Florida – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
Online Casinos in Florida (US)
Find the Best Florida Casino Online
For any player from Florida wanting to enjoy some online casino action then it is going to take some time and research to find the right online gaming site. You will need to keep in mind a few important points to ensure that your experience is going to be as good as it possibly can be. Banking, customer support, and bonuses are all things to keep in mind, as well as making sure that all your favorite games are available, thankfully, we have reduced all the questions down into a handy checklist below for you.
- Is the casino fully licensed with a recognized gambling authority?
- Does the casino openly accept US players?
- Can you deposit using your dollars?
- Does the casino offer suitable payment methods?
- Is the customer support available 24/7 or in line with your gaming hours?
Online gambling in the USA is a complicated matter and it has been for quite some while. We recommend that you take the stress out of the casino search for now and let the experts at GoodLuckMate handle the process for you. We review and evaluate thousands of online casino sites and pick out a list of options that are suitable for those of you playing in Florida, and as a result, it takes the stress out of having to make all those individual checks yourself.
Gambling Regulation – Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (2006)
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (2006) states that gambling with real money online is not permitted, but the standout point here is that this legislation focuses on the individual operators and the banking processors rather than the players themselves. There is some wording that also states “whoever plays... by any device whatsoever” that does seem to suggest that this covers the use of mobile phones, laptops, and so on. However, with all this being said, the local authorities are not interested in picking up “criminals” who have been found to be playing slots or roulette via an online casino based in Curacao, or any other country for that matter.
It is fair to say that online gambling is a grey area and this is due to the fact that there are laws in place, but players can still access offshore casinos. The added talking point is that many of the gambling jurisdictions around the world do not accept US players. As of now, only jurisdictions such as Curacao and Costa Rica will allow online casinos to accept players from Florida and the US in general. Even so, keep in mind that these specific authorities will not intervene in any disputes between players and operators. This drives home the point that you should follow our recommendations to ensure that you only pick and play at trusted online casino sites.
Localized Online Casinos
Due to the laws against online gambling in the state of Florida, you will not find any online sites that have been especially localized for Floridians or US players in general. You may well find some sites welcoming US players to their international community of casino members, and you may also find some sites that display US dollars, but remember that these casinos may or may not have licenses in place, and if they do then it will not be a fully regulated license that ensures complete peace of mind and player security for players from Florida.
The positives are that you can still find various online casino sites to choose from and so you do have some options when it comes to claiming welcome bonuses and other online casino promotions. Ultimately, there is some choice out there for players from Florida but the heavy cloud of the US and Florida State gambling laws will always continue to linger until some serious changes are made.
Gambling with US Dollars
You can find offshore gambling sites that take the American dollar and this will make funding your casino accounts all the easier in the long run. The problem lies in making sure that the site is one that you can trust because as we have found, not all licensed casinos that accept US players are fully regulated. If you do find a trusted site, and remember that GoodLuckMate can help you with that, you will come across reliable methods such as Visa and Mastercard, as well as options like Western Union and MoneyGram which players from Florida regularly use.
The fact that US players cannot use the likes of Skrill or Neteller, which are popular across the rest of the world, often means that the range of payment methods at some international casinos can be limited to players from Florida. Using cryptocurrency is a recommended payment option with Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Litecoin all popular. Buying cryptocurrencies with your dollars will also help to keep your casino gaming private and anonymous, but all in all, it does prove the point that you do need to think about banking with Dollars before you choose your next online casino.
Casinos in Florida
Florida is home to several land-based casinos and these are all owned by Native American tribes. The full casino experience can be found at these casinos with slot machines, video poker, and various table games like baccarat and blackjack. However, ball and dice games like roulette and craps are not yet permitted at these casinos. The Seminole tribe operates a few Hard Rock casinos and the Miccosukee tribe manage a casino and gaming resort, so there is some variety to be found across the state.
To conclude, the online gambling environment in Florida is still restricted and so players need to turn to offshore companies. But this is not a simple process and so extra caution needs to be taken to ensure the casino in mention does accept US players, and that the site is fully licensed and trustworthy. Fortunately, GoodLuckMate is on hand to guide you through the tricky pathway to online casino gaming. We have reviewed many US-friendly sites for you already, so be sure to check out the rest of the site for our expert reviews and suggestions.
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.
