State gambling regulators

What state regulators do

State regulators are the agencies that license gambling operators, write and enforce rules, test games, audit money and take enforcement action against anyone running gambling without a license. In the US they're set up state by state, because gambling law is mostly state law. Our US gambling laws hub explains how that split with federal law works.

There's no federal agency that licenses online casinos. Congress has passed laws that sit around the edges, such as the Wire Act and UIGEA, and the National Indian Gaming Commission oversees parts of tribal gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. But the question "can this casino legally take my bet?" is answered by state regulators and state law.

What a regulator does in practice depends on what the state allows. In Michigan, the Michigan Gaming Control Board licenses online casinos, sportsbooks and fantasy sites. In Georgia, the only gambling body is the lottery corporation. In Utah, there's no regulator because the state constitution prohibits gambling.

The seven state regulators that license online casinos

Only seven states license real-money online casinos, and each has a named regulator with a public list of approved operators. If a casino isn't on that list, the regulator doesn't oversee it. Our page on states with legal online casinos goes deeper on each market.

You can check the official lists yourself: Michigan's authorized online gaming providers (opens in a new tab), New Jersey's internet gaming permit holders (opens in a new tab) and Pennsylvania's licensed interactive gaming list (opens in a new tab). See our state hubs for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Maine is the eighth state on the way. LD 1164 became law without the governor's signature on January 11, 2026, giving Maine's Wabanaki Nations the exclusive right to run online casinos under the Gambling Control Unit. Nothing had launched by October 2026, the unit's iGaming rules had no effective date, and a lawsuit is pending. Our Maine online casinos page tracks it. Nevada licenses online poker but not real-money online casino games.

State regulators in all 50 states and DC

Here's the gambling regulator for every state, with whether it licenses online casinos. Where a state splits the job, the main bodies are listed. Agencies that only oversee the lottery or sports betting are shown as recorded, since in many states that's the only regulated gambling online.

Texas changed its setup recently: SB 3070 abolished the Texas Lottery Commission and moved lottery and charitable bingo oversight to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation from September 1, 2025. Wisconsin's Division of Gaming oversees tribal compacts, and in Oklahoma tribes are the primary regulators of their own Class II and Class III gaming. For tribal gaming in general, see our tribal gaming page.

States with no casino regulator

A handful of states have no agency that licenses casino gaming, which usually means there's little or no legal casino gambling to regulate. In Alabama, no state gaming regulator was found, and the attorney general enforces gambling law. In 2017 the attorney general sent a cease and desist letter to an online sweepstakes and auction site.

South Carolina has no casino or sports betting regulator; its gambling law is in S.C. Code §16-19-40, which sets penalties for players and operators of unlawful games. Utah has no regulator because its constitution bans gambling. No gaming regulator was recorded for Alaska, Hawaii or North Dakota. In these states there's nobody to license an online casino, so any real-money casino site serving residents is unlicensed by definition.

What state regulators say about offshore casinos

Many regulators have spoken directly about offshore sites. Their statements are the clearest guide to how your state sees them. Here's a sample, in each regulator's own framing.

You can read the originals, for example Iowa's warning on illegal operators (opens in a new tab), New York's page on unlawful gambling markets (opens in a new tab) and Wyoming's press releases (opens in a new tab). Our guide to offshore casino legality puts these together with federal law.

How state regulators act against unlicensed sites

A regulator can't license an offshore casino into compliance, but it can pressure one to leave. The main tool is the cease and desist letter, and Michigan's board has sent dozens since 2024, naming five of our partner brands. Our page on cease and desist letters lists them with dates.

Legislatures keep adding powers. New Jersey's P.L. 2025, c.128 makes running an unregulated online gambling site for New Jersey users a third-degree crime and gives the Division of Gaming Enforcement civil penalties of $10,000 for a first violation and $25,000 for later ones. Iowa's SF 2289 (2026) gives its commission cease and desist and injunction powers. Nevada's SB 256 (2025) increases penalties for unlicensed operators and requires them to give up profits.

What a state regulator can and can't do for you

At a licensed casino, the state regulator is your backstop. It requires approved games, audits operators, handles complaints and runs self-exclusion lists that licensed sites must honor. Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey and Virginia all run self-exclusion or self-restriction programs, which our state self-exclusion lists page covers.

At an offshore casino, almost none of that applies. Regulators in several states say plainly that they can't step into disputes with unlicensed sites. Michigan adds that offshore sites don't honor its Responsible Gaming Database. Our comparison of player protections, offshore vs licensed sets out the gaps.

How to check a casino with your state regulator

It takes a few minutes to see whether your state regulator stands behind a site.

1. Find your state in the table above and note its regulator.
2. Open the regulator's website and look for a list of licensed or authorized operators.
3. Search the list for the casino's brand name and the operator company in its terms.
4. If the casino isn't listed, search the regulator's news page for warnings or cease and desist letters naming it.
5. Read the casino's own terms for the license it claims, and check that claim with the issuing authority.
6. If your state licenses no online casinos, treat any real-money casino site as outside state oversight.

For a wider checklist, see how to choose an online casino and offshore vs state-licensed casinos.

State regulators timeline

Decode and Silver Oak: offshore offers outside state regulation

No state regulator in the table above licenses Decode or Silver Oak. Both are offshore casinos, so there's no state regulator to complain to, no state protection of your balance and terms the casino sets. Check what your state's regulator and law say before you sign up. Decode reportedly doesn't accept players from Maryland, New Jersey, New York or Washington, according to third-party reviews.

Decode Casino: $5,000 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Decode's own site advertises a different headline, a $111 free chip plus a crypto bonus, and shows no terms. Third-party reviews report a DECODE111 deal of 111% up to $1,111 with 25x wagering on bonus plus deposit and a $25 minimum deposit; max cashout isn't published for it. They also report weekly withdrawal caps of $2,500 or $5,000, which conflict. Decode doesn't show a license or operator on its site, and third parties report Curaçao with no number. Codes change, so the terms shown at sign-up apply.

Silver Oak Casino: $2,500 Welcome Bonus + 50 Free Spins, via our link (new players, 21+ or 18+ where allowed, terms apply). Silver Oak's terms name Primrose Media Limited, licensed in Anjouan, not by any US state. Its own site advertises up to $10,000 over ten deposits; its promotion page says 30x wagering and its terms say 40x on slots, with 60x on table games and video poker. Deposits start at $30, and withdrawals are capped at $2,500 a week under its terms. The Michigan Gaming Control Board named Silver Oak in its April 9, 2025 cease and desist release.

These bonuses are slot-focused; table games are often excluded or weighted lower. The house edge applies while you wager, so expect losses over time. We earn a commission through our links, and our ranking order is commercial. See the Decode review and the Silver Oak review before deciding.

21+ (18+ where allowed). Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: responsible gambling tools and free help. Gambling problem? Call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738).