online poker and casino games.

As you can see, not a single one of these states offer online sports betting. In New Jersey – clearly the biggest market of the three – there's a clause according to which sports betting may be considered to be added in the future.

Requirements

You must be physically located within a state's boundaries to play at the licensed sites. If you're currently located in California but live in Nevada, you're unable to play until you return to Nevada; if you're currently located in Nevada but live in California, you can play as long as you stay within Nevada's state boundaries.

Licensed sites have to make sure nobody outside of the state can participate in the games. Geolocation – identifying exactly where a person is located – has been difficult, and there are still people who are unable to play even though they're located within those states. This is one of the reasons licensed online gambling sites have done financially worse than expected.

Only existing brick & mortar casino owners within those states can apply for licenses, although they can apply together with an existing online gambling site in a software-licensing agreement, like Caesar's Interactive and 888.com have done. If a poker site kept operating in the US after the UIGEA of 2006, it will be subjected to a 'bad actor' clause in Nevada and be prohibited from operating in the state for now.

Performance

Each state has had a rocky start, although New Jersey is doing OK. In March 2014, they did $11.87 million in revenue, which grew into $13.16 million in March 2015. A growth rate of 14.57% year-over-year is better than nothing, but still a far cry from the $1 billion within the first 7 months of operating Governor Christie expected (New Jersey gambling sites were launched in November 2013). In other words, his expectations were a little over $140 million a month on average, or about ten times the current revenue.

According to PokerScout.com, Nevada's online poker revenue is going downhill. Year-over-year decrease in revenue of around 44% (from February 2014 to February 2015) is, no matter how you look at it, a disappointing result. Problems with card deposits and geolocation – both of which exist in other states as well – and player liquidity have undoubtedly contributed to the significant decrease. Players have to deal with fewer problems when playing at offshore sites, and as long as that continues, it will be difficult for state-licensed sites to gain major traction.

In Delaware, the state keeps all yearly revenue up to $3.75 million. Since total revenue for 2014 was around $2.1 million, gambling operators have made nothing. The main reason for such a low amount of revenue is Delaware's population of 0.94 million (in comparison, New Jersey has a population of 8.9 million). Liquidity is important for online poker since you need lots of players to run games at various stakes, in several forms and throughout the day. Delaware is trying to improve its poker liquidity by combining player pools with Nevada but so far there hasn't been a significant improvement to its online gaming revenue.

If all of the three states were to combine their player pools, it would create a poker economy of around 12 million people, which could add significant liquidity to the games and thus bring in more revenue to each of the states.

Offshore Sites

Gambling sites accepting US customers from outside of the three states are all 'offshore' sites, meaning they operate from outside of the US and have no license to operate within the US. They have obtained a license in some other jurisdictions – such as Antiqua & Barbuda or Panama – but many of those jurisdictions have less-than-stellar reputations.

The disadvantage of gambling at offshore sites is the lack of safety. For an outsider, it's impossible to know how strict testing measures these sites go through to prove their legitimacy, and hypothetically, if one of them were to disappear from the internet tomorrow along with your money, what could you do about it?

Lock Poker, as already mentioned, is an ongoing example. They've now lost their license in Curacao (weirdly, they were able to keep the license easily over a year after refusing to process customer cashouts) and there's nothing anyone can do to make sure Lock Poker's customers have their money returned. All we can do is spread the word to the people who are considering signing-up and depositing money to their site.

The best thing you can do is consider the reputation of the site rather than the jurisdiction since all jurisdictions have had dishonest sites. The longer a site has been fully operational, and the fewer complaints it has generated, the better. Essentially, Bovada has been in the online gambling business since 2000 when Bodog.com was founded (the US-friendly operations of Bodog were re-branded as Bovada in 2011), and as mentioned, they've achieved an excellent reputation with a high level of customer service.

But there are advantages to playing at an offshore site, too, and you can legitimately argue that the advantages override the disadvantages. Offshore sites place fewer restrictions on customers, need less personal information and have to compete with lots of other sites (within US states, competition is limited) which forces them to be at their best in order to succeed. There are no geolocation issues either.

Safety and legality aside – although obviously, both are big considerations – offshore sites are the better option in almost every area. Since only three states have legalized some forms of real-money online gambling in the US, they're the only places for internet gambling for around 96.4% of US population.

What's Next?

US online gambling is in a transitional phase: after a long wait of legalization, three states have done it, mostly with lackluster success. Suggesting geolocation and deposit issues are resolved, revenue streams may grow. With online poker, though, most likely at least one of the bigger states has to legalize it and combine player pools with the others to create a meaningful poker economy.

A federal legalization would create much-needed competition and player pools, which in turn creates a bigger incentive for operators to participate and, in many ways, a better environment for gamblers. If internet gambling was to be legalized nationwide, every operator and their grandmother would want a license. As of now, it's more beneficial for most operators to stay outside of the US.