While Florida doesn’t offer legal real-money online casinos, players in the state can win cash prizes playing slots, blackjack, and other casino games at sweepstakes casinos. These sites allow play in premium coins, usually called Sweeps Coins (SC), and standard coins, called Gold Coins (GC). Play with Gold Coins for the fun of it, or play with Sweeps Coins to redeem winnings for cash prizes.
Online Casino Gaming for Cash Prizes in Florida
As mentioned, players in the Sunshine State can play casino-style games to redeem cash prizes at social and sweepstakes casinos. This option is fully legal, with the only stipulation being that cash prizes are limited to a maximum of $10,000 due to the state’s sweepstakes law. Below, we’ve listed some of the best Florida casino no deposit bonuses for anyone 18 and up to claim.
How We Rank the Best Florida Online Casinos
Legality
With Florida real money online casinos currently illegal, we turn to sweepstakes and social casinos in our rankings of the best Florida online casinos. Our casino experts will never recommend illegal or offshore online casinos due to their many inherent risks to personal and financial information and fairness. Sweepstakes and social casinos offer a safe and legal way for Florida players to enjoy casino-style games to redeem cash prizes, which is why you’ll only see them on our ranking list until real money online casinos are legalized and regulated.
Security
Recommending secure options for our players is paramount in our ranking process. We consider the security standards for both data transfer and storage, as well as monetary security standards when ranking the best Florida online casinos. Our experts look for strong encryption and bulletproof data standards and privacy policies before considering any online casino for our top lists.
Welcome Bonuses
The first bonus a player receives is an important part of their experience, which is why we take that into account for our rankings. Large numbers may look good up front, but we also take a look at playthrough requirements, deposit and wagering requirements, time limits, and eligibility to ensure that these welcome bonuses are fair and attainable for all. Without friendly terms and conditions, a welcome bonus that looks nice at first glance may still be one of the worst on offer in the state. You can trust our casino experts to rule out any offenders in this regard.
Bonuses for Existing Players
How frequently do Florida online casinos offer bonuses for their existing players after registration? Do these bonuses vary in terms of requirements and rewards? How attainable are these bonuses? Are the terms and conditions fair and transparent? These are all questions we look to answer when ranking the best online casinos in the state. Everyone dislikes companies that only offer their best deals to new customers, and that stands true for online casinos as well.
Game Selection
The variety of game options is an integral part of any online casino, so it should come as no surprise that we take this into consideration when building our rankings. No matter what level of player you are or what your preferences are, you should be able to find games that suit your taste and play style. For this reason, we take a deep dive into game catalogs to ensure we’re only recommending those that are worthwhile and, most of all, fun.
Reputation
An online casino’s reputation often precedes it, so our casino experts keep an ear to the ground to make sure we take those reputations into consideration when ranking the best Florida online casinos. This involves reading reviews and picking up on word-of-mouth and analyzing why each online casino holds the reputation that it does.
Loyalty and Rewards
Last but not least, we take loyalty and rewards programs into account when ranking online casinos. Sure, not every casino offers a loyalty program, but those that do may be ranked higher due to offering a new layer of fun and rewards to the experience. If an online casino does offer a program, we take a look at the details to ensure it’s accessible and makes sense for our players.
Florida Online Gambling Snapshot
Florida has long been a contender for a robust USA online casino market, but it’s been a bit slow coming. Here’s where we stand.
🎂 Minimum Gambling Age: | 18+ |
💰 Cash Prize Limit? | Yes, $10,000 cash prize limit |
🎰 Best for Casino Players: | WOW Vegas |
🏈 Best for Sports Bettors: | Fliff Sports Picks |
♣️ Best for Poker Players: | Global Poker |
🎉 Newest Florida Online Casino: | Zula Casino |
👩⚖️ State Regulator: | Florida Gaming Control Commission |
✅ Sweepstakes Casinos: | Yes, Legal |
✅ Sweepstakes Poker: | Yes, Legal |
✅ Sweepstakes Sportsbooks: | Yes, Legal |
✅ Sweepstakes Sportsbooks: | Yes, Legal |
✅ Online Horse Betting: | Yes, Legal |
✅ Real-Money Online Sportsbooks: | Yes, Legal |
✅ Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): | Not legal or illegal |
❌ Online Lottery: | No, Not Legal |
❌ Real-Money Online Casinos: | No, Not Legal |
📞 Gambling Helpline: | 1-800-GAMBLER |
✍️ Facts Updated: | November 2024 |
Online Casino Games in Florida
Slots in Florida
If there’s one type of game that sweepstakes and social casinos focus on, it’s slots. That’s great news for players in Florida who enjoy taking a spin. There’s plenty of variety in the state of games that offer various features, themes, bonus mechanics, bet amounts, and more. Penny slots and progressive jackpot slots are all on offer here (and everything in between), allowing any player to find a game of their liking.
Table Games in Florida
Table games, while not as vast in breadth as slots, are also widely available at sweepstakes and social casinos in the state. Players can face the dealer in real money blackjack, play their favorite numbers in real money roulette, and even aim high in real money baccarat to get their fill of table game fun in Florida. Some Florida online casinos even offer variations of the classics that feature unique side bets that can’t be found in the Sunshine State’s land-based casino offerings.
More Florida Online Casino Games
Sure, players can find other online casino game options such as video poker and keno, but the variety of other games available goes even deeper than that. Many sweepstakes and social casinos offer other options that can’t be found in retail casinos such as scratchcards, Dice, Plinko, and even unique games such as Mines and HiLo.
History of Gambling in Florida
The history of gambling in Florida essentially began with horse betting in the 1920s. There are quite a few tracks in the state, many having run since the early part of the 20th century, such as Tampa Bay Downs starting in 1926 and Gulf Stream Park in 1939. Next up, as the pattern often goes, came the Florida Lottery, which launched many years later in 1988.
As for the history of online gambling, it has been a recent and contentious one. Once again, following the typical legalization pattern, online sports betting began to be offered by Native American tribes after Governor DeSantis signed a sports betting agreement with those tribes in May 2021. Subsequently, Hard Rock launched an online sports betting platform in Nov. 2021, only to be essentially made illegal once again later that month.
Since then, the ability for tribes to offer online sports betting has been one that has been argued in courts and agreements, only launching again in Dec. 2023. However, that launch has been darkened by further court battles and challenges which have yet to pan out in either direction.
For now, however, online sports betting in the state remains available, while online casino gambling remains illegal.
Retail Casinos in Florida
According to the American Gaming Association, Florida is home to 8 commercial retail casinos, 7 tribal retail casinos, and a number of racetracks.
Casino Name | Location |
---|---|
Big Easy Casino | Hallandale Beach |
Calder Casino & Race Course | Miami Gardens |
Casino Miami | Miami |
Creek Entertainment Gretna | Gretna |
Dania Jai-Alai | Dania Beach |
Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club | Daytona Beach |
Derby Lane | St. Petersburg |
Ebro Greyhound Track | Ebro |
Magic City Casino | Miami |
Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino | Hallandale Beach |
Harrah's Pompano Beach Casino | Pompano Beach |
Hialeah Park Racing & Casino | Hialeah |
Jacksonville Kennel Club | Jacksonville |
Jefferson County Kennel Club | Monticello |
Melbourne Greyhound Park | Melbourne |
Miccosukee Resort and Gaming Center | Miami |
Orange Park Kennel Club | Orange Park |
Orange City Racing and Card Club | Orange City |
Oxford Downs | Summerfield |
Palm Beach Kennel Club | West Palm Beach |
Pensacola Greyhound Track | Pensacola |
Seminole Casino Brighton | Okeechobee |
Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee | Immokalee |
Seminole Casino Coconut Creek | Coconut Creek |
Hard Rock Hollywood | Hollywood |
Hard Rock Tampa | Tampa Bay |
Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood | Hollywood |
Tampa Bay Downs | Tampa |
Tampa Greyhound Track | Tampa |
Florida Online Casinos – Bottom Line
As it stands, there are no legal online casinos in Florida that allow you to play with and for real money. Frankly, it doesn’t look like online casinos will come to the Sunshine State anytime soon, either. To get a sense of Florida’s online gambling struggles, it helps to use sports betting as a reference point. In May 2021, Governor Ron Desantis signed a sports betting agreement between the state government and Native American tribes to allow online sports betting.
The glimmer of hope turned into a reality when Hard Rock launched its Florida online sports betting platform in November 2021. Soon after, though, in late November 2021, a judge threw out the agreement, which led to Hard Rock suspending its sportsbook. Sports betting in Florida had a bleak outlook and remains controversial despite a relaunch occurring in Dec. 2023. This relaunch has already been challenged by courts, and the long-drawn-out battle continues.
What does this battle mean for getting the best online casinos? Well, it certainly doesn’t look good. Sports betting has historically been the first big gambling push in most legal markets, preceding online casinos by months or years. In all likelihood, Florida won’t consider online casinos until well after its sportsbook market is established and the court challenges cease. For now, social casinos remain the best option for enjoying casino-style games online in Florida.
More Resources for Florida Online Gamblers
Online Casinos in Neighboring States
Florida Online Casinos FAQ
No. Real money online casinos are currently illegal in Florida. However, players can take part in casino-style games to redeem cash prizes in the state.
Visit a Florida land-based retail casino. This is currently the only option to play real money on slots in the state.
Online and in-person horse betting and sports betting, as well as in-person casino gambling and lottery are all legal in Florida. In addition, online sweepstakes and social casinos are legal.
Hard Rock Bet is currently the only legal gambling app in the state of Florida. Offered by the Seminole tribe, players can utilize it for online sports betting in the state.
Yes, if you play at a legal sweepstakes or social casino that we recommend on this page. Illegal and offshore real money online casino gambling options are unsafe and unregulated.