Montana Online Casinos – An Inside Look At The Treasure State’s Casino Gambling Industry
The Treasure State has an interesting relationship with gambling. There are actually no brick-and-mortar commercial Montana casinos as such, but there are over 100 MT cardrooms, bar/pub gambling venues, and MT “gas station casinos” with EGM and VLT machines, instead. Also, Montana online casino gambling is not available at the domestic level outside of limited sports wagering opportunities.
Now, the state does have several Class III Indian casinos, though these are also limited mostly to electronic games – albeit with higher limits. So if you want to play real casino games, you can really only do that online at reputable offshore gambling sites. Luckily, there are several top-rated online Montana casinos to choose from, and we’ve got the best of the best listed here.
★ Top Rated Online Casino For Montana Players In 2024
Bovada Casino – The Most Trusted Casino In Big Sky Country
Bovada – founded in 2011 – isn’t the oldest online casino in MT, but it’s widely considered the best online casino in MT. With over 250 electronic table games made by RTG and Rival, the site’s online slots, blackjack, and roulette titles – among countless others – really stand out. And when you want that human touch during those cold northern winters, the Bovada Live Casino has all the classics you expect, 24/7.
But Bovada isn’t just a MT casino site. It’s actually an all-in-one Montana online gambling destination. Here, you get access not only to casino gambling but also to legit online poker as well as the biggest online Montana sports betting board in the state.
Just one account gives you access to everything, and MT residents who join Bovada today can take advantage of the site’s 100% Welcome Bonus worth up to $3000!
- Operates out of Costa Rica
- 250+ slots + table games
- 30+ live-dealer casino games
- Supports Bitcoin + crypto
- Bovada MatchPay + Bovada Vouchers
- 1 account for Casino, Sports, Poker, Horses
- All MT residents accepted (18+)
Best Montana Online Casinos For 2024
Site | Bonus | Rating | Visit |
---|---|---|---|
100% Up To $3,000 | 4.9 | Visit Site | |
350% Up To $2,500 | 4.7 | Visit Site | |
200% Up To $5,000 | 4.6 | Visit Site | |
325% Up To $9,750 | 4.5 | Visit Site |
Is Online Gambling Legal In Montana?
Yes! Online gambling is 100% legal in MT, but only if you play at a trusted offshore casino website. Remember, at the domestic level, the state has no true online gambling (Montana online sports betting is legal at the state-licensed level, but access is geofenced to licensed sportsbook operators’ premises).
But since the sites we recommend are hosted outside of MT and USA borders, they’re exempt from both Montana gambling laws and national gambling mandates. And because MT residents are not targeted by these laws individually, the pastime is legal all around. So, while online gambling in Montana is extremely limited with in-state operators, it’s virtually unlimited with international operators.
Legal Gambling Age In Montana As Of 2024
Note: Regardless of whether you gamble in MT domestically or via a legit offshore MT casino site, you only have to be 18 or older in most cases. The local Montana gambling age is 18+ for all forms of betting, while most MT casino sites also allow players to join at just 18 and up.
Are There Legal MT Online Casinos That Are Safe To Play At?
Yes! Despite the lack of local options, when it comes to online casinos, Montana residents have several great sites to choose from. All the sites we recommend here are legitimate MT casinos through and through, but we want to explain why that is instead of just asking you to take our word for it.
Long story short, when you gamble over the Internet, you run the risk of coming across all kinds of Montana online casino scams. That’s just the nature of the Internet – it’s still a pretty big frontier.
But luckily, there’s a way to guarantee that your online MT casino is as safe as the casinos in Missoula, the casinos in Billings, and the regulated MT casinos everywhere else: Just make sure your site of choice adheres to all online casino gambling best practices and ticks all the following boxes:
Montana Mobile Casinos
With the legal gambling age in Montana usually set at just 18 and up regardless of where or how you play, it’s not surprising that more players than ever are gambling exclusively on their smartphones and tablets.
Of course, Montana casino rules prevent state residents from playing mobile slots and mobile table games this way, which is a big problem. For the local operators, that is. For you, it’s no big deal, since mobile gambling is readily available at all the top-rated casinos featured here.
There’s nothing to download or update, either, so you don’t have to worry about installing any iPhone casino apps or Android casino apps. Each legit MT online casino utilizes web-based delivery with responsive site design, so every game and other betting market is available right through any up-to-date mobile browser.
Best of all, there’s no geofencing. If you ever want to find the closest casino to you in MT, just pull out your smartphone, fire up your navigation app, and check out the main marker. That’s you, but it’s also the exact location of the best casino in Montana!
Online Casino Games In Montana
Even though gambling in MT is widely available throughout the state, it’s not really gambling in the way we think of it. Yes, there’s retail sports betting, there’s the Montana Lottery, and there are various Montana bingo halls, but true casino games – such as house-banked roulette and blackjack and baccarat – just aren’t available locally at either commercial MT cardrooms or tribal MT casinos.
However, you can still enjoy world-class MT online casino games at offshore venues. Boasting the loosest slots in Montana and actual real table games, these sites offer all the treasure the Treasure State doesn’t – and then some:
- Online Slots Games (3-Reel, 5-Reel, 6-Reel)
- Online Specialty Slots (3D Slots, iSlots)
- Online Progressive Slots
- Online Blackjack (1-Deck, 2-Deck, 6-Deck, 8-Deck)
- Online Roulette (American + European)
- Online Baccarat + Online Mini-Bac
- Online Video Poker Games
- Online Keno + Craps
- Online Bingo Games
- Online Lotteries + Scratchers
- Online Live-Dealer Games
Montana Online Live-Dealer Casino Games
One of the unfortunate things about the state of play in Montana casinos is that state law does not allow for live blackjack or roulette games to be played. In general, house-banked games are not legal in commercial MT casinos/cardrooms, and the Indian casinos in MT have only slightly more leeway when it comes to the games they can offer.
If you want to play live blackjack or live roulette – which, incidentally, are the two most popular live casino games in Montana – you’ll have to do so with an international online casino like the venues featured here. Each of these sites offers real house-banked live casino tables, replete with real-time A/V streaming accessible via desktop or mobile.
By pulling up a seat at the digital felts, you’ll feel like you’re really there. Not only can you watch your dealer shuffle and cut the deck, you can also watch your croupier spin the online roulette wheel and hang on with bated breath as the banco deals out the baccarat cards.
- Live Dealer Blackjack
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Live Dealer Baccarat
- Live Dealer Super 6
Note: Live casino tables are paid only. That is, you can’t play free online casino games in the live-dealer section of your favorite MT casino site. Also, most legit online casinos do not allow live-dealer games to contribute to bonus rollover requirements.
Brick-And-Mortar Casinos In Montana
Sometimes, we need to get out of the house, whether that’s to hit the brick-and-mortar Montana slot machines, place a few MT sports bets, or just generally hobnob with our fellow man. That’s when we look for a local hotspot. Especially if it’s snowing.
Now, remember: MT doesn’t really have commercial casinos (i.e. non-tribal casinos) as we generally know them. Instead, the state has small cardrooms scattered from border to border. In addition to Montana poker amusements, these cardrooms feature electronic gambling machines (EGMs) and video lottery terminals (VLTs). They’re basically like “racinos” in other states.
If we’re after more “proper” domestic gambling options, there are several Class III Montana Indian casinos and a few Class II Indian casinos in MT to choose from. The former gives us the closest thing to in-person Vegas-style gambling, though there are still limitations (i.e. no roulette, no blackjack, etc.).
The biggest difference between MT tribal casinos and commercial casinos is that tribal casinos have no-limit slots, a few more electronic table games, and higher-limit MT poker games.
The Apsaalooke Nights Casino – operated by the Crow Tribe of Montana – is now permanently closed. As a Class III-licensed operator, the Crow Tribe is currently without a gambling venue in the state.
It should also be noted that many of the above tribes operate additional smaller gambling venues in line with the Montana card room concept.
For example, the Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes run the Tribal Express Casino in Poplar, MT; the Blackfeet Tribe runs the Glacier Little Peaks Casino in Browning, MT; and the Chippewa Cree Indians operate the Northern Winz II Casino in Box Elder, MT. Some tribes also own numerous Montana “truck stop casino” or MT “rest stop casino” locations.
Gambling Resources For Montana Residents
We’ve given you all the basic information about Montana casino laws and general gambling laws in MT. However, if you’d like to do your own research before gambling at legit online casinos, the following links – starting with the relevant sections of the current Montana Code (MC) – are good places to start.
- Montana Code Title 23 – “Parks, Recreation, Sports, and Gambling”; covers Horseracing (23-4), Gambling (23-5), Amusement Games (23-6), and the Montana State Lottery (23-7).
- Montana Indian Casino Compacts – Federal Register Index (select “Montana” from the US State dropdown menu for links to all past and current Montana tribal gaming compacts).
- Montana Licensed Gambling Operators – DOJ Index of all current licensed MT cardroom/casino venues as of FY 2022.
Gambling is for entertainment only. If you or someone you know is struggling with gambling addiction, help is available immediately and at no cost from the Montana chapter of the National Council on Problem Gambling.