Arizona – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
Online Casinos in Arizona (US)
Find the Best Arizona Casino Online
With online casino gambling floating in the grey area, players in Arizona will have to look beyond the state's borders for entertainment.
However, we would argue that most of these players don't know what to look for in an online casino. That's where research and due diligence comes in. Without proper research on integral aspects of an online casino, chances are you will fall prey to one of the numerous predatory sites masked with goodies and false promises. Therefore, you need to ask yourself certain questions before signing up at any offshore platform:
- Does the operator have a valid license?
- Can players from Arizona sign-up?
- Will I still have access to the same range of games and promotions?
- What payment solutions does the operator offer?
- Does the operator accept US dollars?
- Is there customer support, and how can you reach the team?
Asking yourself these questions is a step in the right direction to finding a reputable and trustworthy platform. While this seems easy, finding the correct information can prove to be a daunting task. With GoodLuckMate's unbiased reviews, written by industry experts, player safety is always a top concern. That way, we do the heavy lifting, you do the easy stuff – choosing a preferred operator from our recommended list, signing up, and playing!
Gambling Regulation
Arizona permits multiple forms of gambling but that is as far as Native American casinos go. Otherwise, land-based gambling is considered illegal in this state. Exceptions here include dog and horse races as well as the state-operated lottery, as we mentioned in our introduction. Casino nights, raffles, and bingo are also permitted but they must be geared toward charity.
When it comes to online gambling, the situation is similar to other states such as Alabama, for example. The industry in any form whatsoever and this looks to be the situation in the future. That, however, doesn't mean that players from this state cannot partake in online gambling.
You see, the regulations in Arizona don't mention anything about gambling at offshore operators. In theory, then, that means gambling on these sites is not punishable by law.
With that said, you must keep in mind the ambiguous nature of the law, with many lawyers arguing that the general law applied to land-based gambling can be applied to online gambling as well. Fortunately, this loophole has never been exploited to hunt down online players.
Localized Online Casinos
If you are a resident of Arizona and you are looking for a local online casino site, you will have limited options from which to choose. These are social casinos operated by the local Native American businesses. Some of them include Harrah's Online and Double Down Casino.
Note that these operators are online branches of the brick and mortar establishments operating legally in Arizona. Such offerings benefit the casino and players as well. For instance, players will have a chance to familiarize themselves with games they are likely to come across at each of the casinos.
Some offshore operators are also known to offer US-focused sports such as American Football, NBA, and Ice Hockey among others – known locally as Football, Basketball, and Hockey, of course. Apart from that, punters can find various table games that target the US market.
The payment options available are localized as well, with players given the option of choosing from major debit/credit cards, eWallets, prepaid cards, and cryptocurrencies in some instances.
Gambling with US Dollars
Finding an online casino that accepts US dollars is easy because it's one of the most used currencies worldwide and at online casinos, too. With its common use, most operators find it easy to operate with US dollars since it's impossible to include all the currencies in the world.
Apart from US dollars, Arizonans can use cryptocurrencies to play at various online gambling platforms. Cryptocurrencies have made massive inroads in almost all industries and gambling is certainly one of them. Their borderless and secure nature makes them convenient, fast, and trustworthy for players. Besides, many online casinos now accept a range of cryptocurrencies.
Casinos in Arizona
Remember that apart from Native American casinos, Arizona doesn't have other land-based casinos to boast about since it's illegal. Nevertheless, players can still walk into one of the more than 20 tribal establishments for a chance to enjoy various forms of gambling.
For instance, players will enjoy slot games as well as table games. With table games, however, players must engage in skill-based titles such as blackjack. Roulette and craps are, therefore, illegal – but if they are not in the table format, they become legal. Poker is also legal but no-limit tournaments are strictly prohibited. This is why many Arizona players travel over to Las Vegas.
As for online gambling options, players can look beyond the state's borders for suitable sites. Some of the common options preferred by Arizonans include BetOnline and Bovada. Offshore operators are up for contention and players from Arizona will find numerous European-based online casinos with the US market as their target audience.
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
