Online blackjack re-creates the popular casino card game in the comfort of your own home. It’s easy to play on your desktop computer or tablet.
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You can now play online blackjack games in New York. There are two ways to hit 21 and the beat the dealer: You can sign up at free-to-play casinos that are affiliated with land-based New York resorts or you can play blackjack with sweepstakes casinos.
Download these online casino apps in NY and bet in NJ
How to play blackjack online for free
It’s currently illegal to play real-money casino games in New York.
While some states, including NewJersey, move forward with regulated online casinos, New York state is struggling to catch up.
There are bigger and better land-based casinos in New York; however, and sports betting (at physical locations) was recently made legal. Residents of New York City and the rest of the state are crossing their fingers with hopes that blackjack, roulette, and slots will follow suit soon.
However, you can play blackjack online for free. There is a range of games available at social casinos like ChumbaCasino and free-to-play casinos for New York-based gamblers.
Playing blackjack online
The idea of the game is simple: You and the dealer receive two cards. Your cards are face up, and the dealer has one down and one up.
You must draw more cards (hit) until you reach 21 without going over (bust). The dealer goes last and keeps hitting until he or she makes 17 or over. If you beat the dealer, you win. If you go bust, you lose.
Online blackjack generally uses six to eight decks. The software shuffles the deck after every hand, and an audited RNG (random number generator) governs the reliable software.
Popular blackjack terms
- Bet: To start, select a stake level and move your chips to the betting area.
- Hit: You receive another card. Aces are worth one or 11, and picture cards are worth 10.
- Stand: You receive no more cards.
- Double down: The double down is a second bet on totals of nine, 10 or 11. Some variants let you double down on any total. When you double down, you receive one more card. Your turn is now over.
- Split: If you get dealt a pair, you can choose to split the cards and continue with two separate hands. This is a good move if you’re holding high-value cards like 9-9 or 10-10.
- Re-split: You can often re-split an already split hand that forms a pair. You can usually re-split aces as well.
- Insurance: Insurance is an extra bet you can make at the start of a hand. You win 2:1 on your insurance bet if the dealer lands a winning blackjack.
- Odds: Some free-to-play online blackjack games offer a special odds option, which lets you check your chances of winning each hand depending on the cards shown.
- Payouts: If you beat the dealer’s total, or if the dealer goes bust, you are paid 1:1. If you get dealt a natural blackjack (e.g., A-Q), you win 3:2. If you and the dealer score the same total, the hand is a “push,” and your stake is returned.
Real money online blackjack
Sweepstakes casinos allow you to play blackjack and win real cash prizes. Sweepstakes casino sites like Chumba Casino run games with the potential to end up with real money.
When you play, you can purchase “gold coins” to use at blackjack tables. By buying the virtual currency, you receive “Sweeps Coins.” This cash holds no monetary value and can’t be purchased.
However, if you select the sweeps coins option at a blackjack table, you can win more Sweeps Coins and then convert it to ream money later. You can redeem cash prizes after undertaking a short verification process.
Popular online blackjack variants
You can find basic blackjack variations at free-to-play online casinos in New York state. Classicblackjack lets you split and double down on your hands. You can even take insurance against the dealer’s blackjack.
But what other variants will you be able to find at New York online casinos as gaming laws change? Let’s take neighboring New Jersey as an example.
Many online blackjack variants are unavailable in your local land-based casino. They come with different rules, house edges and payouts; however, they all provide exciting gambling opportunities for players.
- Multihand Blackjack: In classic blackjack online, you can bet on and play one hand at a time. Multihand blackjack lets you gamble on up to five hands at once. You don’t need to wait for other players to vacate their seats, and you can bet a range of stakes.
- Atlantic City Blackjack: Atlantic City Blackjack was born in New Jersey but is now available at the best online casinos. The dealer stands on a soft 17, and players can make a “late surrender.” This rule lets you give up your hand if the dealer is showing a potential blackjack.
- Spanish 21: Spanish 21 sees some of the 10-value cards removed. A double down is allowed after a split. You can also surrender your hand if the dealer shows a potential blackjack.
- Vegas Strip Blackjack: This fun blackjack variant originated in LasVegas, but you can find it at good New Jersey online casinos. You play the game with four decks. The key difference in Vegas Strip Blackjack is that the dealer “peeks” at his hand at the start of a game to check if he has blackjack. If he lands blackjack with 10-up, you only lose your original stake.
- Vegas Downtown Blackjack: In Vegas Downtown Blackjack, you can split identical cards and two cards of the same value (e.g., Q-K or 10-J). As the game is only played with two decks and makes pairs a lot stronger.
- Blackjack X-Change: Blackjack X-Change is a new online variant that puts you in control of the hand. The same basic blackjack rules apply, but you can purchase and sell cards to guarantee a profit.
Top online blackjack tips
You can get a head start at online casinos with a few essential tips.
- Find a good online casino: There is a limited selection of online blackjack casinos in New York state in 2019. Free-to-play casinos offer a safe and fun place to play. If you choose the right casino, you can take a shot at winning a little free cash.
- Choose a variant that is right for you: There are several blackjack variants available online. Classic blackjack is a standard option at free-to-play casinos. You should have a basic idea of the blackjack house edge. Classic blackjack comes with a house edge of 0.5%.
- Print a cheat sheet: The house edge can increase if you don’t employ a basic blackjack strategy. The edge can rise to 2% if you play blackjack badly and make the wrong decisions. To make the right moves, print a cheat sheet. A cheat sheet displays the optimal moves based on your and the dealer’s cards. The sheet recommends when to hit, stand, split and double down. Download one and keep it open on your monitor as you play.
- Manage your bankroll: You can go bust in online blackjack if you don’t manage your budget properly. You can typically bet as low as 50c on a hand of online blackjack, much lower than the minimum stakes found at land-based casinos in New York. You should bet a small percentage of your bankroll on each hand. If your bankroll is $100, bet $1 a hand and keep your stakes standard.
Playing live dealer blackjack in 2019
You can find virtual blackjack tables in many land-based New York casinos. A real-life dealer handles the action at a real table using real cards. Up to 10 players can watch the action on an HD screen and place bets via touchscreens.
You can also find live dealer blackjack games online, though not in New York. These games allow you to play the hand in the same way as a conventional game of blackjack. The action is handled by a human dealer using specially coded cards that are read by a camera and displayed on your screen.
Currently, there are no free-to-play live dealer blackjack games available online in New York. However, these games are popular at legal NJ online casinos. We expect live dealer tables to be available if New York eventually legalizes online gambling.
Discover the best online blackjack in NY
It can be fun to play blackjack online in New York in 2019. The question is, where do you play?
Free-to-play casinos let you play with credits and get a feel for the software. You can even win a little free cash at selected sweepstakes sites like Chumba Casino or Luckyland Slots Casino.
Playing blackjack online doesn’t mean traveling miles to your nearest NY casino. Enjoy this popular card game at home or on mobile and beat the dealer.
Online casinos are currently not approved or regulated by the state of New York. However, social online casinos operated by New York’s growing list of land-based casinos offer a wide range of free casino games, including slot games, table games, bingo, keno, and video poker games.
Sign up to these online casinos in NY and bet in NJ
Are online casinos legal in NY?
No and New York lawmakers are currently not considering legislation to legalize online casinos. There is no compelling evidence that online casinos will be coming to New York in the near future.
The New York State constitution explicitly forbids games of chance like casino games, with some exceptions. It would take a constitutional amendment or successful referendum to approve regulated online casinos in the state, and such a measure has not been proposed yet.
New York did include a referendum measure on the 2013 election ballot to allow for up to seven land-based commercial casinos to be built in the state. The referendum was approved by voters. The new casinos are New York’s first commercial casinos, whereas Native American casinos have been serving the Empire State’s players since 1993 when the first Indian Casino opened.
Other forms of gambling in New York
There have been several legislative attempts in recent years to legalize online poker and sports betting in New York. Finally, sports betting was legalized in NY in 2019 and launched its first sportsbook at Rivers Casino in July 2019.
Unfortunately, poker is still sitting on the bench. Some bills have classified online poker games as games of skill, which are legal according to the state constitution, instead of games of chance, which are prohibited. None of the proposed bills have been passed yet, but they remain active for the 2019 legislative session.
Legal betting in New York
The options for state-regulated online betting in New York State are relatively limited compared to New York’s neighboring states of New Jersey – the market leader for legal online casinos in the U.S. – and Pennsylvania, where online casinos are slated to launch in mid-2019. Currently, players in New York can place wagers online for horse races and play fantasy sports.
Horse racing and online betting
Online wagering on horse races is legal thanks to a safe harbor clause for horse racing, including off-track betting activities and associated online wagering, in the federal UIGEA legislation, which otherwise limits online gambling in the U.S. All of the OTB branches in New York offer online horse race wagering options.
Online Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS)
New York State began regulating online fantasy sports activity in 2016 as a game of skill, which is legal in New York. In 2018, a court ruling against New York’s classification of DFS as a game of skill muddied the waters, but the case was appealed, and gameplay continues for now.
Social online casino games in New York
Several commercial and Native American casinos in New York provide free-play casino games. Most of these social casino sites offer limited free virtual credits to players or give them the option to win or purchase virtual credits for additional games. Players can’t earn money playing these free casino games, but they can unlock new games and game levels while playing.
Empire City Casino – Owned by MGM and hosted in Nevada, Empire City’s free-play site is powered by GAN and offers a wide variety of table games, online slots games by top developers like NetEnt, slots tournaments, and promotions. Players must register to preview and play Empire’s online casino games.
Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, Hamburg Gaming – The sites for both of these land-based casinos link to the Lucky North Casino – a virtual social casino that features an interactive casino floor with free online slots, video poker, blackjack, bingo, and keno games.
It is possible to play some of the free games in demo mode without registering or logging in first, while other games require a login to play. An online casino app is also available for iOS, Android, and Kindle devices.
Turning Stone Casino – Operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, Turning Stone online casino is hosted in Nevada, powered by GAN, and does not support any real-money gaming at this time. Players can also download the app to play on iOS and Android devices. The site features slots tournaments, promotions, and a variety of games, including:
- Slots
- Video poker
- Keno
- Roulette
- Blackjack
- Deuces Wild
- Hi-Lo Solitaire
Seneca Casinos – The Seneca Nation of Indians hosts the iPlaySeneca social online casino that boasts an impressive catalog of free online slots games by reputable developers like Williams Interactive (WMS). It is not possible to preview or play the iPlaySeneca free slots games without registering and logging in first. An iPlaySeneca app is also available for iOS and Android devices.
Del Lago Resort & Casino – Similar to the iPlaySeneca site, del Lago’s online casino offers online slots games by WMS, including popular titles like Kronos, Invaders From the Planet Moolah, Bier Haus, 88 Fortunes, and Super Jackpot Party. It is not possible to preview or play the free slots games without registering and logging in first, and a mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices.
Rivers Casino & Resort – Rivers Casino4Fun, Rivers Casino’s free-play online casino, is operated by Rush Street Interactive, the same company behind the free-play casinos for SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, PA and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, PA. All of the Casino4Fun sites provided by Rush – including Rivers Casino4Fun – boast the same layout, handy game filtering tools, and many of the same games as SugarHouse’s real-money online casino in New Jersey.
Rivers Casino’s free online game selection includes:
- Slots
- Roulette
- Blackjack
- Texas Hold’em and three card poker
- Live roulette and live baccarat
- Slingo
- Video bingo
- Video poker
Examples of Rivers Casino4Fun game developers include:
- Konami
- NetEnt
- Greentube Games
- Evolution Live Casino
- Everi
It is not possible to preview or play the games unless you register and log in to your Rivers player account first.
Payment methods at New York’s free online casinos
Most of New York’s land-based casinos that offer free-play online casino sites provide the option to purchase virtual currency or virtual credits to play additional games beyond what the casino awards.
Different social casinos offer different payment options for players. For example, Empire City and Turning Stone’s online casinos accept convenient payment methods like all major credits cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express) and PayPal for online purchases. Lucky North Online Casino states that in-app purchases are processed by the app store associated with your device.
The payment methods accepted by New York’s free-play casinos are for making deposits/purchases, and it is not possible to win money or withdraw money from these sites. Chips are for entertainment value, and once chips are awarded or purchased, they cannot be redeemed or exchanged for monetary value.
Land-based casinos in New York
New York has hosted numerous Native American casinos on Seneca, Mohawk, and Oneida tribal lands ever since the first Indian casino opened in 1993. Four new commercial casinos were opened in upstate New York between 2016 and 2018 as well.
Native American NY Casinos
Turning Stone Casino Resort, Verona NY
Opened in 1993 by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York, Turning Stone was the first land-based casino and the first Native American casino in New York State. Since then, the property has expanded, with the most recent renovations completed in 2017.
Turning Stone is a premier Indian casino that offers a complete resort experience with lodging, a spa, golf, dining, and entertainment options.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 32 tables, state-of-the-art room
- Table games: 80+ games
- Slots: 2,000+ games
- Bingo: World-class bingo hall
- Keno: Games called every five minutes
Yellow Brick Road Casino, Chittenango NY
Smaller than Turning Stone, the Yellow Brick Road Casino is also an Oneida Indian property. The casino features the yellow brick road theme from the Wizard of Oz that extends through the gaming floor to the dining and entertainment venues.
Casino Game Selection:
Casino Free Blackjack
- Table games: 14+
- Slots: 400+
Point Place Casino, Bridgeport NY
Similar in size to the Yellow Brick Road Casino, the Oneida Nation also hosts this rustic-themed casino located in a woodland area replete with beloved lake points. Point Place offers a gaming floor, dining, and entertainment options.
Casino Game Selection:
Live Black Jack Casino In New York Online Services
- Table games: 20+
- Slots: 500+ games
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino, Buffalo NY
Located in downtown Buffalo’s inner harbor area, the Seneca Nation’s urban casino offers a variety of gaming, dining, and entertainment options.
Casino Game Selection:
- Table games: 35+
- Slots: 1,100+ games
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, Niagara Falls, NY
Boasting picturesque views of the Niagara Falls region, this full-service Seneca Nation casino resort offers gaming, lodging, spa services, dining, entertainment, and conference facilities.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 16 tables
- Table games: 100+
- Slots: 2,800+ reel and video slot games
- Keno
Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino, Salamanca NY
Set in the Allegheny Mountain foothills, this full-service Seneca Nation casino resort offers gaming, lodging, spa services, dining, and entertainment.
Casino Game Selection:
- Table games: 30+
- Slots: 1,600+ reel and video slot games
Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, Hogansburg NY
Hosted by the Mohawk Indian tribe, this full-service casino resort provides lodging, spa services, dining, and entertainment options.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 5 tables
- Table games: 25+
- Slots: 1,500+ reel (penny slots up to high-limit slots)
- Bingo
Commercial casinos in New York
Tioga Downs in Nichols, NY
The first casino with a commercial license to open in New York, Tioga Downs was originally a horse race track that was granted a commercial casino license to expand its business. The gaming floor opened in 2016, and the hotel opened in 2017. The property also features horse racing, golf, dining, and entertainment options.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 6 tables
- Table games: 128+ games
- Slots: 900+ games
- Video poker: 130+ different games
del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo, NY
Opened in 2017 in the Finger Lakes region of New York, within only an hour drive to the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Casino, del Lago is a full-service commercial casino resort with gaming, lodging, a spa, restaurants, and entertainment.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 14 tables (Seven Card Stud, Pot Limit Omaha, Texas Hold’em)
- Table games: 66+ (e.g., craps, roulette, blackjack, three card poker, Let It Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Mississippi Stud, Casino War)
- Slots: 2,000+ games
Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, NY
Part of the ambitious Mohawk Harbor development project on the Mohawk River in Schenectady, Rivers opened in 2017 as a full-service resort property with gaming, lodging, restaurants, and entertainment.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 16 tables, open 24/7
- Table games: 67 games
- Slots: 1,150+ games (penny slots to high-limit slots)
- Video poker
- Keno
Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, NY
With a grand opening in 2018, Resorts World is billed as the newest commercial casino and the closest casino to New York City. This full-service luxury resort property is located in the picturesque Catskill Mountain region, boasting 100,000 square feet of gaming space, boutique lodging, a spa, and various dining and entertainment options.
Casino Game Selection:
- Poker: 19 tables, open 24/7
- Table games: 150+ games
- Slots: 2,000+ games
- Video poker: 130+ different games
Virtual Lottery Terminals (VLTs) in New York
New Yorkers can also play Virtual Lottery Terminal (VLT) games at racino betting facilities throughout the state. VLTs look like slot machines, but players bet on the outcome of virtual games that are transmitted by a central game system maintained by the New York Gaming Commission.
FAQ
Who regulates casino games and casinos in New York?
The New York State Gaming Commission regulates all aspects of gaming, including casino games, commercial casinos, and Class III Indian Gaming facilities (Native American casinos).
Are there online casinos in New York?
Online casinos that offer real-money games are currently illegal in New York. Several of New York’s licensed land-based casinos offer social online casinos with free-play casino games and other online entertainment options.
Where can New Yorkers play online casino games?
Free-play online social casino games are available through many of New York’s land-based casinos. For real-money online casino games, New Yorkers can take a trip across the border into New Jersey to play at any of New Jersey’s regulated online casinos. Pennsylvania’s online casinos are expected to launch in mid-to-late 2019 as well.
Online casinos in New Jersey use geolocation technology to identify where a player is located. Players from New York can play at New Jersey’s online casinos as long as they are physically present anywhere within New Jersey’s state borders. It is expected that online casinos in Pennsylvania will use the same type of geolocation technology to ensure that online players are physically present within the state of PA.
Where can New Yorkers play casino games?
New York hosts various land-based commercial and Native American casinos throughout upstate New York. Gaming floors at racinos throughout the state also offer Virtual Lottery Terminal (VLT) games and electronic table games.