Best online casino for U.S. players: Bovada

There are thousands of online casinos I could choose from to advertise on this site, but I chose only one, Bovada. Here's why:

  1. Play the practice games without having to register an account.  Other casinos force you to register so they can market to you.  Bovada is the only U.S.-wide casino I know of that lets you play right away with no registration.  (If you see a registration box, you can cancel it and continue to the game.)  Want to play blackjack?  One click and you're in.  And the games play right in your browser, so you don't have to download any special software.
  2. Consistent payouts.  Online gambling is largely unregulated and if a casino refuses to pay your winnings you have little recourse.  But Bovada has always had a solid reputation for paying out properly.
  3. They allow me to mediate.  Bovada lets me personally mediate if my readers click over and then have a problem they can't resolve on their own.
  4. Slim Pickings.  Because online gambling isn't officially sanctioned in the whole U.S., most casinos won't serve U.S. players, and those who do tend to be sleazy.  Bovada isn't the best online casino in the world, but for a U.S.-wide casino, you're not gonna find better.

Visit Bovada


Gambling problem?
  1. Call the 800-522-4700 hotline or get online help
  2. See these horror stories.
  3. Know that Parkinson's drugs encourage gambling.

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Gambling problem?
  1. Call the 800-522-4700 hotline or get online help
  2. See these horror stories.
  3. Know that Parkinson's drugs encourage gambling.
Las Vegas is open, as of June 4.
See what's the same & what's different, or other reopening news on Google News.

The domain name GamblingAds.com is for sale now on Sedo for $6,000 Buy It Now.
(bid now)

Play these
free slots now

Gambling problem?
  1. Call the 800-522-4700 hotline or get online help
  2. See these horror stories.
  3. Know that Parkinson's drugs encourage gambling.
Welcome! I'm Michael Bluejay, and I'm here to share what I know about Las Vegas and gambling.  With this site, you'll have the insider's edge.  See my mission and what's different about this site.

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Latest updates

July 2020
  • Overhauled the Who owns what? page (Las Vegas casino ownership), along with the timeline
June 2020
 May 2020
 September 2019
 August 2019
 October 2018
March 2019:  New article:  34 free things to do in Vegas.

See earlier updates.

Top 10 Las Vegas Tips

  1. Visit mid-week. Hotel rooms often cost three to four times as much on the weekends as during the week!  Plus, with weekend crowds you'll wait in line for everything.  Mid-week visitors save tons of money and have a much better time.
  2. Get a player's card. Go to the Player's Club desk at any casino you visit and sign up for a free player's card, even if you don't plan to gamble there.  Then the casino will mail you offers for discounted or even free rooms on your next visit.  You can also sign up for the MGM/Mirage card online, which will work at 10 Vegas Strip casinos.
  3. Set loss limits.  Make a gambling budget for each day and if you lose it, then stop playing.
  4. Don't play slot machines. They suck your money away hand over fist.  Compare $500 lost over 10 hours at 75¢/spin compared to just $40 lost at blackjack or craps @ $5 a hand.  See my crash course on table games to have a much better chance of winning.
  5. Tip the dealers $5+/hr., and the cocktail waitresses $1 every drink or two. (more...)
  6. Ask for comps. When you play either slots or table games the casino will reward you with buffets, show tickets, or room discounts.  Ask at the player's club booth (slot players) or at the tables (table players) for how to claim your goodies. (more on comps)
  7. Use the buses. The Westcliff Express bus goes straight from the airport to the South Strip (MGM Grand, NY NY, Luxor, Tropicana) for $2.  The #108 goes from the airport to the Stratosphere and then to downtown, for $2.  Pay $8 for a 24-hour pass when you get on any bus, and then ride any bus in the city for free for the next 24 hours, including the Deuce and Strip/Downtown Express (SDX) buses.  See our special page that tells you all about the buses.
  8. Don't try to get taxis on the strip. Taxis can't stop directly on the strip; that's why they're passing you by. Go to the taxi area of the hotel to get one. Up to 4 people ride for the same price as 1; if there's just 2 of you, don't be afraid to yell out, "Anyone want to split a cab to [some casino]?" It doesn't just save money, it's eco-friendly.
  9. Walk.  You'll discover stuff.  When the Strip is crowded, sometimes it's even faster than taxis or buses.  Plus, it helps work off the calories from the buffets.
  10. Get Half-Price Show Tickets. You can get deeply-discounted tickets for most Vegas shows at one of the several Tix4Tonite booths on the Strip and downtown. See all my tips for getting free and cheap tix.
  11. Bank your winnings. Set aside half your win when you win big, and never gamble it, so you have a guaranteed win.


Easy Vegas in the News

Web Interviews

Radio Interviews

  • WCAP 980, Eagle Radio 1100, Sicilian Corner, interview about slot machines. Mar 18, 2016
  • Gambling with an Edge, hosted by Bob Dancer & Richard Munchkin, July 28, 2015
  • WOGL, 98.1fm, Philadelphia PA, Morning Show, about the new Sugar House Casino in Philly, Sep. 23, 2010
  • KSRO, 1350am, Sonoma County, CA, Marci Smothers Show, about casino gambling, Aug. 5, 2005 MP3

Articles we've been quoted in:

The Easy Vegas editor also wrote the cover story for Casino Player magazine in October 2005 and Wikipedia references our article on slot machines in its own article on the subject.


Practice gambling with play money

Before you throw down your hard-earned cash in a casino, PRACTICE FIRST!  Learn the games with play money where it doesn't cost you anything if you lose.  Seriously.

I like Bovada's practice games the best, because you can play right away without registering for an account.  Most every other online casino makes you give up your email address just to play the fake-money games — ugh.  That's why Bovada is the only online casino that gets space on my site.  I hope other casinos will eventually start treating their visitors like human beings rather than walking wallets, but until they do, there's Bovada.  One click and you're in.

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Proud not only to be an approved Webmeister by Casinomeister,
but also to be one of the very first approved. (#7, May 2020)

Site Contents ©2001-2020 Michael Bluejay Incorporated.
I believe everything herein to be accurate, but I'm not responsible for errors or omissions.  I'm pretty irresponsible, actually.

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