Massachusetts Online Casinos – An Inside Look At The Bay State’s Casino Gambling Industry
Outside of the Massachusetts Lottery and horse racing betting, gambling in MA has been historically limited. Casinos in Massachusetts only got the go-ahead in 2011, and there are just three MA casinos up and running today. Ironically, though, Massachusetts online casinos have been available for years, as these sites are hosted by international betting brands located outside of MA and US borders.
Online Massachusetts casinos are safe and legal to use, and there’s no sneaky fine print or legal loopholes to worry about. Plus, it’s probably going to be a long time before the state authorizes a new MA casino. Given the holdups with legalizing online sports betting in Massachusetts (which finally happened in August 2022), online MA casino gambling seems like an eternity away. But if you use the sites we recommend, it’s right here right now!
★ Top-Rated Online Casino For Massachusetts Players 2024
Bovada Casino – Win Some New Money In The Old Colony
Bovada LV is the most popular online Massachusetts casino. The site features hundreds of RNG (random number generation) online casino games, including over 100 of the best MA slots. Of course, blackjack sharps, roulette players, online bingo fans, and other kinds of casino players all have plenty to choose from, too.
That said, Bovada isn’t just limited to MA casino action. One account at the site gives you full access to online Massachusetts sports betting, Massachusetts online poker, online horse betting, and more.
If you live in the Baked Bean State, you can sign up today and bring home the bacon with Bovada’s $3000 online casino welcome bonus!
- 2011 in Costa Rica, Central America
- 250+ MA online slots + table games
- Real live-dealer casino games
- Bitcoin + BCH, LTC, ETH support
- Mobile-optimized for iPhone, iPad, Android
- 1 account for Casino, Sports, Poker, Horses
- All MA residents accepted (18+)
Is Online Gambling Legal In Massachusetts As Of 2024?
Yes, online gambling is legal in MA! However, Massachusetts casino laws – and MA gambling laws in general – only allow state-regulated venues to host in-person games. If you want to play with an online casino in Massachusetts, you can only do so with a legit online casino located outside of both MA and US borders.
Since state and federal laws only apply to domestic operators – and since there are no laws barring individual players from international gaming venues – you don’t need a Harvard law degree to understand that these sites remain 100% safe and legal to use.
Online gambling in Massachusetts is a long way off at the domestic level, but if you’re ready to play right now, the best online casinos in MA are open for business. Best of all, despite the legal Massachusetts gambling age being 21+ for state-licensed casino action, you only need to be 18+ to gamble with most of the reputable sites featured here.
Are There Legal MA Online Casinos That Are Safe To Play At?
Of course! In fact, all the online Massachusetts casinos we recommend are established, safe, and trustworthy. That said, it’s not enough to take our word for it – you need to know exactly what separates a safe MA casino from a shady one.
To that end, we’ve listed all the most important criteria a legit casino site needs to meet in order to be considered a truly safe online gaming destination. As long as the MA betting website you choose ticks all the boxes below, we think you’ll really like them apples!
Massachusetts Mobile Casinos
MA isn’t the biggest state, but there are only three domestic casinos to choose from. If you live outside the immediate vicinity of any of these, you’ll come up craps unless you have a serious amount of free time on your hands.
Of course, with online casinos, state residents – especially those living in the northern part of the state or a long way from the coast – can play without going anywhere. All the online Mass. casinos featured in our reviews are designed for mobile gambling first and foremost, allowing you to enjoy the best slots and table games no matter where you are.
Because these online MA casino “apps” aren’t actual downloadable programs, there’s nothing to install or update, either. Everything is 100% web-based, so as long as you’ve got an up-to-date mobile browser, you can gamble from anywhere, anytime.
Best of all, there’s never any geofencing with these Massachusetts gambling sites, so your gaming session won’t hang up when you travel across state lines.
Online Casino Games In Massachusetts
An online casino isn’t worth your time if it doesn’t have the best possible games on tap. Luckily, the best MA online casinos have partnered with the biggest casino software designers in the industry.
Brands like Realtime Gaming, Rival Gaming, Nucleus, Betsoft, and more deliver the loosest slots in Massachusetts, along with the best online blackjack, roulette, baccarat, and video poker in MA. And if you want to play online bingo in Massachusetts, these sites are definitely on the ball – all 30, 50, 70, or 90 of them!
In all, sites with legal online gambling in Massachusetts give you round-the-clock access to all the following real-money online casino games:
- Online Slot Games (3-Reel, 5-Reel, 3D, iSlots
- Online Progressive Slots Games ($1 million-plus!)
- Online Blackjack Games (1-Deck, 2-Deck, 6-Deck, 8-Deck)
- Online Roulette Games (American and European)
- Online Baccarat + Super 6/Mini-Bac Games
- Online Video Poker Games
- Online Keno + Craps + Bingo Games
- Online Lotteries
- Online Raffles + Scratch-Offs
- Online Live Casino Games
Massachusetts Online Live-Dealer Casino Games
In the past, legal online gambling sites in MA suffered from one major flaw: they couldn’t offer anything to compete with live-dealer table games at brick-and-mortar casinos. However, that’s no longer the case.
These days, with advancements in mobile tech and 4G/5G Internet, live Massachusetts casino gambling is a common attraction at all the best sites.
These tables feature live dealers and croupiers cutting the decks and spinning the wheels in real time, and you can watch everything right through a streaming A/V connection. You can even chat with the house and other players at your table!
- Live Dealer Blackjack
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Live Dealer Baccarat
- Live Dealer Super 6
Note: Live online casinos are paid amusements only – there are no free online casino games at live-dealer tables. Also, the best MA online gambling sites generally don’t allow live casino play to contribute to online casino bonus rollover requirements.
Brick-And-Mortar Casinos In Massachusetts
It’s no secret that we strongly prefer gambling in Massachusetts online rather than in person. It’s just so much more convenient. But every now and then, we like to take a break from the day-to-day and check out a real Massachusetts casino hotel, play some games, eat a good steak, and check out some shows.
For that, there’s no substitute to brick-and-mortar gaming. From the Encore Casino in Boston and the Plainridge slot parlor just down the road to the Springfield Casino on the Connecticut border, everything has something fun and unique to offer.
And when the pair of Indian casinos in Massachusetts are finally up and running, we’ll have even more unique gaming fare to check out.
And if we’re feeling particularly nostalgic? In that case, we’ll even give up gambling for an afternoon to check out the historic Stockbridge Casino out west. It hasn’t got any games, but there’s plenty of Massachusetts gambling history in those old walls.
Note: In 2016, the state rejected a Brockton casino proposal by Mass Gaming & Entertainment for the MA casino “Region C” license, leaving one MA casino license unused. If a commercial casino is built in Region C (southeastern MA), the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe would not have to pay its 17% gaming revenue share to the state when tribal operations commence.
Gambling Resources For Massachusetts Residents
If you’d like to learn more about the current state of Massachusetts gambling laws, the following links to the current Massachusetts General Laws and the most relevant recent gambling expansion laws are a good place to start:
- MA General Laws Ch. 128A – “Horse and Dog Racing Meetings” (I-XIX-128A)
- MA General Laws Ch. 271 – “Crimes Against Public Policy” (IV-I-271)
- Massachusetts Expanded Gaming Act (2011) – Ch. 194, signed by Gov. Deval Patrick on Nov. 22, 2011. Allowed for three MA casino licenses and one MA slot parlor license. One casino license (Region C) is still available as of 2022. A summary of the bill can be found here.
Remember, gambling is for entertainment only. If you or someone you know is suffering from gambling addiction, help is available for free from the Massachusetts chapter of the National Council on Problem Gambling.