Nevada is home to iconic casino resorts along the Las Vegas Strip and beyond. And while sites like BetMGM and Caesars Palace Online bring some of these places to life digitally, real money online casinos are not yet legal in Nevada. But anyone 18 and up can win cash prizes online by playing casino games at a few sweepstakes and social casinos. Best of all, they’re free to play, which is more than we can say for anywhere in Vegas!
Online Casino Gaming for Cash Prizes in Nevada
Unfortunately, most of our picks for social casinos are not available in Nevada. But some of the all-time best are available in the Silver State. Claim the bonuses with our sweepstakes promo codes below to start winning cash prizes on slots and more for free.
Gambling is for entertainment purposes only. Stay safe and ensure success when you gamble responsibly. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER for confidential support. Visit SAMHSA’s National Helpline website for resources that include a treatment center locator, anonymous chat, and more.
Sweepstakes Casinos Overview
These sites offer two types of currency: Gold Coins (GC) and Sweeps Coins (SC). GC is strictly used for fun play, but purchasing them includes SC (you also get free SC on signup and every day that you log in). Play the games using SC, and any SC that you win can be redeemed for cash prizes or gift cards. Check out our complete guide to sweepstakes casinos.
How We Rank the Best Nevada Online Casinos
We conduct detailed reviews of online casinos in Nevada to ensure they offer a secure, enjoyable experience. These are the main criteria that we assess:
- Availability: Most online sweepstakes casinos are unavailable in Nevada. Leading sites like Pulsz, WOW Vegas, High 5 Casino, and Sweeptastic operate in every state apart from Nevada, Idaho, Washington, and Michigan. We set out to find reputable social and sweepstakes casinos that currently accept players located in Nevada.
- Game Selection: Once we have identified the social and sweepstakes casinos that operate legally in Nevada, we assess the game selection. Our reviewers consider the quality and variety of the casino games on offer. The best Nevada online casinos offer well-designed, entertaining slots, and some offer a handful of virtual table games too.
- Bonuses: We then consider the bonuses that each NV online casino offers. Our reviewers break down the sweepstakes casino no deposit bonuses, any discounts on coin purchases, login bonuses, rewards programs, contests, leaderboards, and other promos. We consider the size, frequency, and simplicity of the bonuses.
- Software: Our reviewers also focus on the casino software powering each site. The best Nevada online casinos are fast, easy-to-navigate, free of glitches, and intelligently designed. Others are poorly conceived, cluttered, unreliable, and prone to crashing.
- Payments: You can play games for fun at Nevada online casinos, without ever making a payment. However, you may decide to buy coins, and some sites offer cash prize redemptions too. We evaluate the online casino payments and redemption processes at each online casino in Nevada, focusing on the speed, ease, and redemption limits.
- Customer Service: Finally, we test the customer service. Some sites offer a strong range of games, high-quality software, and reliable payments, but they fall short when it comes to customer support. We only recommend online casinos that deal with customer service requests in a timely manner.
Nevada Online Gambling Snapshot
| Gambling Type | Legal | Details |
|---|---|---|
| USA Online Casinos | No | Real money online casinos are illegal in Nevada, and most sweepstakes casinos are unavailable in the Silver State, but a few sites accept Nevadans. |
| Online Poker | Yes | Nevada legalized online poker in 2013. The top sites include 888 Poker and WSOP.com. |
| Online Lottery | No | Online lottery is not legal in Nevada. |
| Online Sports Betting | Yes | Online sports betting is legal in Nevada. Bettors need to register in-person at a land-based casino or sportsbook linked to the sports betting app. |
| DFS Contests | No | Nevada explicitly prohibits Daily Fantasy Sports contests, so you cannot use apps such as FanDuel Fantasy or DraftKings Fantasy. |
| Online Horse Betting | No | Pari-mutuel wagering is only available in-person in Nevada. |
Online Casino Games in Nevada
You can play a variety of games at the sweepstakes casino available in Nevada. They offer similar games to those found at land-based casinos in Las Vegas or Reno. These are the main categories:
Slots in Nevada
Online slots are available at every online casino in Nevada. Social casinos allow you to play slots for entertainment purposes, and a few sweepstakes casinos give you the chance to win prizes. These are the main types of slots you will find:
- Classic Slots | Old-school games with simple graphics, low slot volatility levels and modest jackpots. These slots typically feature classic symbols such as red 7s, cherries, and bells on the reels. Here’s more on stepper slots.
- Video Slots | Modern slots with multimedia enhancements, including graphics, animations, and soundtracks. They follow clear themes, such as Ancient Egypt or an outer space adventure, and some incorporate narrative storytelling to make the experience more engaging. These slots can have any volatility level, and they normally offer bonus features, including wilds and scatters, which trigger bonus rounds.
- Jackpot Slots | Progressive jackpot slots give you the chance to win a large prize from a single spin of the reel. Some slots have fixed jackpots, but games with progressive jackpots tend to garner the most attention, as they can potentially offer huge payouts.
- Bonus Buy Slots | Video slots that allow you to pay a fee in order to skip straight through to the bonus round.
- Megaways Slots | These slots use the Megaways feature, which increases the number of paylines by orders of magnitude. Many online slots have 25 paylines, whereas some Megaways slots offer more than 200,000 ways to win.
Table Games in Nevada
Some social casinos in Nevada allow you to play virtual table games online. If so, these are the most popular games you will find:
You can play virtual blackjack, baccarat, and roulette games, which are powered by the same Random Number Generators used on video slots. Some social casinos offer live dealer play in Nevada, such as BetRivers.net, but you cannot redeem cash prizes.
History of Gambling in Nevada
Gambling was popular in Nevada during the 19th Century when frontier towns offered rip-roaring poker and dice games. The territory’s first governor, James Nye, declared his opposition to gambling after Abraham Lincoln appointed him to the post in 1861. However, efforts to prohibit gambling failed, and it was decriminalized in 1867, three years after Nevada became a state. That means Nevada was among the first places to legalize gambling in the US.
In 1873, the legal gambling age was increased from 17 to 21. The new law also made it a felony to cheat when gambling in Nevada. The Silver State reluctantly outlawed most forms of gambling in 1909 after pressure from the federal government, becoming the last western state to do so. However, social games, nickel slots, and pari-mutuel betting were all legalized in 1919.
The population of Las Vegas increased from 5,000 to 25,000 in 1931 after work began on the Hoover Dam. Mafia bosses teamed up with local business owners to develop casinos and showgirl theaters to entertain the predominantly male dam construction workers. The state legislature realized that gambling could be lucrative for the local economy, so it legalized casinos in 1931.
Las Vegas and Reno quickly established themselves as the country’s foremost gambling destinations. Financier Howard Hughes moved to Las Vegas in 1966 and began buying up casinos from organized crime families, helping the city transition from its Wild West roots to a modern, cosmopolitan city. Mega-resorts began opening in the 1980s, and they now dominate Las Vegas.
Nevada legalized online poker in 2013. It joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, which allows Nevada to share players with four other states. For many years, Nevada was also the only state with legal sports betting. That all changed in 2018, when a federal wagering ban was overturned in the Supreme Court, but the land-based sportsbooks in Las Vegas and Reno remain popular to this day. Online sports betting is legal in Nevada too. However, there is still no state lottery, while Daily Fantasy Sports apps and online racebooks are also forbidden.
Retail Casinos in Nevada
The number of retail casinos in Nevada changes on an annual basis. There were 229 when the Nevada Gaming Control Board delivered its last update to the American Gaming Association, but the number can fluctuate. They are primarily clustered in Las Vegas and Reno.
The Las Vegas Strip is home to a kaleidoscope of wondrous casinos, from The Venetian and Paris to Bellagio and the twin resorts of Wynn and Encore. Downtown Las Vegas is another popular hub, centered around Fremont Street. Reno also has a thriving casino industry, while there are casino towns spread across the state, particularly along the border with Utah.
Nevada Online Casinos – Bottom Line
Nevada is synonymous with luxurious casino resorts. You can play thousands of games, dine at five-star restaurants, visit high-end stores, enjoy world-class entertainment, and marvel at Elvis impersonators in Las Vegas. However, sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, so you may choose to play casino games online instead.
The options are limited in Nevada compared to most other states, but some sweepstakes and social casinos are available. You can play your favorite games for fun, and you may be given the chance to redeem gift cards and cash prizes if you earn free Sweeps Coins and play them through.
Online Casinos in Neighboring States
Nevada Online Casinos FAQ
There are currently 229 casinos in Nevada, according to the latest report from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The major casino resorts are primarily clustered in Las Vegas and Reno, but you will find smaller land-based casinos in other parts of the state. Most are commercial casinos, but there are a handful of tribal casinos too.
Wynn, Encore, Bellagio, The Venetian, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Paris, and Caesars Palace are some of the most popular casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. If you venture away from the Strip, you can play at large casino resorts such as Sunset Station, Green Valley Ranch, and Red Rock Casino.
No, online casinos have not been legalized in Nevada. You can play online slots and table games for fun at social casinos, but they do not offer real money gaming. Most sweepstakes casinos are unavailable in the Silver State, but sweepstakes sites including Zula Casino and Fortune Coins are currently accepting players in Nevada.
Yes, some sweepstakes casinos do accept Nevada players and allow cash prize redemption. However, many do not. See our list of available options above.
You can play slots and table games at Nevada online casinos. Most of them only allow you to play for fun with Gold Coins, but a few sweepstakes casino sites are currently operating in the Silver State. They give you opportunities to redeem cash prizes if you successfully play through Sweeps Coins.
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