Real Money Blackjack Apps Easily one of the most popular and recognizable casino games in the world is blackjack. A game you used to be only able to play in the casino is now available in the palm of your hand and can be played for real money! If you're looking for the top US blackjack apps where you can win real money, check out the link below. The Real Casino App team has reviewed countless real money mobile gambling apps across the world. We look at a number of factors including application reliability, game selection, safety, resource usage, bonuses, and mobile banking. We then use that information to determine the best real money gambling apps.
There's little doubt that slots are the most popular casino games online. If you add the fact that a ton of people like to play on their phone or tablet, it's easy to see why there are hundreds of mobile slots apps available in 2020.
In fact, there might be too many of them! Finding the best one for your needs might be a time-consuming process. That's why I'm here to help with my slots app reviews designed to reveal the most important information about some of the leading mobile casinos in 2020.
For the purpose of this list, I use a combination of facts and my personal impressions of each platform. I believe that the combination of objective and subjective factors is the best way to paint the full picture.
Before I proceed to the real money slots app reviews, let me just clarify something. Some of the casinos I include here don't have dedicated software for mobile devices but use mobile-responsive websites instead.
Since the quality of the service and their mobile slots are still excellent, I decided to add them. Furthermore, you can bookmark their home page and add an icon for quick access, so the experience is very similar.
- Established: 2020
- Slot Providers: RealTime, Visionary Gaming
- US Players: Yes
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
Let's begin the real money slots app reviews with one of the newest casinos online. El Royale Casino was established in 2020 and already has a solid reputation. If you open the mobile version of the platform, you can enjoy plenty of slots developed by RealTime Gaming and some products of Visionary Gaming.
Video slots make up most of the library, but there are also some classic slots and progressive jackpots. The overall impression is that the variety is decent enough, although not the best available.
What I liked a lot is El Royale Casino's welcome package. It includes bonuses worth up to $12,500, which is one of the largest offers you can find.
The other advantages are that Americans are welcome and you can use Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, alongside traditional payments like credit and debit cards, e-wallets, and more.
Our complete review below can provide more details about El Royale Casino, or you could see for yourself.
BetOnline Casino – Best of Betsoft and US Players Accepted
- Established: 2004
- Slot Providers: Betsoft
- US Players: Yes
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
If you like playing slots online for real money, you most likely have heard about Betsoft. It's one of the top developers in the world, and many of the company's titles are available on mobile in 2020. I decided to explore BetOnline's responsive website to try them out, and it was an enjoyable experience.
Most of Betsoft's portfolio is available, including hits like 'Good Girl, Bad Girl,' 'Tiger's Claw,' and many more. They will adjust to the settings of your phone or tablet as soon as you open BetOnline for optimized performance.
The overall quality of the games is excellent on most mainstream devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone. On top of that, BetOnline has plenty of exciting bonuses and works with US players.
Visit our extensive review for more details or jump straight into the action.
- Established: 2005
- Slot Providers: Microgaming
- US Players: No
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
One of the most impressive mobile slots apps is one of Betway Casino. The gambling site has a couple of different native apps for different devices and a mobile-friendly website, so you can choose between several options.
I tried the slots apps for iPhone and Android, as well as playing directly from my browser. There was close to no difference, as the number of slots available and the quality of each platform is similar.
Betway Casino made sure that everyone can have a lot of fun playing slots on the go. The games are courtesy mostly of Microgaming, which is excellent news, too.
The only slight downside I saw here is that Betway Casino is not as generous as some of the other slots apps that I review here in terms of promotions and bonuses. And yet, the offers of the site are still decent and provide extra value to every customer.
If you are interested, make sure to read our extensive preview or simply visit Betway Casino to inspect it yourself.
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Jackpot City Casino – One of the First Mobile Casinos
- Established: 1998
- Slot Providers: Microgaming
- US Players: No
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
When a casino has survived in such a competitive environment since the 1990s, it must be doing something right. I decided to check if that's truly the case Jackpot City Casino by including it to my selection of slots app reviews.
I was instantly impressed by the smooth user interface and the collection of slots that are available on mobile. You can enjoy many of the best Microgaming titles, including some insane jackpot slots like Mega Moolah.
The bonuses and promotions are juicy for both new and existing customers. You can start earning right off the bat with the welcome package and then keep it that way thanks to the many deals that follow.
If Jackpot City Casino sounds like the place for you, feel free to learn more about it by trying it yourself or through our complete review.
- Established: 2017
- Slot Providers: Betsoft
- US Players: Yes
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
The reason I decided to add Wild Casino here is that the gambling operator quickly earned quite the reputation among US players. The online casino was launched in 2017, and three years later, it's one of the most beloved places for slot-lovers from the USA.
It's hard to single out one reason, and I liked pretty much every aspect of Wild Casino on the go. The Betsoft games work well on mobile, the bonus is decent, and there are multiple other promotions available.
The variety of payment options and the speed of the payouts were also above the industry average. I wouldn't say that this is the best casino in a specific category, but the overall experience provided by this real money slots app is just better than what most of the competition has to offer.
We have a detailed review that reveals more information for those of you who are interested, or you can give it a try yourself instantly.
Free to Play Slots Apps Reviews
I'm pretty sure that most of you will be looking to play slots on mobile with real money, but if that's not the case, I've got you covered. For a start, most of the apps allow you to try their games with virtual money.
There are also hundreds of quality slots that are completely free. The likes of MyVegas and Slotomania provide countless hours of entertainment without the need to risk anything.
One of my fellow writers covers them in a separate post dedicated to the best free slots apps available on mainstream platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
If you liked what you read here, I highly recommend you visit our real-money slots apps page that recommends more mobile casinos with hundreds of titles and juicy bonuses.
We have individual reviews of every single one of them, performed by our team of experts with years of experience in the online gambling industry.
If you want to know more about how to get started with a quality mobile gambling app and what's available for real money gambling via mobile in general, then keep reading through this page. If you just want to get going with using the best gambling apps available right now, click on one of our recommendations below.
Rank | DE Gambling Site | Exclusive Bonus | Products | Get Started | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Betway | 100% Up To€250 |
| Visit Site | Betway |
#2 | Europa Casino | 200% Up To€500 |
| Visit Site | Europa Casino |
#3 | Jackpot City Casino | 100% Up To€400 |
| Visit Site | Jackpot City Casino |
#4 | 22Bet | 100% Up To€300 |
| Visit Site | 22Bet |
#5 | Spin Casino | 100% Up To€400 |
| Visit Site | Spin Casino |
The mobile sector of the online gambling world has grown over time to the point that it has overtaken computer play as the most popular way to gamble. This mirrors a similar growth of mobile usage in other areas, which has primarily come thanks to the proliferation of mobile-friendly content.
Now people from all over the world use mobile gambling sites and real money gambling apps for betting and gaming on the go.
The list above or below of the best sites with mobile gambling apps is kept regularly updated by our online betting and gaming experts. Our team regularly bet on sports and play casino games from their mobile devices, so they know exactly how to identify the best real money gambling apps to use.
These mobile gambling apps have been extensively vetted by our team to ensure that they are safe to use for all customers that sign up. Each one offers a unique gambling experience on your mobile device and we truly believe that you won't be disappointed in any one of these that you choose to play at.
If you're wondering about our vetting process, our rankings are based on a variety of factors, which is the next thing we address on this page.
- Safety and security – Vital for real money gambling apps
- Compatibility – Apps should work on multiple mobile devices
- Ease of use – Online apps should be easy to use
- Banking – Gambling apps need different options for depositing and withdrawing
- Bonuses and promotions – The best apps are generous to new and existing customers
- Payout speed – Withdrawals from gambling apps should be as quick as possible
The above list is not exhaustive by any means. It shows the most important criteria, but there are many more factors that need to be assessed when ranking gambling apps. Rest assured that we are extremely thorough in our evaluations, and only the very best apps make it onto our list.
In addition to ranking the best real money gambling apps overall, we've also ranked the top apps in a variety of different categories. Let's look at those before moving on.
Best Gambling Apps by Category
In what follows, we're going to break down everything you might want to know about playing on mobile online gambling apps. We'll walk you through how to get started, the available types of mobile gambling apps, compatibility issues, safety and security, and more.
Because there are so many different popular devices and mobile operating systems, there are a variety of ways to get started playing via mobile, and they largely depend on what type of smartphone or tablet you're using.
Each individual type of device or OS can have multiple ways to get started gambling, and the method you use can be dependent on the site itself. We're going to walk you through each of the major possibilities so that you know what's available when you start gambling with mobile apps.
App Store Options
Most of the major operating systems like iOS and Android have some variation of an app store (or multiple app stores) where you can download various applications directly to your phone from an organized interface.
If you're looking to play with a specific casino or betting site, they will often give you a link that will direct you straight to the download page from your respective app store. Alternatively, you can look for that gambling site's name specifically using your app store's search function.
It's worth noting that searching for something very general like 'mobile slots' in an app store is not ideal because you can turn up a lot of low-quality results, even if they're free apps, which we'll cover more below.
Aside from that, these app store download options make it easy for you to add everything to your phone or tablet that you need to play all from one place, and that makes them perfect even for players who may not be confident dealing with technology.
One method that was made popular before most devices had web browsers was to simply allow you to put in your phone number so that you could receive an SMS/text message with a download link for the gambling app in question. Even though most browsers have the ability to open download links directly these days, some sites will still use this type of option.
It's another good choice if you aren't confident with technology or if you just like convenience since it's hard to get lost or confused with this straightforward process.
- Put in your phone number and request a download link
- The link will come to your phone via an SMS/text message
- Tap on the link to open it
- Confirm that you want to download the app
It will be downloaded and installed on your device automatically. All you have to do then is open the online gambling app and get started.
In comparison to using an app store, we actually prefer the SMS/text link option because it makes it harder to get sidetracked or accidentally download the wrong thing.
Scanning QR Codes
Sometimes you will have the option to use a QR code to open a download link for the app software. This is a bit more of an advanced approach, and it takes about the same amount of time as either of the above options, so there's not really any significant advantage.
If you see something that looks like a square barcode with a bunch of tiny black and white squares on it, then that's probably a QR code. You scan it with a special mode on your phone, and it acts like a link that can open up a website or download for a mobile gambling site.
In essence, it's a fancy version of sending you a link to get the app. There's no major advantage to using a QR code to download a mobile gambling app, so if you're not comfortable with it, then just use either of the above methods if they're offered.
Once you've used one of the above three methods to download the betting or gaming app to your smartphone or tablet, all you need to do is create an account to start gambling.
We have a number of tips down below to help keep yourself and your funds safe and secure when you're creating this gambling account, but it's a pretty straightforward process otherwise, and it's just like creating an account at any other website.
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With that having been said, it's critical that you include your real information like your name, address, and so on.
This is not a time to put in fake information for the sake of privacy. The sites are required to use the information you put in to verify your identity to satisfy the requirements of their gambling license, and this helps to avoid situations of fraud, money laundering, and other issues.
Types of Online Gambling Apps
There is a lot to choose from when it comes to picking out the best gambling apps to play on, and there are even other apps that are used as tools or utilities to help you while you play.
It can feel like you're being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool when you try to navigate all of this for the first time, so we want to show you exactly what to expect from the different kinds of apps for mobile gambling.
If you were to search for a mobile online casino in an app store, you'd find a whole lot of play money-only options for just about every type of game or way to gamble that you can think of. However, there are some real disadvantages to downloading these gambling apps.
- You never have the option to play for real money on the same games
- The games are typically low quality and are made just well enough to pass the app store's software standards
- The companies that run these games often focus primarily on marketing, so you'll have to deal with a lot of ads or having your information used to market to you
Some play money apps are free, while others require you to pay for them. If you're wondering what's in it for the developers with the free options, the free apps almost always generate funds by forcing you to view advertisements on a regular basis before you can enjoy your play money mobile games.
To avoid these disadvantages, we strongly suggest sticking with the real money gambling app options we gave on our list of recommended sites at the top.
Many have play money options or similar features where you can enjoy the action with play chips until you're ready to get in the mix for real funds.
As we mentioned above, the best real money mobile gambling apps will have free play options where you can enjoy the games and betting without having to actually wager money. Instead, they'll keep a score or balance of virtual chips to let you keep up with how you're doing.
However, you can have opportunities to win real money prizes without making monetary wagers. No-deposit bonus opportunities are one way to do this with sports betting apps and casino apps. You can also play in online poker freeroll tournaments, which have no entry fee but allow you to win real money payouts if you place high enough.
For most players most of the time, this is a lot more fun than straightforward play money games since you have an actual chance to win something of value without having to risk your own funds.
Gambling Tool Apps
Additionally, there are a variety of mobile apps that act as tools or utilities to assist you while gambling. What's available depends on how you're gambling, but you can check out resources like the following.
- Sports betting tips
- Online poker starting hand charts
- Blackjack strategy tables
- Video poker hand calculators
These aren't for everyone, and you don't have to use them, but they're worth mentioning for players who enjoy focusing on strategy when wagering.
One potential problem that mobile gamblers can run into is the fact that not all software or apps are compatible with all mobile devices. This means that you can find yourself in a situation where you want to play with a site that doesn't have a viable mobile software option that works for your smartphone or tablet.
In what follows, we're going to break down how compatibility issues can happen, how they can be avoided, and why our recommended online gambling apps keep you from having to worry about this in virtually all cases.
Native OS Apps vs. Mobile Web Apps
Some online gambling apps have been designed to work with one specific mobile operating system only, and that will almost always be either iOS or Android since those are the two most popular operating systems. These are called native OS apps, and while this approach is popular for a lot of other types of mobile software, it's actually the least popular option in the online gambling world.
Virtually all of our top recommended suggestions are based around mobile web options instead. This is because all operating systems for mobile have web browser apps, and that helps ensure that players from all types of devices and operating systems are able to get in on the action.
In essence, since the sites become full screen anyway, it gives you an experience that's just as good while keeping the compatibility issue from holding you back.
Adobe Flash was the platform used for most of the early mobile gambling options, but it fell to the side with HTML5 taking its place. HTML5 is better in virtually every aspect of the experience compared to Flash, particularly regarding giving players a better overall performance on the same hardware.
However, not all types of gambling will use HTML5 to create graphical displays and so on like what you see in online slots. Instead, you'll often see regular responsive web pages used with mobile sports betting apps because it makes it easier for the operator to keep the betting odds fresh and updated regularly.
HTML5 is great because it offers a super-strong performance while being compatible with nearly every modern mobile device. However, we don't want you to think that there's something wrong with a site if HTML5 is not used, particularly if you're betting on sports via mobile.
Tablets, Smartphones, and Screen Sizes
One of the things we check for when making our recommendations is that they work on all different types of screens, including large tablets, mid-sized tablets, and a variety of smartphone screen sizes.
With HTML5, screen size is largely irrelevant because the scaling is great and everything is designed to be high-quality and easy to view regardless of whether its scaled to a small or large size.
It's a bit different with apps, though. They don't always scale the same way, and even the top real money gambling apps are sometimes optimized for tablets or smartphones but not both.
We've done the research on all of our recommended mobile gambling apps so that you don't have to, and you can check out which screen sizes are available.
However, there is a caveat to this. Smartwatches are not compatible with very many mobile online gambling apps at all. The screens are simply too small to allow the kind of intricate interaction that most types of real money gambling require.
Safety and Security With Real Money Online Gambling Apps
A significant number of players hesitate to gamble via mobile because they aren't sure about the potential security risks. If you check out the sites that we have recommended, you can see from our reviews that we have checked them out to make sure that their mobile gambling software is fully secured and safe to play with.
With that said, there are still a few security things that are beyond the reach of the mobile apps themselves, so we recommend you follow the steps below to keep your account information and financial details safe.
For the sake of convenience, many mobile gambling applications will allow you to save your username and/or password for future sessions. We highly recommend against this.
If your phone or tablet is lost or stolen, you'll have enough problems on your hands without having to worry about someone logging into your real money gambling app and cleaning out your balance. If you keep things set up to automatically log in, then they can do this in just a few taps on your screen.
This is why it's so critical to not use the automatic log-in features that some software providers put into their apps.
Use Different Names, Emails, and Passwords
Again, if your phone is lost or stolen, it gives a person access to all of your email accounts and other types of accounts that are logged in on your device. If the email you used for your mobile gambling account is automatically logged in on your smartphone or tablet, then it's really easy for someone to reset your password to get into your account.
Likewise, they can use similar information from other accounts that you're logged into to gain information to log in and cause havoc on your gambling accounts.
A solution to this is fairly straightforward: Use a new email address for your mobile gambling account, do not use it for anything else, and do not have it automatically logged in on your phone. While you're at it, use a username and password unique to that site so that if someone figures out your username and/or password, that will not give them access to everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Gambling Apps
We know that players will have questions about gambling via mobile, especially if it's their first time. Here, we have compiled some of the most asked questions so that you can get most of your answers first and know exactly what you're looking at.
This depends on the type of gambling you're doing and what kind of graphics, video, and sound have to be loaded. Here are a few examples.
- Mobile Slots – Expect these to use a lot of data because of the high level of graphics, sounds, and sometimes video clips
- Mobile Poker – This doesn't use much data at all because the graphics are downloaded once and saved on your phone
- Mobile Sports Betting – Again, not much data is used here because almost all of the information transferred is in text just like most of what you see on regular websites
Can you play via desktop using your mobile account?
For most sites most of the time, including virtually all of our suggested mobile gambling apps, you'll have no problem using the same account to play on both the mobile and desktop platforms.
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This includes sharing an account balance, playing many of the same games, and taking advantage of several of the same promotions. It's essentially the same account, but you have multiple ways to play from it.
Are there mobile-exclusive online gambling bonus options?
- Established: 2005
- Slot Providers: Microgaming
- US Players: No
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
One of the most impressive mobile slots apps is one of Betway Casino. The gambling site has a couple of different native apps for different devices and a mobile-friendly website, so you can choose between several options.
I tried the slots apps for iPhone and Android, as well as playing directly from my browser. There was close to no difference, as the number of slots available and the quality of each platform is similar.
Betway Casino made sure that everyone can have a lot of fun playing slots on the go. The games are courtesy mostly of Microgaming, which is excellent news, too.
The only slight downside I saw here is that Betway Casino is not as generous as some of the other slots apps that I review here in terms of promotions and bonuses. And yet, the offers of the site are still decent and provide extra value to every customer.
If you are interested, make sure to read our extensive preview or simply visit Betway Casino to inspect it yourself.
Real Betting Casino Apps Yahoo
Jackpot City Casino – One of the First Mobile Casinos
- Established: 1998
- Slot Providers: Microgaming
- US Players: No
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
When a casino has survived in such a competitive environment since the 1990s, it must be doing something right. I decided to check if that's truly the case Jackpot City Casino by including it to my selection of slots app reviews.
I was instantly impressed by the smooth user interface and the collection of slots that are available on mobile. You can enjoy many of the best Microgaming titles, including some insane jackpot slots like Mega Moolah.
The bonuses and promotions are juicy for both new and existing customers. You can start earning right off the bat with the welcome package and then keep it that way thanks to the many deals that follow.
If Jackpot City Casino sounds like the place for you, feel free to learn more about it by trying it yourself or through our complete review.
- Established: 2017
- Slot Providers: Betsoft
- US Players: Yes
- Progressive Jackpots: Yes
The reason I decided to add Wild Casino here is that the gambling operator quickly earned quite the reputation among US players. The online casino was launched in 2017, and three years later, it's one of the most beloved places for slot-lovers from the USA.
It's hard to single out one reason, and I liked pretty much every aspect of Wild Casino on the go. The Betsoft games work well on mobile, the bonus is decent, and there are multiple other promotions available.
The variety of payment options and the speed of the payouts were also above the industry average. I wouldn't say that this is the best casino in a specific category, but the overall experience provided by this real money slots app is just better than what most of the competition has to offer.
We have a detailed review that reveals more information for those of you who are interested, or you can give it a try yourself instantly.
Free to Play Slots Apps Reviews
I'm pretty sure that most of you will be looking to play slots on mobile with real money, but if that's not the case, I've got you covered. For a start, most of the apps allow you to try their games with virtual money.
There are also hundreds of quality slots that are completely free. The likes of MyVegas and Slotomania provide countless hours of entertainment without the need to risk anything.
One of my fellow writers covers them in a separate post dedicated to the best free slots apps available on mainstream platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
If you liked what you read here, I highly recommend you visit our real-money slots apps page that recommends more mobile casinos with hundreds of titles and juicy bonuses.
We have individual reviews of every single one of them, performed by our team of experts with years of experience in the online gambling industry.
If you want to know more about how to get started with a quality mobile gambling app and what's available for real money gambling via mobile in general, then keep reading through this page. If you just want to get going with using the best gambling apps available right now, click on one of our recommendations below.
Rank | DE Gambling Site | Exclusive Bonus | Products | Get Started | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | Betway | 100% Up To€250 |
| Visit Site | Betway |
#2 | Europa Casino | 200% Up To€500 |
| Visit Site | Europa Casino |
#3 | Jackpot City Casino | 100% Up To€400 |
| Visit Site | Jackpot City Casino |
#4 | 22Bet | 100% Up To€300 |
| Visit Site | 22Bet |
#5 | Spin Casino | 100% Up To€400 |
| Visit Site | Spin Casino |
The mobile sector of the online gambling world has grown over time to the point that it has overtaken computer play as the most popular way to gamble. This mirrors a similar growth of mobile usage in other areas, which has primarily come thanks to the proliferation of mobile-friendly content.
Now people from all over the world use mobile gambling sites and real money gambling apps for betting and gaming on the go.
The list above or below of the best sites with mobile gambling apps is kept regularly updated by our online betting and gaming experts. Our team regularly bet on sports and play casino games from their mobile devices, so they know exactly how to identify the best real money gambling apps to use.
These mobile gambling apps have been extensively vetted by our team to ensure that they are safe to use for all customers that sign up. Each one offers a unique gambling experience on your mobile device and we truly believe that you won't be disappointed in any one of these that you choose to play at.
If you're wondering about our vetting process, our rankings are based on a variety of factors, which is the next thing we address on this page.
- Safety and security – Vital for real money gambling apps
- Compatibility – Apps should work on multiple mobile devices
- Ease of use – Online apps should be easy to use
- Banking – Gambling apps need different options for depositing and withdrawing
- Bonuses and promotions – The best apps are generous to new and existing customers
- Payout speed – Withdrawals from gambling apps should be as quick as possible
The above list is not exhaustive by any means. It shows the most important criteria, but there are many more factors that need to be assessed when ranking gambling apps. Rest assured that we are extremely thorough in our evaluations, and only the very best apps make it onto our list.
In addition to ranking the best real money gambling apps overall, we've also ranked the top apps in a variety of different categories. Let's look at those before moving on.
Best Gambling Apps by Category
In what follows, we're going to break down everything you might want to know about playing on mobile online gambling apps. We'll walk you through how to get started, the available types of mobile gambling apps, compatibility issues, safety and security, and more.
Because there are so many different popular devices and mobile operating systems, there are a variety of ways to get started playing via mobile, and they largely depend on what type of smartphone or tablet you're using.
Each individual type of device or OS can have multiple ways to get started gambling, and the method you use can be dependent on the site itself. We're going to walk you through each of the major possibilities so that you know what's available when you start gambling with mobile apps.
App Store Options
Most of the major operating systems like iOS and Android have some variation of an app store (or multiple app stores) where you can download various applications directly to your phone from an organized interface.
If you're looking to play with a specific casino or betting site, they will often give you a link that will direct you straight to the download page from your respective app store. Alternatively, you can look for that gambling site's name specifically using your app store's search function.
It's worth noting that searching for something very general like 'mobile slots' in an app store is not ideal because you can turn up a lot of low-quality results, even if they're free apps, which we'll cover more below.
Aside from that, these app store download options make it easy for you to add everything to your phone or tablet that you need to play all from one place, and that makes them perfect even for players who may not be confident dealing with technology.
One method that was made popular before most devices had web browsers was to simply allow you to put in your phone number so that you could receive an SMS/text message with a download link for the gambling app in question. Even though most browsers have the ability to open download links directly these days, some sites will still use this type of option.
It's another good choice if you aren't confident with technology or if you just like convenience since it's hard to get lost or confused with this straightforward process.
- Put in your phone number and request a download link
- The link will come to your phone via an SMS/text message
- Tap on the link to open it
- Confirm that you want to download the app
It will be downloaded and installed on your device automatically. All you have to do then is open the online gambling app and get started.
In comparison to using an app store, we actually prefer the SMS/text link option because it makes it harder to get sidetracked or accidentally download the wrong thing.
Scanning QR Codes
Sometimes you will have the option to use a QR code to open a download link for the app software. This is a bit more of an advanced approach, and it takes about the same amount of time as either of the above options, so there's not really any significant advantage.
If you see something that looks like a square barcode with a bunch of tiny black and white squares on it, then that's probably a QR code. You scan it with a special mode on your phone, and it acts like a link that can open up a website or download for a mobile gambling site.
In essence, it's a fancy version of sending you a link to get the app. There's no major advantage to using a QR code to download a mobile gambling app, so if you're not comfortable with it, then just use either of the above methods if they're offered.
Once you've used one of the above three methods to download the betting or gaming app to your smartphone or tablet, all you need to do is create an account to start gambling.
We have a number of tips down below to help keep yourself and your funds safe and secure when you're creating this gambling account, but it's a pretty straightforward process otherwise, and it's just like creating an account at any other website.
Real Betting Casino Apps For Real
With that having been said, it's critical that you include your real information like your name, address, and so on.
This is not a time to put in fake information for the sake of privacy. The sites are required to use the information you put in to verify your identity to satisfy the requirements of their gambling license, and this helps to avoid situations of fraud, money laundering, and other issues.
Types of Online Gambling Apps
There is a lot to choose from when it comes to picking out the best gambling apps to play on, and there are even other apps that are used as tools or utilities to help you while you play.
It can feel like you're being thrown into the deep end of a swimming pool when you try to navigate all of this for the first time, so we want to show you exactly what to expect from the different kinds of apps for mobile gambling.
If you were to search for a mobile online casino in an app store, you'd find a whole lot of play money-only options for just about every type of game or way to gamble that you can think of. However, there are some real disadvantages to downloading these gambling apps.
- You never have the option to play for real money on the same games
- The games are typically low quality and are made just well enough to pass the app store's software standards
- The companies that run these games often focus primarily on marketing, so you'll have to deal with a lot of ads or having your information used to market to you
Some play money apps are free, while others require you to pay for them. If you're wondering what's in it for the developers with the free options, the free apps almost always generate funds by forcing you to view advertisements on a regular basis before you can enjoy your play money mobile games.
To avoid these disadvantages, we strongly suggest sticking with the real money gambling app options we gave on our list of recommended sites at the top.
Many have play money options or similar features where you can enjoy the action with play chips until you're ready to get in the mix for real funds.
As we mentioned above, the best real money mobile gambling apps will have free play options where you can enjoy the games and betting without having to actually wager money. Instead, they'll keep a score or balance of virtual chips to let you keep up with how you're doing.
However, you can have opportunities to win real money prizes without making monetary wagers. No-deposit bonus opportunities are one way to do this with sports betting apps and casino apps. You can also play in online poker freeroll tournaments, which have no entry fee but allow you to win real money payouts if you place high enough.
For most players most of the time, this is a lot more fun than straightforward play money games since you have an actual chance to win something of value without having to risk your own funds.
Gambling Tool Apps
Additionally, there are a variety of mobile apps that act as tools or utilities to assist you while gambling. What's available depends on how you're gambling, but you can check out resources like the following.
- Sports betting tips
- Online poker starting hand charts
- Blackjack strategy tables
- Video poker hand calculators
These aren't for everyone, and you don't have to use them, but they're worth mentioning for players who enjoy focusing on strategy when wagering.
One potential problem that mobile gamblers can run into is the fact that not all software or apps are compatible with all mobile devices. This means that you can find yourself in a situation where you want to play with a site that doesn't have a viable mobile software option that works for your smartphone or tablet.
In what follows, we're going to break down how compatibility issues can happen, how they can be avoided, and why our recommended online gambling apps keep you from having to worry about this in virtually all cases.
Native OS Apps vs. Mobile Web Apps
Some online gambling apps have been designed to work with one specific mobile operating system only, and that will almost always be either iOS or Android since those are the two most popular operating systems. These are called native OS apps, and while this approach is popular for a lot of other types of mobile software, it's actually the least popular option in the online gambling world.
Virtually all of our top recommended suggestions are based around mobile web options instead. This is because all operating systems for mobile have web browser apps, and that helps ensure that players from all types of devices and operating systems are able to get in on the action.
In essence, since the sites become full screen anyway, it gives you an experience that's just as good while keeping the compatibility issue from holding you back.
Adobe Flash was the platform used for most of the early mobile gambling options, but it fell to the side with HTML5 taking its place. HTML5 is better in virtually every aspect of the experience compared to Flash, particularly regarding giving players a better overall performance on the same hardware.
However, not all types of gambling will use HTML5 to create graphical displays and so on like what you see in online slots. Instead, you'll often see regular responsive web pages used with mobile sports betting apps because it makes it easier for the operator to keep the betting odds fresh and updated regularly.
HTML5 is great because it offers a super-strong performance while being compatible with nearly every modern mobile device. However, we don't want you to think that there's something wrong with a site if HTML5 is not used, particularly if you're betting on sports via mobile.
Tablets, Smartphones, and Screen Sizes
One of the things we check for when making our recommendations is that they work on all different types of screens, including large tablets, mid-sized tablets, and a variety of smartphone screen sizes.
With HTML5, screen size is largely irrelevant because the scaling is great and everything is designed to be high-quality and easy to view regardless of whether its scaled to a small or large size.
It's a bit different with apps, though. They don't always scale the same way, and even the top real money gambling apps are sometimes optimized for tablets or smartphones but not both.
We've done the research on all of our recommended mobile gambling apps so that you don't have to, and you can check out which screen sizes are available.
However, there is a caveat to this. Smartwatches are not compatible with very many mobile online gambling apps at all. The screens are simply too small to allow the kind of intricate interaction that most types of real money gambling require.
Safety and Security With Real Money Online Gambling Apps
A significant number of players hesitate to gamble via mobile because they aren't sure about the potential security risks. If you check out the sites that we have recommended, you can see from our reviews that we have checked them out to make sure that their mobile gambling software is fully secured and safe to play with.
With that said, there are still a few security things that are beyond the reach of the mobile apps themselves, so we recommend you follow the steps below to keep your account information and financial details safe.
For the sake of convenience, many mobile gambling applications will allow you to save your username and/or password for future sessions. We highly recommend against this.
If your phone or tablet is lost or stolen, you'll have enough problems on your hands without having to worry about someone logging into your real money gambling app and cleaning out your balance. If you keep things set up to automatically log in, then they can do this in just a few taps on your screen.
This is why it's so critical to not use the automatic log-in features that some software providers put into their apps.
Use Different Names, Emails, and Passwords
Again, if your phone is lost or stolen, it gives a person access to all of your email accounts and other types of accounts that are logged in on your device. If the email you used for your mobile gambling account is automatically logged in on your smartphone or tablet, then it's really easy for someone to reset your password to get into your account.
Likewise, they can use similar information from other accounts that you're logged into to gain information to log in and cause havoc on your gambling accounts.
A solution to this is fairly straightforward: Use a new email address for your mobile gambling account, do not use it for anything else, and do not have it automatically logged in on your phone. While you're at it, use a username and password unique to that site so that if someone figures out your username and/or password, that will not give them access to everything else.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Gambling Apps
We know that players will have questions about gambling via mobile, especially if it's their first time. Here, we have compiled some of the most asked questions so that you can get most of your answers first and know exactly what you're looking at.
This depends on the type of gambling you're doing and what kind of graphics, video, and sound have to be loaded. Here are a few examples.
- Mobile Slots – Expect these to use a lot of data because of the high level of graphics, sounds, and sometimes video clips
- Mobile Poker – This doesn't use much data at all because the graphics are downloaded once and saved on your phone
- Mobile Sports Betting – Again, not much data is used here because almost all of the information transferred is in text just like most of what you see on regular websites
Can you play via desktop using your mobile account?
For most sites most of the time, including virtually all of our suggested mobile gambling apps, you'll have no problem using the same account to play on both the mobile and desktop platforms.
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This includes sharing an account balance, playing many of the same games, and taking advantage of several of the same promotions. It's essentially the same account, but you have multiple ways to play from it.
Are there mobile-exclusive online gambling bonus options?
This will depend on where you're playing, but a large percentage of sites will have mobile casino bonuses, mobile poker bonuses, and special mobile sports betting promotions. You will also be able to take advantage of the regular desktop bonuses and special offers, which means tons of ways to get value while gambling on the go.
If you stick to legitimate gambling apps with a quality license and a solid reputation, the answer is yes. They use proper SSL technologies and trusted payment providers to protect their customers. All of our recommended apps do it.
Are there deposit bonuses available, if I use a real money gambling app?
Yes, you can actually have more of them. A lot of gambling companies offer not only their standard options for mobile users, but some exclusive promotions that are only available on the go.
Does mobile gambling apps have lower quality than the desktop version?
Most of the time, the quality is identical. It can be slightly better on desktop on rare occasions, but that's not the case with most gambling apps.
Is it legal to use mobile gambling apps from the USA?
The mobile gambling apps are no different than betting, playing casino games or poker on the internet. In other words, there are off-shore gambling platforms that accept US customers and it's technically not illegal to use them. To learn more about this topic, feel free to visit our US gambling laws and regulations page.
What mobile devices are usually compatible with online gambling apps?
It depends on the particular app you want to use. Many gambling sites nowadays are mobile-responsive, so they work on almost every mainstream device such as iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and even BlackBerry.
As for the native apps, they are usually available on iOS and Android only.
If you want to play with virtual cash, you can usually enjoy Texas Hold'em Poker, slots, and classic card and table games like blackjack and roulette.
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The real money casinos and poker rooms usually support even more options like video poker, scratch cards, Omaha, and others. And of course, you can also bet on sports.
Can I use the same account to bet on mobile and on other platforms, like desktop or laptop?
With most bookmakers, you only need one account to bet on mobile and on desktop. Simply use the same credentials to log into your account.
How can I deposit and withdraw money to gamble on mobile?
You can use the same options that are usually available on desktop, such as credit and debit cards, e-wallets, crypto, and more. Some of the best gambling apps have even implemented pay-by-phone services. If you decide to use pay-by-phone, your money will be added to your phone bill at the end of the month.
Is it safe to use Wi-Fi networks to gamble on mobile?
Most gambling apps are secured well, so you should have no issues betting via Wi-Fi. However, we recommend you avoid unknown networks and public options that require no password.
We've researched and reviewed all of the mobile gambling apps from all of the biggest names out there, and we've put this information together in our list of recommendations to save you the trouble. While there's a lot to learn about gambling with apps if you're just getting started, the software is set up to make the learning curve as smooth and accessible as possible.
If you're ready to get started, pick out a gambling site from our list, and follow our instructions for how to sign up and start playing.
Alternatively, you can read the following reviews for more information on some our top-ranked gambling apps.