Legal Online American Express Gambling
Despite the rise of cryptocurrency, credit cards are still the most common banking options for legal US online gambling. As such, it’s not unusual to find American Express online gambling supported by most of the top brands in the business. American Express online casinos, American Express online sports betting sites, and American Express online poker rooms aren’t the absolute rule, but they’re definitely growing in number of late.
Today, a large selection of top operators take AmEx payments in addition to online Visa gambling deposits and Mastercard gambling deposits – and, depending on your needs, AmEx might be a much better and more valuable option. To learn more about the best AmEx casinos, AmEx sportsbooks, and AmEx poker sites, our guide to safe, legal American Express betting will get you started in a flash. Don’t bet from home without it!
Is it Legal to Use Amex to Gamble Online in 2024?
Yes! You can enjoy any real-money AmEx casino online, AmEx sportsbook online, or AmEx poker room online – safely and legally – as long as the site you choose is headquartered outside the United States of America. Every American Express gambling venue featured here is hosted offshore and operates in full compliance of all US gambling laws.
Only one state, Washington, has actual mandates against online gambling. However, even though WA gambling laws are historically unenforced, we must insist that you follow all local rules and regulations regarding online casino gambling, sports betting, and poker play.
Best American Express Betting Site For 2024
Bovada Casino
Top-Rated Legal Online Gambling Destination For USA Players
Bovada American Express Casino Bonus – Up To $3000 For New Members + EXCLUSIVE Bovada Sportsbook Bonus + Bovada Poker Bonus
Of all the online betting sites that accept American Express, Bovada LV might be the best. At least, that’s true for the casual gambler. Because unlike most other American Express online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites, Bovada isn’t just dedicated to one gaming market. Instead, you can access all of the above markets – as well as legal online horse racing betting – at Bovada.
That being said, there are a few negatives to limiting yourself to a single site for all your gambling activities, which is why we usually recommend joining multiple legal US betting sites. Still, if Bovada’s not a part of your regular online gambling rotation, it probably should be – especially for new US players.
Compability
Software
Real Time Gaming + Rival
Site Rating
Pros
Bovada Accepts Players From Most USA States
Operates legally out of a legimate international gambling jurisdiction (Costa Rica)
Licensed by the Curacao government
Credit cards and cryptocurrencies accepted
Fast and reliable payouts guaranteed
Generous $3,000 casino bonus
Cons
Only US, Mexico and Brazil players accepted
Excluded States: CO, CT, DC, DE, KS, LA, MD, MI, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, WV
Limited deposit options compared to other sites
Best American Express Betting Sites For 2024
| Site | Review | Bonus Offer | USA | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casinos | ||||
| | Read Review | 100% Max $3,000 | Play now | |
 | Read Review | 200% Max $3,000 | Play now | |
 | Read Review | 350% Max $2,500 | Play now | |
 | Read Review | 325% Max $9,750 | Play now | |
 | Read Review | 100% Max $3,000 | Play now | |
| Sportsbooks | ||||
| | Read Review | 50% Max $1,000 | Play now | |
 | Read Review | 50% Max $1,000 | Play now | |
 | Read Review | 50% Max $500 | Play now | |
| Poker Sites | ||||
| | Read Review | 100% Max $500 | Play now | |
| | Read Review | 100% Max $2,500 | Play now | |
Legal Online Casinos That Accept American Express
If you’re looking for a legal online casino that takes AmEx cards for deposits, look no further, as we’ve got the best of the best-rounded up here. Of course, not every top-rated online casino is an AmEx casino, as the brand doesn’t have quite the reach that Visa and Mastercard enjoy in the legit online casino space.
Still, if you’re an American Express user, there are more than enough vendors to choose from. Online casino American Express deposits allow you to claim your site’s standard betting bonuses and enjoy all the legal online slot machines, legal online blackjack games, and legal online roulette games you wish, along with a host of other real-money amusements. The best sites also have legit live-dealer casinos with tables open 24/7.
Legal Online Sportsbooks That Accept American Express
Several of the best online sportsbooks for 2022 accept American Express, including sites like Bovada Sportsbook, BetOnline Sportsbook, and BetUS Sportsbook. As first-class American Express sports betting venues, these sites all boast high deposit success rates so you can worry less about your transfers going through and more about the games on the menu.
And because AmEx sports betting deposits process even faster than crypto sports betting deposits, you can get your account topped off in time for tip-off, kick-off, face-off, or the top of the first. Of course, even if you’re a little late to the game, you can always partake in live sports betting at these fastest-paying AmEx sportsbook sites.
Legal Online Poker Sites That Accept American Express
If you’re looking for the best legal online poker, American Express deposits can help you belly up to the digital felts faster than ever. With high deposit success rates compared to many other card-based gambling transactions, American Express poker transfers take just a few seconds so you’ll never miss this afternoon’s Sit-N-Go event or tonight’s big online poker tournament.
As of 2022, all the best online poker sites – including the Bovada poker room, BetOnline poker room, and SportsBetting AG poker room – accept AmEx poker deposits. And depending on your American Express rewards program, that final pot might not be the only thing you win!
American Express Online Gambling Options
Whether you want to make an online casino American Express deposit, an online sportsbook American Express deposit, or an online poker American Express deposit, the process is identical across the board.
Frankly, there’s nothing much to say about how to bet with American Express online. If you’ve ever used your AmEx card to make an online purchase or sign up for an online service, you know exactly what to expect from the quick, painless process. However, if you are looking for better bonus options, see our guide to legal Bitcoin gambling.
Note: Some sites may charge American Express casino cash advance fees, depending on your AmEx service agreement. All AmEx deposits – including AmEx gift card deposits – will come with added fees in the neighborhood of 5% to 9%.
The most common way to fund your account with AmEx is to use an American Express credit card. Thanks to the various popular American Express rewards programs, many bettors prefer to use AmEx over other popular card brands like Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.
Making an American Express gambling deposit online is quick and easy, and transactions are concluded instantly. However, the UIGEA banking restriction (more on this below) can cause American Express betting transfers to be declined 3% of the time or so. Generally, though, legal American Express gambling is more reliable than legal Visa gambling and about on par with Mastercard gambling and Discover gambling. Success Rate: 97%
American Express announced a new debit card and checking account platform in February 2022, but this service hasn’t yet launched. Interestingly, once AmEx debit services go live, cardholders will be able to earn American Express Membership Rewards through the program.
This is notable because most debit cards don’t offer rewards programs, and it should make the American Express debit card an attractive proposition for online gamblers who want to maintain strict control over their spending habits and betting bankrolls. Success Rate: TBA
There are several American Express prepaid cards to choose from (aka American Express Prepaid Debit Cards or American Express Serve cards), each with different features and rewards. While secured cards like these are great options and have high online gambling success rates, new gamblers should be cautioned to treat their secured cards extremely carefully when it comes to betting online.
Remember, secured/prepaid cards of this sort are primarily designed to help you build your credit, so you’ll want to set yourself a very conservative AmEx gambling limit if you go this route. Success Rate: 99%
American Express gift cards are available in amounts ranging from $25 to $3000. But while these physical cards can be purchased at local retailers and big box stores, they cannot be used internationally. As such, you can’t use them to make direct offshore gambling deposits at the AmEx betting sites featured here.
To use AmEx gift cards, you’ll need to go with digital AmEx gift cards – or American Express eGift cards – as these can be added to your Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay e-Wallets, which you can use at those venues which support online gambling vouchers or the third-party MatchPay service (i.e. Bovada, Cafe Casino, etc.). Success Rate: 100%
Note: If you wish to use an American Express gift card to make legal online betting deposits, it’s highly recommended that you choose an AmEx personal gift card option rather than an AmEx business gift card option.
American Express Gambling Restrictions
There aren’t a great deal of AmEx gambling restrictions. When it comes to online betting, American Express has taken a largely hands-off approach outside of the automated systems they’re legally obliged to have in place for UIGEA compliance. As a result, gambling sites that accept American Express tend to have high deposit success rates.
In recent years, this reliability has led to more online casinos accepting AmEx – as well as more online sportsbooks and online poker rooms accepting AmEx – than in years past. Fortunately, this is a trend we definitely think will continue going forward.
Still, even as the federal UIGEA regulation is less and less relevant these days, it’s still a piece of American gambling legislation that all responsible USA-based online gamblers should be aware of.
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is a 2006 law that prohibits domestic American financial institutions – such as banks, credit unions, and card processing platforms – from knowingly processing transactions to or from “unauthorized” (i.e. non-USA-regulated) online gambling sites.
The law does not make the act of gambling online illegal in any way, but it does have the effect of causing American Express gambling transactions to be declined/rejected about 3-5% of the time.
If you’re making an AmEx gambling transfer and your payment doesn’t go through due to UIGEA interference, don’t worry – you’ve done nothing wrong, and your card isn’t deactivated. Simply wait a few minutes and try again, use an alternate card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, etc.), or choose a different deposit option such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, or another supported crypto coin.
Note: The UIGEA is the primary reason that legit online betting sites no longer utilize American Express chargebacks for gambling payouts.
Because the UIGEA prevents legal offshore online gambling sites from issuing card chargebacks as payouts, you cannot claim any online betting winnings using American Express products or services.
Luckily, there are several excellent online betting payout options available at all the top sites, including courier checks, bank wires, and – best of all – cryptocurrency.
Crypto withdrawals are the only same-day payout options at the sites we recommend, and they come with no added fees of any kind (save for their native built-in blockchain fees). Other payout options have additional charges and regularly take 5-10 days or more to show up stateside.
Disclaimer
American Express is not associated with this website or any of the online gambling sites mentioned on this page, nor do they endorse any form of gambling. This website simply reviews and provides information on how American Express works and how it can be used to fund legal online gambling accounts.