New York – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
Online Casinos in New York (US)
Find the Best American Casino Online
Residents of the Empire State are able to access overseas online casinos, as the responsibility lies on the government to block such sites. Governments tend not to be equipped to handle this task, meaning that there is simply not much stopping players from gaining access to new casinos online. An unregulated market does have the side-effect of attracting illegitimate operations though, so you need to be confident in being able to identify a legitimate and worthwhile site. Most online casinos are licensed in overseas jurisdictions, which does go some way in showing their legitimacy. Simply asking yourself a few questions before registering any information is a great start to minimizing the potential risks that are involved with accessing online casinos from restricted regions.
- Is the casino licensed?
- What are the main policies of the site’s licensing authority?
- Will you be able to register from New York?
- Are your preferred payment methods supported?
- Will you be eligible for any offers or loyalty programs?
Check out our casino reviews here at GoodLuckMate to get a concise and unbiased summary of various individual casinos. Our reviews look at the features and efficacy of individual casinos, so that you can get a strong impression of the operation, allowing you to make up your own mind. We therefore strongly recommend you take a look at our reviews before registering with a site.
Gambling Regulation
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 is what first allowed casinos to establish themselves in New York. Legal sports betting came into being thanks to a legal dissolution that allowed individual states to set out their own sports betting legislation. This lead to several states, New York included, to open up retail betting stores and venues. Local casinos are now also equipped to handle sports betting, however, the online sector remains in a gray-zone. While there are no local operations permitted to handle online betting, overseas operations are still widely available due to them not being blocked by the government. While these sites are not able to legally provide their services to New York residents, they are authorized to operate within their licensing body’s jurisdiction. These are therefore not criminal organizations but are instead legitimate casinos operating in a relative gray-market.
Localized Online Casinos
Despite the lack of authority to present themselves to New York residents, the vast majority of online casinos are already equipped to take in customers from around the US. Most sites use English as a default language and those that offer up sportsbook platforms are more than willing to heavily market big US events like the Superbowl or the NBA. New York is in a unique position, due to the cultural significance of New York City, which does carry over its influences to various casino’s themes and concepts. The fact that neighboring states like New Jersey have a fully regulated market also allows casinos to specifically market towards those local demographics, which only helps to provide further localization options like payment methods for instance.
Gambling with US Dollars
US dollars are incredibly common at online casinos from around the world. The currency serves as a default option for many operations, acting as a substitute currency for players whose local currency can not be supported for one reason or another. This means that you will have little to no trouble in finding a site that allows you to deposit and play with US dollars. The available payment methods usually include a variety of payment cards, e-wallets and bank transfer options. E-wallets have proven themselves a time tested favorite with many players, as they provide a quick and easy method of sending and receiving payments online. Cryptocurrencies have also recently exploded onto the scene, attracting many players to using them instead of traditional currencies.
Casinos in New York
Seven tribal casinos now exist in New York state alongside numerous gambling halls and sports betting venues. One such venue is the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, which facilitates horse race betting and casino action with over 5,000 slots and other machines. There is also the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, which is one of the seven tribal locations that is being operated by one of the three tribes running casinos in the state.
All of the physical evidence points towards New York being a bustling place for gambling, which it is for the most part. It is just when you venture online that you soon discover that activities are much more restricted. While other states have made big strides towards providing a fully regulated market, others have instead made a start on opening up legal online sportsbook operations. New York on the other hand has not shown much progress in either regard. There was some hope prior to the 2020 budget that there would be some online or mobile gambling revenues factored in, however, this did not end up being the case. There is therefore nothing concrete to suggest that any changes will come to the state in the near future.
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.
