Casino Gambling By State
The COVID-19 pandemic closed all commercial and tribal casino properties in the U.S. This map tracks reopening across the country at the property-level. A property is considered open based on gambling availability. Please contact an individual property to determine what amenities are available. Current Status: 112 Closed 884 Open. Our United States directory of gaming properties includes over 1500 casinos, horse tracks, dog tracks, resorts, and cruise ships. Below is a list of states which have gaming with the number of gaming properties in parenthesis. Click on a state name for a directory of casinos, horse tracks, etc. Casino gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931 and it was the only state to offer that type of gambling until 1977 when New Jersey legalized casinos for its seaside resort town of Atlantic City. It is these land-based, stand-alone, casinos that were the original forms of casinos until riverboat and Indian casinos came along in the 1990s. This is a complete state-by-state listing of all federally-approved Indian gaming operations in the U.S. These casinos are authorized and regulated by the National Indian Gaming Commission (www.nigc.gov.), a regulatory agency of the U.S. Interior Department created by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988.
American Casino Guide Book has the most comprehensive list of U.S. casinos by state available on the internet. Use this to find the most detailed and up to date information on every US casino hotel, riverboat casino and tribal casino.
This statistic shows the gross gaming revenue of casinos in the United States, by state, in 2019. In the same year, the total gross gaming revenue of U.S. Casinos amounted to approximately 43.61.
We provide users with a detailed list of all casinos in each US state and we give a detailed explanation on what kind of casino gambling is legal in each state.
Different types of casinos in U.S.
There are several different types of casinos found across the United States. Depending on your location in the country there could be any of the following: tribal or native american casinos (also called indian casinos), pari-mutuel casinos, traditional casinos, casino boats and in some smaller markets, riverboat casinos.
Just choose the state you want from the below list of U.S. casinos by state. This will bring up detailed information on what forms of casino gambling are available in that state, including slot machine payback statistics for all U.S. casinos . There will also be a list of every casino in that particular state.
Each casino listing will give details about that particular casino, including: hours of operation, games offered, hotel rates, buffet prices, minimum gambling age, photos, maps, directions and more! Also, you can read and write reviews for all of these US casinos.
What States have casinos?
Whether it be a native american casino, pari-mutuel casino, land-based casino, riverboat casino or a casino boat, there are 44 states that offer some form of casino gambling.
Click here to see a list of U.S. Casinos by city
Click here to see Maps of Casino Locations in Every U.S. State
Indian Casinos
These casinos, also known as Tribal casinos, are usually located on federally recognized Indian reservations. They range in size from small truck stops and convenience stores with a handful of machines like many located in Oklahoma or Wisconsin, up to some of the largest casinos in the world such as Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
Also depending on the agreement reached with the state where the indian casinos are located, they can offer either Class II gaming or Class III gaming. Class III (Class 3) gaming is what most people would describe as “normal” casino gaming. This is kind of casino gambling you would find at a majority of casinos in the country like Las Vegas where it is the player against “the house” such as blackjack, craps, roulette, or any other table game, as well as slot machines.
Class II (Class 2) gaming on the other hand is slightly different. These are games where it is players competing against other players such as poker or bingo. Over the years, casinos have found ways around this to offer other casino games that play similarly to Class III games but still adhere to Class II rules. A great example of this are Class II slot machines that closely resemble a normal, Class III machine but you will notice a small bingo card in the corner of the screen. So, in essence, you are actually playing a speeded-up game of virtual bingo against other players in the casino. The reels still spin and you will see winning combinations if you win. However, the reels are “for entertainment purposes only” and whether or not you win on each spin is based entirely on the bingo card located in the corner.
Another example of Class II games would be player-banked table games where you are competing against other players rather than against the casino itself. These look identical to traditional table games and the only difference is that players have to pay an ante of around $0.50-$1 per hand. This is because in most cases there is someone who supplies the money to be the “bank” and the only money the casino receives is the ante made by each player.
Pari-Mutuel Casinos
Some states such as Arkansas or Delaware only allow casinos in pari-mutuel facilities. These are locations with legalized wagering on several different kinds of horse or dog racing or, in Florida, jai-alai games. Since a vast majority of pari-mutuel facilities in the United States are racetracks, these types of casinos are often also known as “racinos,” a combination of the words racetrack and casino.
Other than having legal betting on horse racing, dog racing or jai-alai on property, these casinos are almost identical to other land-based casinos like those in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. However, depending on the laws of the states where they are located, some may not offer live table games, or may only have slot machines.
A somewhat new development at pari-mutuel facilities in some states like Kentucky where traditional casino gambling is not legal is something called “historical racing machines.” These are considered Class II machines similar to the bingo-based machines at many Indian casinos but instead of being based off of a bingo card, the results of these games are based on racing results from previous horse races.
Land-Based Casinos
These are the regular casinos that people think of when they think of a casino. This would be like the casinos in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Casino gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931 and it was the only state to offer that type of gambling until 1977 when New Jersey legalized casinos for its seaside resort town of Atlantic City. It is these land-based, stand-alone, casinos that were the original forms until riverboat and Indian casinos came along in the 1990’s.
Riverboat Casinos
Riverboat casinos are exactly what they sound like, they are casinos located inside boats that are in rivers. They are located in many states through out the South and Midwest such as Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Mississippi. However, they have evolved over the years as the laws regulating them have been relaxed. Originally, they were required to leave the dock and go on a cruise for several hours then come back and dock and they would do that several times throughout the day. Originally, some states even required the casinos to enact loss limits during these cruises.
Casino Gambling Age By State
Eventually the loss limits were lifted, as were the requirements for them to cruise, so they began operating while docked on the river. Some states later allowed the casinos to be built on barges that float in man-made lagoons that are fed from the rivers. That is where most of the states are now, but some such as Mississippi have also allowed their “riverboat” casinos to be built on land, but they are still required to be built within a certain distance of the water