Empire City US Casino

$5,000 Free Credits

USA Casinos

There was a time when American players could play online anywhere but alas, the politicians decided to put up some barriers and many of the best operators, these two included, left the U.S market circa 2007.

What are the choices?
In a nutshell, this means that US players have very limited options, even all these years later in 2024. The majority of players have access to free-play casinos while players in New Jersey, if they are prepared to jump through some hoops, can play for real (external resource: New Jersey online casino reviews). Outside the US of of course there is way more choice (see all my other online casino reviews) and one day the US will get more options I'm sure, but for now, what you see here represent the best options.

Looking For A Quick Decision?
If you don't want to read the US casino reviews below then here's a quick overview: essentially, Empire City Casino operating out of New York takes all US players and offers $5,000 free credits to get you started. There are tournaments and prizes available. The best alternative is Parx Casino out of Philadelphia which has a very similar offering but offers it's services to a more limited group of players. Not much to choose between them to be honest and both of them also operate mobile casinos if you prefer playing on tablets or phones.

Where Should You Play?
So, if you live near (or visit) Empire City Casino then play there and if you live near (or visit) Parx Casino then it makes sense to play thereplay there as both offer cross-over promotions to players which you will be well positioned to take advantage of!

Empire City US Casino

Games: Slots/Table Games/Tournaments

Mobile Ready YES

Play Now
  • Fully Licenced in the USA
  • Win Prizes and Incentives
  • Good Selection Of Games
  • No Real-Money Play
  • Slot Games:
    Decent
  • Card Games:
    Reasonable
  • Other:
    Poker Games
  • Overall:
  • Rep:
  • Games:
  • Support:

One of the first truly global free-play casinos to spring up that takes the majority of US residents also. The Empire City Casino (New York) offering is actually a lot better than I expected. I thought free-play would be a bit pointless without the ability to win as you play but Empire City have created an environment with tournaments, prizes and comps that does keep you interested.

Free-play casinos will never be quite the same as playing for real but on the plus side they are a hell of a lot cheaper over time! With $5,000 of free credits on sign-up, you get a good chance to try it out first too. Once those are used up, you can buy more (and they aren't expensive) and enter the tournies, join the VIP club and keep playing some very good games from Ainsworth, Incredible Tech, Multimedia Games and other developers. Visit Empire City Casino »

Non-US Players

What is also interesting (if you live outside the US!) is that Empire City also allow players from other countries. If you live in restricted gambling hubs such as Australia then that may be useful. If you're in teh UK or countries where online casinos are available then it's hard to see why you would want to play free-play games when you can play for real or for fun at casinos like 32Red (32Red review) or Roxy Palace - unless you want to save a shedload of money and still have some fun I guess!

Parx Casino

Software: Game Account

Mobile Ready YES

Play Now
  • Accepts Most US Players
  • Good Games Selection
  • Tournaments & Prizes
  • Free-Play Only
  • Slot Games:
    Good
  • Card Games:
    Good Enough!
  • Other:
    Poker Games
  • Overall:
  • Rep:
  • Cashout Speed: N/A
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Parx Casino operates out of Philadelphia (the online casino is hosted in Pennsylvania) and will probably be well-known to local residents who frequent the land-based properties. The online casino from Parx obviously has more limited games and is a "free-play" casino which offers incentives, prizes and tournaments on slots, table games and poker. It is more fun that I thought it would be and a lot cheaper than going to a land-based casino (for me anyway!) but lacks some of the thrill as you might expect.

What Parx Online Casino is good at doing is giving players a well-priced way of relaxing at home or on mobile rather than trudging down to the casino when you're not quite in the mood. Some of the slots here are really good (Starry Night by Multimedia Games is one of my regular vices!) and the selection of table games, while arguably a little sparse, does have all the main options.

if you live local to, or regularly visit a Parx casino then playing online here offers the chance to win comps and prizes at the land casino from time to time. Visit Parx Casino Onine »

Foxwoods Casino

Software: Game Account

Mobile Ready YES

Play Now
  • Accepts Most US Players
  • Good Games Selection
  • Safe Brand Name
  • Free-Play Only
  • Slot Games:
    OK (+Ainsworth)
  • Card Games:
    Limited Choice
  • Video Poker:
    None
  • Overall:
  • Rep:
  • Cashout Speed: N/A
  • Support:

Foxwoods are the first US brand to offer a fully compliant free-play online casino to players from all States. The games platform is supplied by Game Account so there is a mix of table games and slots plus some Keno.

It is free to sign up at Foxwoods and as an introductory offer, every player is given $5,000 of virtual chips to play with. Winnings from games can be stored and used to purchase goods from the Foxwoods online store or if you get to CT at all, you can use them in the casino itself.

The slots include Incredible Tech and Ainsworth games like Mustang Money, Roaming Reels and 50 Dolphins while variants of Blackjack, roulette and some basic video poker games sit alongside some other classics including Gin Rummy and Pai Gow. The games choice is expanding all the time but it's US residents only.

NEW JERSEY PLAYERS: Despite the State allowing real-money licences, NJ residents can still only play Foxwoods for fun. For real-money play, see Betfair (above). At present, real-money gambling is unregulated in most other US States but times are changing so it's worth checking your local laws. Nevada, California, Delaware and other States are some way down the line in terms of legalising various forms of online gambling.

Check out this detailed Foxwood Casino review for more details or click here to visit Foxwoods directly.

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