Montana Online Casinos—Are They Legit?

Last Updated June. 28. 2024 12:15 PM PDT

Montana online casinos are available to MT residents and visitors, adding more variety to the state’s limited in-person gambling options. This guide to online casinos available in Montana showcases the best gambling sites for MT players, including the best sites to bet on sports, play poker, and gamble with cryptocurrency.

The page covers Montana’s in-person gambling opportunities as well. It shares information about The Big Sky Country State’s gambling laws, history, and potential future. You can also keep reading to learn about MT responsible gambling resources that are available to help cut down on problem gambling issues. 

Disclosure: At GamblingSites.com, our mission is to connect you with the best gambling sites and informational resources available. If you click one of the links on our site, we may earn a commission payment at no extra charge to you.

Recommended Gambling Sites

Top Gambling Sites Serving Montana

reviews

Red Dog Casino Best Montana Gambling Site

Red Dog is a great all-around online gambling site for Montana, featuring a games inventory with something to satisfy anyone’s gambling interests.

The site has more than 160 slots (virtually all from industry giant RealTime Gaming), nearly half of which feature progressive hot drop jackpots, such as Aladdin’s Wishes and Rudolph’s Revenge, recently at $16,000+ and $58,000+, respectively.

In addition to a search icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page, all the gaming categories are broken down into subcategories—plus, you can sort the slots alphabetically or by jackpots offered, a very useful feature for those Montanans keeping an eye on the best progressives.

For the video poker aficionados, Red Dog hosts 15 of the most popular games, including bonus poker, double bonus poker, double double bonus poker, joker poker, deuces wild, sevens wild, and pick’em poker.

No, the site doesn’t feature live poker or a sportsbook—you can find those at BetUS and Bovada, respectively. Red Dog is like a great buffet—it may not have a bar or a dance floor, but it has a huge selection of gambling options to explore.

Table games cover the basics, from tri-card poker to European roulette, baccarat, and three flavors of digital blackjack (classic, perfect pair, and suit’em up). Of course, the site also features live dealer action from Visionary iGaming, with five blackjack tables ($10-$50 minimum bets), four roulette tables ($1-$5 minimums), two baccarat tables ($5-$50 minimums), and two super 6 tables (both with $5-$50 minimums).

When you’re ready to get your gamble on, Red Dog is ready and able to fill your plate.

El Royale Casino Best Online Casino for MT

If you enjoy the casino atmosphere as well as the games you find on the casino floor, you’re going to like El Royale Casino—a lot.

The site’s inventory of slots from Real Time Gaming, as well as the table games and video poker, are all hosted with a background that somehow suggests one of the big casinos on Fremont Street in Vegas. It’s subtle, but you can almost imagine Vegas Vic squinting approvingly over your shoulder as you work the double jackpot poker machine like a part-time job.

And if you like holiday-themed slots, it’s always mumblety-mumble days ‘til Christmas at El Royale—they have over a dozen Santa and reindeer slots to trim your bankroll with lots of green.

If you’re looking for a bit more social atmosphere, help yourself to a seat at one of the live dealer blackjack or roulette tables from Visionary iGaming’s studios. Sorry, Montana—there’s no sportsbook here at El Royale Casino, but you won’t miss it. There’s far too much fun to be had at one of the best casinos in the US.

BetUS Best MT Sports Betting Site

BetUS not only has all the betting markets Montana could wish for (20,000+), but the site offers a vast array of prop bets on everything from the Superbowl and March Madness to Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLB, NHL—they’re not just alphabet soup at BetUS; they’re the meat & potatoes of life itself.

Every wagering category displays tips and other useful information about that specific category—very welcome if you woke up this morning wondering whether to back the Yellowjackets against Carroll College or the Grizzlies vs. Ferris State.

Add in NASCAR, rugby, soccer, thoroughbred horse racing, boxing, and even eSports, and you’ve got a great sportsbook on your screen.

There are plenty of markets to choose from, including political contests, TV and movie awards. You can even find good odds on wagers of whether bitcoin finishes the year above or below a specific price.

Bovada Best Poker Site for Montanans

As one of the top three poker rooms in the US, Bovada always has tables full of players. The site deals with Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha hi-lo. If that’s not enough encouragement, Bovada even offers a 100% matching welcome bonus of up to $500 to Montana poker players.

And Bovada’s not just about the cash games. They host jackpot and regular sit & goes, as well as a full range of tournaments—knockout, $200k guaranteed, and satellites. When I visited, they had 341 tournaments available for registration.

The user interface is simple to navigate, regardless of whether you’re using your laptop’s browser or have downloaded their dedicated poker app. Pick your game, the wagering limitation you prefer (fixed, pot, or no limit), the number of seats (6 or 9), and your stakes amount (seven levels from $0.02/$0.05 to $2.5/$5), and you’re whisked away to your table. You can play up to four tables at once.

You probably won’t see Poker Hall of Famer Huck Seed on Bovada, but then again, you’d never know—all poker players are anonymous on Bovada. The good news there is that those copious notes all the sharks have on your play elsewhere will be of little use to them here. Thank you, Bovada!

DuckyLuck Casino Best Montana Bonus Site

DuckyLuck Casino has bonuses for virtually everything. They’ve got a sweet 500% match up to $7,500 (30x bonus + deposit playthrough) to welcome you aboard, or you can take advantage of their 600% crypto welcome (max deposit: $500, 40x bonus + deposit playthrough). In either case, you get 150 free spins over three days on Mythic Wolf, Golden Gorilla, and Five Times Wins.

Need a reload? DuckyLuck’s got a bonus for that: a matching bonus from 250% to 355% is available up to seven times a day. This site keeps giving back, too. Not only is there a 10% daily Cashback on all crypto deposits, but you can get access to Rapid Payouts.

The more you deposit and play, the more you earn, as each new crypto deposit earns you a 3% crypto rebate.

To activate any particular bonus, just locate it on the deposit page (you can activate only one bonus per deposit). And don’t forget to monitor your level points—these affect everything from the matching percentages of many of the bonuses as well as daily cashback.

Wild Casino Best Table Games Site for MT

Unlike many other online casinos in the states, Wild Casino features dozens of digital table games. Blackjack is so popular it has its own category, but you’ll find those reiterated under table games.

Regardless of the category, there are 19 variations of blackjack. Montanans will find tables of single-hand, multi-hand, and hot-drop jackpot blackjack (the jackpot randomly drops after the tally has reached a minimum of $5,000). Wild Casino doesn’t stop there, though. There are also variants like Pirate 21, Super 7 Blackjack, 21 Burn Blackjack, Rolling Stack, and Blackjack Perfect Pairs.

Under table games, Montanans can play 16 tables of roulette (single zero, double zero, double ball)–even dragon roulette with its random number of multipliers ranging from 50x to 500x.

Another rarity that Wild Casino offers is a digital craps table. This is a classic table, with all the bets veterans of the game know well. You’ll also find a variety of casino poker tables, from three-card poker and bonus Texas Hold’em to Pai Gow and Caribbean poker.

And don’t miss the five variants of digital baccarat or three-card rummy—there’s even Andar Bahar and casino war. If you like the speed and simplicity of digital table gambling, Wild Casino has your game.

Ignition Casino Best Live Dealer Site for Montana

Ignition Casino partners with Visionary iGaming for its live dealer tables, so you know you’re going to get one of the best “live casino” experiences you can have in cyberspace.

Montanans will find 34 live blackjack tables, including two early payout tables, and stakes levels from $5-$100 to $250-$50,000. If roulette is more your game, there are five wheels (three double zero tables and two single-zero wheels).

If you’re feeling rather classy, there are two baccarat tables to choose from, both with stakes levels of $5-$100, $25-$1000, and $100-$2500. And, of course, if you like baccarat but prefer additional side bets, there are two tables of Super 6 with the same three stakes levels.

I tried the $10 blackjack table dealt by Destiny. She was articulate, animated, and dealt the six-deck shoe quickly and professionally. Visiting other tables, I was consistently impressed with the user interface as well as the professionalism of the live dealers. Ignition made a smart decision to partner with ViG.

SlotsandCasino Best Crypto Site for Montanans

SlotsandCasino accepts deposits from a wide range of popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Tether, and Dogecoin. And while the site has a good cash welcome bonus, if you’re making your first deposit in crypto, expect a 500% match bonus up to $2500 in addition to 150 free spins.

Not only that, but the site offers endless perks and rewards for their crypto gamblers.

What privileges, you ask?  How about bigger deposit bonuses, increased cashback, accrual of comp points redeemable in cash, free weekly draw entries, and prioritized rapid payouts? Montana’s motto is “Oro y Plata” (Gold and Silver), and joining SlotsandCasino helps you get more of both. Just the additional 3% crypto rebate for every new crypto deposit makes membership worthwhile.

Incidentally, withdrawal times for Bitcoin are quite brief (24-48 hours), and the minimum withdrawal is low: $25. Best of all, SlotsandCasino charges no fees on Bitcoin withdrawals.

Comparison of Top Sites Serving Montana

comparison
Site NameB.E.S.T. RatingWelcome BonusSpecialtyPayout SpeedReviewVisit Site
Red Dog Casino4.0 of 5Up to $8,000Best Montana Gambling Site1-3 daysRead ReviewVisit Red Dog Casino
El Royale Casino4.0 of 5Up to $7,000Best Online Casino for MT1-5 daysRead ReviewVisit El Royale Casino
BetUS4.5 of 5125% up to $2,500Best MT Sports Betting Site1-2 daysRead ReviewVisit BetUS
Bovada4.5 of 5125% up to $3,750Best Poker Site for Montanans1-2 daysRead ReviewVisit Bovada
DuckyLuck Casino4.5 of 5500% up to $7,500Best Montana Bonus Site2-7 daysRead ReviewVisit DuckyLuck Casino
Wild Casino4.5 of 5250% up to $5,000Best Table Games Site for MT1-2 daysRead ReviewVisit Wild Casino
Ignition Casino4.5 of 5300% up to $3,000Best Live Dealer Site for Montana1-2 daysRead ReviewVisit Ignition Casino
SlotsandCasino4.5 of 5300% up to $4,500Best Crypto Site for Montanans2-4 daysRead ReviewVisit SlotsandCasino

Our Selection Criteria

Our Selection Criteria
Bonuses
Entertainment
Safety
Transactions

Montana takes gambling very seriously—and so do we. When we’re vetting online casinos, poker rooms, and sportsbooks for their quality and suitability for Montana gamblers, we have very specific rules for how we rank each online site. We call this our B.E.S.T. system—an overall rating for a site that is actually an aggregate of dozens of individual scores our experts give each feature of each site.

  • Bonuses — Gambling sites attract patrons in many ways, but the most popular method is matching a gambler’s deposit with a bonus that must be earned via play. Since these bonus offers are the lifeblood of virtually all online gambling sites, we look at them carefully, comparing them to industry averages, standards, and generosity. And we don’t stop with welcome bonuses. The score we give a site for bonuses also includes grading of their reload, free spin, referral, and loyalty bonuses.
  • Entertainment Features — One of the more subjective grades of our system, the entertainment score reflects our personal experience with the site in question. But we go far beyond simple likes and dislikes of a site’s design and artwork. We assess the site’s user interface for usability, as well as contrasting the desktop and mobile versions. We look to ensure casinos have a large number of multiple types of games, as well as the speed and streaming quality of their live dealer tables, and that sportsbooks offer features like live betting or bet builders.
  • Safety and Security — This is the most heavily weighted ranking of our B.E.S.T. system, and rightfully so. The safety of your personal and financial information is paramount among the characteristics we look for when grading and recommending a gambling site. Does the site use Transport Layer Security (TLS) for data encryption? Does it have a clear and protective privacy policy? Before we recommend a site to Montanan players, that site must prove it deserves the business.
  • Transactions — We also examine the data security of all financial transactions. This ranges from confirming that the site adheres to banking-level encryption to examining the range of its deposit and withdrawal methods. We also score each site on the speed of its withdrawal processing, in addition to checking if the site charges fees for those withdrawals.
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Is Gambling Legal in Montana?

legality

As a state, Montana has always taken a stern approach to gambling. Its 1889 constitution specifically prohibited all gambling (Article XIX, Section 2), and in subsequent years, every fight to make a game of chance available to Montanans was a bloody—and often unsuccessful—battle.

Still, there are plenty of opportunities to gamble in Montana.

Montana’s gambling laws are complicated. This is a state that felt obliged to regulate the shaking of dice in a bar to try for a free drink, and also the state that thought it necessary to enumerate the specific hierarchy of poker hands. Nothing like a gunfight over whether a flush beats a straight to spoil the evening, eh?

Online Gambling

In all seriousness, Montana is one of the few states that bars all forms of gambling that it does not explicitly permit. On the other hand, the state then proceeds to legalize and authorize a state lottery. Unfortunately, online gambling is one of the few exceptions in that Montana law singles it out for specific prohibition.

However, while Montana has specifically prohibited online gambling since 2005, no record of any arrests for placing a bet online have been uncovered. Obviously, Montanans worried about gambling online should consult a local attorney conversant in the laws and the realities of gambling enforcement vis a vis the internet.

There are twelve federally recognized tribes in Montana, some of which have gathered together in tribal “communities,” creating seven tribal entities. All seven of these tribal entities have negotiated gaming compacts in the past, but only five have current Class III compacts, while the other two operate Class II gaming entities. Between them all, the tribes operate a dozen casinos in the state.

The only sportsbook licensed in to operate in the state is Sports Bet Montana, which is run by the Montana Lottery. At first glance, it would appear to be an online sportsbook, but in reality, Montanans can only place bets while on premises with a betting kiosk (you’ll find them inside select retail lottery sales locations). You can administer your account from home, but to actually place a bet, you’ll need to find the nearest kiosk.

Land-Based Gambling Options in Montana

land-based-options

As you can see, land-based gambling in Montana is a veritable red-light-green-light game where the only consistency is the probability that the laws will be different tomorrow. Here’s a current look at what’s available on the ground in Montana, gambling-wise.

Commercial Casinos

There are roughly 1,400 licensed commercial casinos in Montana. While these operations collectively represent about 16,000 gaming machines spread throughout every county in the state, the establishments themselves are all small, typically one-room affairs with a maximum of 20 virtual gaming machines.

Examples include the Big Rig Casino inside Love’s Travel Stop near Missoula (18 VGMs), Cattlemen’s Cut Steakhouse in Great Falls (7 VGMs), and 3-G’s Convenience Store in Billings (1 VGM).

Tribal Casino

NAMEADDRESSCOUNTRYINFORMATION
Gray Wolf Peak Casino (Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes)20750 US 93
Missoula, MT 59808		Missoula
Casino with 300+ slot machines (Class II), deli, sports bar
Silverwolf Casino (Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation)300 Highway 25 East
Wolf Point, MT 59201		Roosevelt110 Class II slots, bingo, keno, and video poker
Charging Horse Casino & Bingo1/2 mile east of
Lame Deer, MT on US Hwy 212		Rosebud155 Class III video keno and poker machines, a 500-seat bingo hall, and a non-smoking gambling room containing 28 machines

Sports Betting

Run by the Montana Lottery, Sports Bet Montana is the only authorized sportsbook in the state. The system has more than 500 betting kiosks located throughout the state (all at licensed lottery retailers). “Mobile” betting via these kiosks can be conducted from your phone as long as you are on-premises at the time.

Poker

As with commercial casinos, poker rooms in Montana tend to be small, one or two-table establishments inside a tavern, bar, or restaurant. Examples are the Red Door Longe in Billings (two tables), Seats Open Card Room inside Cat’s Paw in Bozeman (two tables), and the Poker Parlor inside Gold Dust Casino in Billings (four tables).

Lottery

Retail locations selling tickets for the Montana Lottery appear throughout the state. Montana participates in the Powerball, Lotto America, and Mega Millions multi-state lotteries, in addition to providing a number of statewide lotteries prizes of its own. Both lottery tickets and instant win scratchcards may be purchased at the retail locations. No sales are permitted via the internet.

Bingo

NAMEADDRESSCOUNTRYINFORMATION
Big B Bingo1307 12th St W
Billings, MT 59102		YellowstoneEvening session of bingo every day, afternoon sessions on Wednesday and Sunday
Charging Horse Casino & Bingo1/2 mile east of Lame Deer, MT on US Hwy 212Rosebud500-seat bingo hall

Montana Gambling Timeline

timeline
2021
February

SB 189, a bill to amend Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to provide for the licensing and taxing of historical horse racing machines (HRMs), is introduced in the state senate. Similar to slot machines, the HRMs use video clips of actual horse races to allow gamblers to bet on the winners—and get paid according to the pari-mutuel statistics of that particular race. As of this writing, the bill remains stalled.

2019
May

Governor Bill Bullock signed SB 330, an act permitting sports wagering to take place through the Montana State Lottery. The act became a state law in June 2020. The new law creates hundreds of potential “sportsbooks” as licensees of the state’s lottery system are permitted to install sports betting kiosks. A bill authorizing sports betting by licensees under the regulation of the Department of Justice is vetoed by the Governor.

March

HB 475, a bill authorizing parimutuel sports betting under the Board of Horseracing, failed to survive the legislative process.

2017
March

HB 578, a bill legalizing blackjack, died in committee.

2015
October

Legislature failed to legalize daily fantasy sports betting.

2011
April

 A bill legalizing blackjack in Montana dies in the Montana State Senate Finance and Claims committee.

2005
March

Newly-elected Montana governor Brian Schweitzer signed SB 103 into law, outlawing “internet gambling” throughout the state. Also outlawed were several other “illegal gambling enterprises,” including credit gambling, banked card games, and various banked dice games.

1992
July

After the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), Montana began making casino compacts with the various Federally-recognized tribes in the state.

1991
October

The Montana legislature legalized fantasy sports leagues, but specifically prohibited betting or wagering on same.

February

Montana State Senate Judiciary Committee declined to move on SB 408, a bill that would have legalized blackjack.

1986
November

By referendum, voters approved the Montana Lottery, which went live in June 1987.

1985
May

Montana governor Ted Schwinden signed into law House Bill 236, aka the Video Poker Machine Act. The act permits establishments with liquor licenses to offer up to five video poker machines (and an unlimited number of video keno machines). The state had issued nearly 3,000 slot licenses by the end of 1986.

1984
February

The Montana Supreme Court found video poker games illegal (Gallatin County v. D & R Music & Vending, Inc.).

1976
April

The Montana Supreme Court declared video keno legal.

1974
January

Montana’s Card Game, Bingo, Raffles and Sports Pool Act, passed in 1973 to amend Montana Code Annotated (MCA), goes into effect, legalizing those games.

1972
March

Montana held a constitution convention, extensively rewriting its 1889 constitution. Article III, Section 9 of this new constitution outlawed “all forms of gambling, lotteries, and gift enterprises[.]”

1889
July

With Article XIX, Section 2, Montana’s first state constitution banned all forms of lotteries and “gift enterprises.”

Future of Gambling in Montana

future

There is no legislation currently in the works to change, add, or reduce Montanans’ various freedoms to gamble on their chosen games. It is probable, however, that—given the state of acceptance of gambling throughout the country—fewer and fewer games will be specifically prohibited.

The state has shown it can wait decades before making a thumbs up-thumbs down decision on any particular gaming choice. What that means is it’s not realistic to expect Montana to change its mind about online gambling any time soon. However, there is still hope since much of the now-permitted wagering involves gambling operations that exist primarily online.

Ironically, then, the most likely way Montana will permit various forms of gambling to occur is because of the overlap with games or modes of wagering the state has already okayed.

In the meantime (barring accepting the meager gambling choices Montana currently permits), it would be reasonable to find an online gambling site you feel safe and comfortable with—one that features sufficient safeguards for your privacy and security.

Gambling Responsibly

gamble-responsibly

The state of Montana makes every effort to ensure its citizens gamble responsibly.

An excerpt from a 1998 article about Montana problem gambling revealed some unique characteristics about Montana gamblers—according to the excerpt, “[a]bout 51.5 percent of those who reported gambling in the past year are males, which is statistically indistinguishable from the 48.5 percent of gamblers who are female.” The article also noted that at the time that there were 23,400 problem gamblers in the state; Montana’s adult population has since grown by about 20%.

Legal Sources

sources
  1. Article XIX, Section 2, 1889 Montana Constitution
  2. SB103, Montana Legislature
  3. SB 189, Montana Legislature
  4. SB 330 (“Montana Sports Betting Act”), Montana Code Annotated
  5. Casino Compacts, US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
  6. Fantasy Sports Leagues, Montana Code
  7. Our History, Montana Lottery
  8. HB236, (“Video Poker Machine Act”), Montana Legislature
  9. Gallatin County v. D & R Music & Vending, Inc., Justia US Law
  10. Video keno ruling, Montana Supreme Court
  11. 1972 Montana Constitution

Gambling Online in Montana

If you’re trying to gamble online in Montana, you have several options available to you. Your very best bet, however, is Red Dog Casino, as it offers a competitive bonus (250% up to $8,000) and one of the best gaming libraries, which includes a plethora of table games and hot drop jackpots.

BetUS is the top site for anyone trying to bet on sports in Montana, while Bovada as the best site to play poker online, and SlotsandCasino is the top crypto casino. If you’re a fan of table games Wild Casino is the preferred site, while DuckyLuck is best for bonuses.

The guide shined a light on Montana’s gambling laws as well, including information about the state’s unique online gambling regulations. The state’s gambling history was also covered, and the page also took an educated guess on what Montana’s gambling landscape may look like in the near future.

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Kevin Roberts, previously published under the pseudonym Noah Davis, is one of the more diverse writers at GamblingSites.com. Like many of his colleagues, he’s a huge fan of both football and basketball. But he also writes about box office records, TV show prop bets, DFS, and all kinds of other subjects. When it comes to the NFL, Kevin’s favorite team is the Green Bay Packers. He enjoys cheering them on with his wife and daughter.
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