Montana is one of the very few states in the US where online gambling is explicitly illegal, to the disappointment of players from Montana. It’s unfortunate because Montana is also one of the states where gambling had existed in many shapes and forms even before the modern United States was born.
Today, many forms of gambling are legal. Still, online gambling is not even though no Montanan was ever punished for playing in offshore online casinos, which is undoubtedly confusing for Montanans. It’s precisely this weird dichotomy we are here to explain.
In this piece, you’ll learn everything there is to know about gambling in Montana, with a particular emphasis on online gambling and online casinos. Let’s take a look.
Top 10 Montana Online Casinos
Here is a list of our top 10 recommended online casino sites to play at for real money from Montana.
1
Bovada
Rating 4.5
Mobile Friendly
Accepts Bitcoin
Live dealers available
Deposit Methods: ACH Direct Deposit, American Express, Bank transfer, Bitcoin, echeck, MasterCard, Matchpay, Visa, Visa Gift Card
The deposit plus bonus amount is subject to a 25x playthrough requirement before the deposit, bonus amount and any winnings can be withdrawn.
Forfeiting this bonus will result in this bonus and any subsequent winnings associated with this bonus to be removed.
Bonus funds cannot be used for play on Live Dealer games.
Craps and Live Dealer play do not count toward meeting rollover requirements for withdrawal.
All games, except Craps and Live Dealer, contribute towards playthrough requirements; however, certain games may have a greater contribution than others.
Deposit Methods: ACH Direct Deposit, American Express, Bank transfer, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Courier Check, echeck, Ethereum, Gift Cards, Litecoin, MasterCard, Matchpay, Tether, User2User Transfer, Visa
Withdrawal Methods: American Express, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Check, Ethereum, Litecoin, Tether, User2User Transfer
The deposit plus Casino bonus amount is subject to a 25X Casino playthrough requirement before the deposit, bonus amount and any winnings can be withdrawn.
• This offer is valid only for first-time depositors at Vegas Casino. • The offer is limited to one player per household and/or computer. • The coupon can only be redeemed once by the player to a maximum of $500 in bonus. • Deposit a minimum $25 to qualify for this bonus. • The deposit and bonus must be wagered fifty (50) times before a cashout is permitted. • Only the following games count towards the wagering requirements of the bonus: some Real Video Slots, some Slots, Keno and Scratch Cards.
Deposit Methods: American Express, Bank transfer, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, BitcoinSV, Courier Check, Ethereum, Litecoin, MasterCard, Matchpay, Player Transfer, Tether, Visa
Bonuses issued at the discretion of the Company are subject to one per individual, household, civic address, e-mail address, deposit instrument, bank account, telephone number, computer/device, and/or IP address.
If you cancel or forfeit the bonus at anytime prior to wagering and rollover requirements being met, all funds generated by the bonus (including the bonus) will be void and be ineligible for reinstatement. Details on the applicable restrictions can be found in the specific terms of the promotion.
Unless otherwise stated, the minimum amount required to activate a deposit bonus is $20.
Bonuses are subject to wagering and rollover requirements and must be met by their specified timeline prior to any approved requested withdrawals.
Players can claim the WILD250 bonus code on their first deposit only.
Players can claim the WILD100 bonus code on their 2nd to 5th deposits only.
A minimum deposit of $20 is required to qualify for WILD250 and WILD100 bonus codes.
The maximum bonus amount per deposit is $1,000.
The correct bonus code needs to be entered to claim the correct match bonus with your deposit. ie WILD250 on your first deposit and WILD100 on subsequent deposits.
This bonus is only valid on select Slots, Table games and Video Poker games.
This bonus is not valid in the Live Dealer Casino.
The deposit plus bonus amount is subject to a 40X rollover requirement before any winnings can be withdrawn.
Not all games contribute towards bonus rollover; please check our bonus contribution page for further details.
If the rollover requirements are not met within 30 days of claiming the bonus, any remaining bonus funds winnings will be forfeited.
Only one bonus can be active at any one time.
The maximum release amount is 5X the bonus amount up to $5,000.
Rollover requirements must be met before any additional bonuses can be granted.
This promotion is non-transferable.
Standard bonus terms and conditions apply.
Wild Casino reserves the right to alter or amend the Terms and Conditions of this promotion at any time without notice.
All free bonuses require a minimum of 60x wagering before any withdrawal can be made. Wagers placed on Blackjack, Video Poker, Craps, American Roulette, Baccarat, and other table or non-slot games will not count toward this wagering requirement unless explicitly stated otherwise. Playing any excluded game before meeting these wagering requirements may result in the casino voiding all winnings and potentially closing the account. Withdrawal requests submitted before completing the wagering requirements will be denied until these requirements are fully met.
Montana is one of the early adopters of gambling. Way back in 1889, the first law on gambling was made even though many forms of the practice existed for more than a century before that. After that, many new laws were made, legalizing all kinds of gambling practices and games.
However, online gambling hasn’t been made legal to this very day. What’s more, the state of Montana banned online gambling altogether in 2005. That’s why Section 9 of the Constitution of the state explicitly prohibits online gambling now. Still, it allows for the rule to be made void “by acts of the legislature or by the people through initiative or referendum.”
As if that weren’t enough, the state’s constitution also describes online gambling as a crime if it includes the use of paper money, checks, e-checks, and similar payment methods. In essence, online gambling where real money is involved is explicitly illegal.
Naturally, even though online gambling with real money is illegal, online social gambling is not. This means that Montanans can find dozens of social casinos on the web and play all sorts of casino games like blackjack, poker, slots, and many more. However, they won’t be able to cash in their wins.
Even though online gambling with real money is banned, that doesn’t mean that you can’t play in offshore online casinos. As is the case with almost all states in the US where online gambling is illegal, players will never be punished for playing in offshore online casinos. This is a common practice throughout the country and the state of Montana. To this day, no player from Montana was ever punished or penalized for playing in an offshore online casino.
When the authorities want to punish someone for online gambling, they will go for the casino making the practice possible, not the players. That’s why if you decide to play in an offshore online casino, you won’t have to fear of breaking the law. You only have to make sure that the casino you’ve chosen is legitimate, safe, and that it allows players from Montana to join.
Future of Online Gambling in Montana
Many states haven’t made online gambling legal, and almost all simply ignore it. However, Montana’s unfortunate case is such that its law strictly prohibits online gambling and leaves no room for compromises. This speaks volumes about the state’s firm resolution to keep online gambling illegal.
What’s more, the state’s position is also clear from the fact that the prohibition of online gambling was brought forward in 2005, and hasn’t changed at all since then. The only possibility for a change appeared in 2015 when a bill to legalize fantasy sports was brought forward, but it was ultimately voted down.
The law hasn’t discouraged offshore online casinos from offering their services to Montanans, and the casinos are unlikely to stop doing so in the future. The state rarely enforces the law and it never punishes players from Montana for participating in these casinos.
As for the future of online gambling laws, it’s unlikely that we will see any real changes soon. However, we can still hope that the state’s government will change its mind because of the ever-increasing number of online gamblers in Montana. Just as the state made sports betting legal in 2018, we can also hope that they will do the same for online casinos. But for now, there are no indications that this will happen any time soon.
Land-Based Casino Options in Montana
As we’ve already said, gambling is not illegal like online gambling is. What’s more, gambling is extremely widespread in the state of Montana. Charities can offer almost all forms of gambling, and pari-mutuel horse race betting is also popular.
As for casino games, video poker is allowed on machines in hundreds of bars across the state, but the only places where you can play several kinds of casino games are the tribal land-based casinos.
Back in 1994, the state made an agreement with four tribes: the Cheyenne, Rocky Boy, Crow, and Fort Peck. After that, the first tribal casinos were born. More than two decades later, there are seven tribes with permission to operate land-based casinos in Montana. They own ten casinos in the state and four additional smaller gaming businesses that operate on tribal lands.
Anyone can play in these casinos as long as they are 18 or older. Furthermore, you can only bet a maximum of $5 at once and the maximum payout is $1,500.
Here is a list of these casinos:
Apsaalooke Nights Casino
71 Heritage Road Crow Agency, Montana 59022
200 slot machines, keno, poker, bingo
Charging Horse Casino
P. O. Box 1259 1/2 Mile East On US Hwy 212 Lame Deer, Montana 59043
127 slot machines, keno, bingo
Fort Belknap Casino
104 Assiniboine Avenue Harlem, Montana 59526
100 slot machines
Glacier Peaks Casino
46 Museum Loop Browning, Montana 59417
300 slot machines, poker room, bingo
Gray Wolf Peak Casino
20750 Hwy 93 North Evaro, Montana 59808
300 slot machines
KwaTaqNuk Casino Resort
49708 US Highway 93 East Polson, Montana 59860
250 slot machines
Little Big Horn Casino
closed
Northern Winz Hotel & Casino
11275 US Highway 87 Box Elder, Montana 59521
100 slot machines, poker room with 4 tables
Northern Winz II
426 Laredo Rd Box Elder, Montana 59521
Slot machines
Silver Wolf Casino
300 Montana 25 Wolf Point, Montana 59201
60 slot machines, bingo, pull tabs, video keno
FAQ
No, the law explicitly forbids online gambling. However, offshore online casinos offer their services to Montana-based players who have never had any trouble with the law for spending and winning money in these casinos.
The legal gambling age in the state of Montana is 18. However, in raffles conducted by schools, churches, and charitable or nonprofit organizations, children under 18 can participate.
Unfortunately, there are no current plans for the legalization of online gambling. Sports betting was legalized in 2018, but everything else is likely to remain illegal for the next few years.
Technically no, but the state doesn’t punish Montanans for playing in these casinos. As long as you comply with the site’s rules, you can play their casino games without worrying that the authorities will punish you for it.
Online poker is illegal in the state of Montana, just like all other online casino games.
About the Author
Tum
Administrator/moderator and fixer of things that break on blackjackinfo.com. Tum has contributed to the LCB network for over 10 years working with numerous casino, poker and sports affiliate websites.
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