- 1. Ignition Casino
- 2. Cafe Casino
- 3. Wild Casino
- 5. Slots.lv
- 7. Super Slots
- Massachusetts Gambling Landscape
- Is Online Gambling in Massachusetts Legal?
- History of Gambling in Massachusetts
- Casinos in Massachusetts
Online gambling has been growing strongly since the internet itself went mainstream, and the attempts to legalize it have been present for decades. With that said, the last few years have brought a particularly strong push to legalize online gambling and sports betting in many US states where it was not regulated. Even today, there are states where you can freely gamble online and those where it is entirely illegal to do so. However, with Massachusetts legalizing sports betting in August 2022, we were interested to see what the situation is like involving the state’s gambling landscape as a whole, with a specific focus on online casinos.
Since there are currently no state licensed online casinos we will begin by featuring the top online casinos that accept residents from Massachusetts.
Currently these are the top offshore casinos that offer online gambling services to Massachusetts residents:
1. Ignition Casino
Ignition Casino is a platform licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission and in possession of the eCOGRA certificate. The platform was founded in 2016, and it is well-known for a wide variety of games, multiple language support, top-notch customer service available via email, live chat, and phone call, as well as multiple payment methods.
The casino also offers rich bonuses, promotions, and additional benefits. Keeping up with the times, Ignition casino also supports crypto transactions. All in all, it is a great platform for those who seek a platform rich with live games, and we recommend it.
Ignition Casino is an excellent platform, and you can read everything that we know about it by clicking here.
2. Cafe Casino
Next up, we have Cafe Casino, which only caters to USA players including players from Massachusetts. The casino itself is fairly young, as it only launched in 2020. However, it grew quickly and attracted users from all over the country thanks to its generous bonuses, acceptance of cryptocurrencies, and various other payment methods.
Cafe Casino holds a Curacao gaming license, and it has a rather extensive game library, featuring slots, blackjack, multiple versions of roulette including American and European, and all kinds of other games that players from all walks of life enjoy. If you decide to stick around, you even become eligible for loyalty and VIP programs, and there are always promotions involving something called a mystery bonus.
The platform is also big on security and customer support, and it is available via mobile and desktop, so you can play your favorite games from home or while on the go. Read more about it in our Cafe Casino review, or if you wish to head over to the platform and start playing, you can do that by clicking here.
3. Wild Casino
In the third spot, we have Wild Casino — a platform that offers excellent bonuses, hundreds of games, and it currently accepts players from Massachusetts. The casino was launched in 2017, and it obtained a license from the Panama Gaming Commission. Since then, it has been a common gambling site for US gamblers, constantly adding more games through partnerships with new software providers.
It features slots, tables, video poker, and, of course, roulette. Other than that, it has a lot of benefits that make it attractive to players, such as fast payouts, generous bonuses, the great quality of games, multiple payment options, compatibility with various devices, and more. In the end, it is one of the most popular platforms for a reason, and it is no accident that it ranks high on our list. To learn more about Wild Casino, read our Wild Casino Review, which covers everything that the platform has to offer in detail.
4. Bovada
In fourth place, we have Bovada, which is both a casino and a sportsbook. The platform was launched in 2011, which was also when it obtained the Kahnawake Gambling Commission’s license. However, after the Commission had a policy change in 2016, Bovada decided to voluntarily drop the license in protest. As of 2022, the platform has been running without a license for six years now, and it has never had any issues as a result of its situation.
Bovada features hundreds of games, with 300 of them being slots alone. It offers multiple payment methods, including cryptocurrencies, and it has a very rich welcome bonus that continues to draw new users in. There are also various promotions and even a loyalty and VIP program for long-term users. Finally, it also has very capable customer support that you can reach via phone, email, or live chat.
Bovada is a platform with a clear vision of what the online gambling industry is supposed to look like in order for gamblers to get what they need, and you can learn everything about it from our in-depth review.
5. Slots.lv
In the fifth spot, we have Slots.lv, which is a platform that was launched in 2013 with a special focus on offering an exceptional selection of slot machines, and it provides services for players from the USA including Massachusetts.
The platform is well-known for a variety of highly desirable features and benefits, such as $10 minimum deposits, generous welcome bonuses, cryptocurrency incentives, and over 400 available games. Slots.lv is also very safe thanks to advanced encryption, as well as the fact that it holds the license of Curacao Gaming Authorities.
For more details, check out our Slots.lv review, or if you just want to head over there and start playing roulette, Slots.lv website is waiting.
6. BetOnline
Nearing the end of the list, we have BetOnline, it’s a comprehensive gambling site that also mostly focuses on acting as a sportsbook, but it does still have plenty of casino games, including roulette.
Its minimum deposit is a bit above average, sitting at $20 when most platforms offer $10, but that is also still rather affordable. The platform supports multiple payment methods, including crypto, and it holds a license by Panama City authorities. It has a great welcome bonus, and plenty of crypto-involving promotions, so using digital currencies might be something worth considering.
Read more about it in our BetOnline review, or visit the platform itself to learn more.
7. Super Slots
At the end of the list we have Super Slots. This is a leading casino rich with slot games, with its entire theme revolving around this most popular type of casino game. Of course, the platform doesn’t feature only slots but also plenty of live games, table games, and more. If you have any questions, feel free to contact its customer support which will gladly help you in any way possible.
Super Slots is a fairly young platform launched in 2020, but it accepts US players, it has a massive welcome bonus, it accepts crypto payments, and its minimum deposit is only $25. Apart from crypto, you can also deposit funds via Visa, Mastercard, bank wire transfers, or American Express. The platform is perfectly safe and licensed by the Panama Gaming Control Board, which makes it compliant with the US gambling laws.
For more information about Super Slots, we recommend reading our review of the platform and learning everything there is before proceeding to its website.
Massachusetts Gambling Landscape
Gambling has been legal in Massachusetts for a little over 50 years now, ever since the formal introduction of the state lottery in 1971. Ever since, gambling has existed in one form or another, but in recent years, there have been major advances in the legal landscape. This was especially noticeable in 2011 when the Expanded Gaming Act passed, making casino games legal in the state.
Massachusetts became home to luxurious casino resorts, and from that point on, the locals could also bet on daily fantasy sports, and now, with the passing of the sports betting legislation, even sports betting is technically legal, both online and in-person. However, it is worth noting that, while legal, sports betting has not yet been properly licensed and installed in the country, and even the most optimistic assessments of when this might happen, say that it can be expected in late 2022 or, rather, early 2023.
Is Online Gambling in Massachusetts Legal?
The answer is simply an unknown, online gambling remains one form of gambling in Massachusetts that the state has yet to tackle. It did it to an extent by legalizing online sports betting, alongside retail betting, as mentioned earlier, but gambling in online casinos by playing casino games while putting real money on the line has not yet been enabled.
With that said, gamblers could still access off-shore casinos and gamble on their platforms, technically speaking. Since these are international casinos with no license in the US, they are technically not offering their services legally. The whole situation is in the legal gray area, really, because Massachusetts gamblers who access such websites are technically not breaking the law, as there is no law that prohibits it.
It is also worth noting that, while the citizens are not breaking the law by accessing the platform, they are still exposing themselves to risk because the country cannot help them if the platforms refuse to pay them their winnings or do something similar. Of course, chances that this will actually happen are very low, at least if the gamblers and bettors use legitimate platforms that are licensed in other nations, as their behavior towards customers is still being monitored elsewhere.
History of Gambling in Massachusetts
Massachusetts’ gambling history is long, and it started in 1638 when the Puritans passed a law that outlawed cards, dice, and any other game of chance that existed at the time. These days, even in the harshest anti-gambling states, people are still not breaking the law if they play a game or two at their own homes with their friends and family. In Massachusetts in 1638, even this was illegal to do. The reason for the law was that men who gambled were considered idle, and no one was supposed to be idle, as idle hands were believed to be holding the devil’s tools.
In 1719, even lotteries were banned, and this ban lasted until 1745. Around that time, the public lottery returned in order to help fund King George’s War, and they lasted for about 15 years, and then they got banned again.
After that, in 1794, Harvard University was allowed to hold a private lottery, which was not very successful, as it was expected to earn $8,000 at the time to build a dormitory, Stoughton Hall. The university took a decade to raise funds, which is why in 1810, it sought permission to run a secondary lottery this time for $30,000, and it was significantly more successful this time.
Lotteries then got banned yet again in 1833, and they were not allowed to return for 138 years, finally getting legal again in 1971. Before that, in 1934, pari-mutuel betting on horses and dogs was legalized during The Depression, and they were technically open until 2009 when dog racing got banned.
Casinos themselves were only legalized in November 2011, and now, almost 11 full years later, the state legalized online and in-person sports betting, thus making only online gambling still not legalized as of 2022.
Casinos in Massachusetts
Massachusetts may have casino gambling legalized, but that doesn’t mean that it is a particularly big gambling scene. In fact, there are only 5 casinos, two of which are Indian casinos, and three are company-owned and state-approved.
The Indian casinos include Aquinnah Cliffs Casino and the First Light Casino & Resort. As for the state-approved gaming institutions, those include Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino.