Welcome to the D.C online gambling guide! The District of Columbia (a.k.a Washington D.C.), is the capital of the US. Over 20 million tourists visit the capital each year, which more than surpasses the local population by twenty fold.
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Although the population is relatively small, at only above 700 thousand, there are still plenty of gambling opportunities for residents. There are plenty of nearby land based casinos, sports betting is legal, horse racing is also available nearby, and a few unique bingo venues.
Often what is misconstrued are the gambling laws of Washington D.C. Too often Washington State is considered the same as Washington D.C. In fact they are two different locations, and that D.C. does have the ability to set its own gambling laws, without dependence on any US State.
In our guide, we outline our methodology of reviewing gambling games in D.C. In summary, our Top 10 D.C. Online Casinos are displayed below:
Top 10 Washington D.C. Online Casinos
| CASINO | RATING | BONUS | PLAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Vegas Casino Online | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 400% up to $10,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 2 |  Slots Plus Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 200% up to $7,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 3 |  Las Vegas USA | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 400% up to $10,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 4 |  Cafe Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 250% up to $2,500 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 5 |  Rich Palms Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 250% + 100% Cashback Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 6 |  Las Atlantis Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 280% up to $14,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 7 |  Red Dog Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 225% up to $12,250 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 8 |  El Royale Casino | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 250% up to $12,500 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 9 |  Slots Empire | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 220% up to $12,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
| 10 |  Bovada | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 100% up to $3,000 Welcome Bonus | PLAY NOW |
Our summary of the best sites in D.C. is created through hours of playing, reviewing and judging against criteria that all Players are intuitively apply (whilst also having a great time).
We now delve into the features that top online casinos all have.
Features of Top D.C. Online Casinos
Online casinos have many features that when assessed thoroughly will separate the bad from the good. We’ve spent a lot of time personally playing at D.C online casinos and gathering reader feedback to find out what features form core criteria to judge an online casino against. We have then simply asked Players (including ourselves) to rank the online casinos played at against the core criteria. Our methodology isn’t rocket science, but it does take a lot of time, and a crazy passion for gambling.
Payment Methods that are known and trusted
There are regularly new payment methods that are being created all the time. And one of the key advantages that some online casinos put forward over their competitors is that they offer a payment method that is cheaper and faster than others. Often, these payment methods are untested, completely and 100% new to the market and created by a small fin tech company.
Top online casinos do not push in their marketing that they offer unique, special, cheap and fast payment methods. They instead offer payment methods that are well known, common and therefore can be trusted. Yes, to many, Bitcoin is still and remains an exotic payment method, but it is well known and commonly used.
The best online casinos will only display common and trusted payment methods.
Wide Range of Games to Select
Bigger is better for many things and for online casinos it is no different. Having a wide game selection for Players sets apart the good from the bad sites. Players often want variety, in particular slot players who look for engaging story lines, exciting themes and game design. Top online casinos should have a sufficient variety to allow Players to find their favorites. If a Player needs to swap online casinos because they can’t find the game they want, it’s not just an inconvenience it’s a real pain in the butt.
Having a wide range of games is what a top online casino offers.
Customer Support that is accessible and prompt
It’s often underestimated by new Players how often they have questions or require technical support from the casino. Knowing that this is a common occurrence, each online casino’s customer support is vital is creating an enjoyable gaming experience.
The best online casinos offer accessible customer support. Accessible comes in the form of reliable and multi channels that queries can be submitted through. The most common channel is an email address that is solely for the purpose of player queries. Other preferred channels include instant chat (online) or telephone support. The more avenues (and convenience) of answering player queries, the more credit is given to an online casino.
Online Gambling Popularity
As you can imagine, with a small population online gambling turnover is no where near the size of California, Texas or New York.
But, there is still a lot of fun gaming action happening, with real money (just to add).
By far the most popular online game is slots. With a wide variety of different themes, exciting graphics and audio, and new coo game designs, the game of online slots is the fan favorite.
Second in popularity is blackjack – in particular Live Dealer blackjack. Players love the fact that they can Live Stream and dealer, and have that confidence that they are not playing against a random number generator.
Sports betting was becoming huge. Yet to be legalized but bets were being taken at offshore sports betting sites, until the coronavirus pandemic stopped all professional sport games.
Gambling Legality in Washington DC
Too often the gambling laws of D.C. are overlooked because it is a District. But infact they have the ability and independence to set their own laws. Therefore do not be mistaken that these laws are the same as Washington State or any other State for that matter.
Technically online gambling could be construed as illegal, however it’s not entirely clear, given that there is no specific mention of online gambling in the statute law.
In 2011, there was an attempt to formally legalize online casino gaming, however after passing parliament, it was sensationally overturned due to residents protesting that they were not properly informed and engaged with the legalization process.
So, we are back to square one, in which online gambling is not specifically reference in the law, but can be inferred as being illegal.
Now although, online gambling is in limbo land, offshore online casinos accept Players from Washington D.C. It is actually one of the most popular forms of entertainment in D.C. and growing!
Casinos – Technically Washington, D.C. does not have any licensed casinos, but there are many that can be visited in the vicinity that are only a hop, skip and a jump away. Just half an hour to an hour and you will get there!
Sports betting – yet to be legalized, but very very close. There has been much discussion regarding the licensing and governance framework. The regulator will be Office of Lottery and Gaming.
Horse racing – there are technically no horse racing tracks in Washington, D.C. but similar to the land casinos, there are many nearby racing tracks in Maryland, the most famous being named Washington, D.C. International.
Bingo – is legal and there are various venues are available to play at. Online bingo is making a huge come back and is growing quickly in popularity.
Land Based Casinos
If you are looking for gambling beyond online and back to land based, it’s sad to say, there are many opportunities. D.C. doesn’t have any land based casinos of its own, but due to its vicinity to Maryland travelling to a casino is not too arduous. We recommend MGM National Harbor to patron as a land based casino venue.
MGM National Harbor
101 MGM National Ave, Oxon Hill, Maryland
This casino is one of the most happening places in the US. It mixes the excitement of gambling, with live performances, entertainment, retail outlets and fine dining. There literally thousands of table games and machines. Tables start at $25 and go up. All tables use card shufflers. The staff are extremely professional and knowledgeable.
Parking is spacious and free, although it can be confusing to find the entrance and the layout is a little awkward. Great place for those who want to combine shopping and eating with placing a few bets on the side.
MGM National Harbor is only half an hour drive from Washington D.C.
FAQ
There is no state or federal law that prohibits gambling online from the District of Columbia
Absolutely. However, we recommend doing your due diligence in researching which brands are reputable or you can visit any of the recommended online casinos above.
There are no state laws that explicitly defines a legal gambling age simply due to the nature that there aren’t any local casinos available. However, if you choose to play online at an offshore casino, the legal age requirement is 18 years or older