Here is a page dedicated to all of the defunct online casinos who accepted USA players before closing their doors and running off with their customers’ money. Some of the following operators enjoyed moderate popularity before folding, while others were just scam websites designed to soak Americans for as much loot as they could.
This list is not meant to be exhaustive as there were thousands of sites launched between 1995 and 2010, however, these are some of the highlights. A few are rogue and blacklisted casinos while some simply left the United States once the government cracked down on them, paying their players out before moving on. Hopefully, these don’t bring back too many painful memories.
BetUS
BetUS was established in 1994 and then powered by Rival software in early 2009. Along with traditional table and card games such as craps, roulette, blackjack and Caribbean Stud Poker, they also had tons of video poker machines such as Tens or Better, Aces and Faces, and Jacks or Better.
Their flash software ran on RealTime Gaming (RTG) and offered titles such as Metal Detector, Strike Gold, Major Moolah, So 80’s, and Cleopatra’s Coins. This place was mostly known for their large assortment of tournaments where players could go head-to-head on pretty much every table available, even 3-Card Poker.
They also offered a full poker room with tournaments and cash games, as well as a sportsbook product accepting wagers on every popular league and racetrack.
Caribbean Gold
Caribbean Gold was an enterprise backed by a group called Vegas Technology that released a few different skins of their software in order to market to different segments of the American market. They were a a member of the EH Gaming Ventures Group and licensed in Antigua and Barbuda, alongside sister site English Harbour, who attracted many U.S. players during the time they were open for business.
At time of closing they offered more than 100 games consisting of 3-reel, 5-reel and 7-reel classic and video slot machines. Popular attractions over the years were Box Car Bonanza, Cash Grab, Red White and Win, and Mah Jong Madness, just to name a few.
They accepted new registrations right up until their final day in operation, attracting people with large bonuses and a lavish reward system for loyalty. Sadly, neither winnings nor loyalty points were ever redeemed again after they pulled the plug and sailed off into the sunset.
Cherry Red
Another RTG operation that people used to flock to was Cherry Red as it was hard to resist their sexy and colorful website covered with shiny, delicious cherries on every page. They also had a solid marketing team who struck gold with their offer of a 100% sign up bonus up to $777, with the amount not changing for the last few years they were in existence.
Established in 2008 by Isagro Holdings in Cyprus, Cherry Red were a sister site of Rushmore, who also extended tons of promotions and incentives to their clients. In their About Us section they claimed that their motto was, Excellence is a mix of incredible entertainment, unparalleled service and pure, unadulterated fun,
although the U.S. players who never got paid their balances would probably consider this statement quite misleading.
They were known amongst fans of table games for boasting many different variants of blackjack with Perfect Pairs, European, Face-Up 21, Matchplay 21, and loads more. They then featured the usual array of 3-reel, 5-reel and 7-reel slots, with dozens of progressive games to choose from.
It’s been years since this place pulled out of the market but many people still have a bitter taste in their mouth as this sweet treat turned out to be a sour disaster.
Club World
Here was a club so exclusive, it was strictly limited to the population of the entire world, however, a confusing brand name was just the beginning. Many Americans enjoyed Club World for a while but eventually slow payouts and then no payouts led to them getting blacklisted by every watchdog website in the industry.
The club was powered by Realtime Gaming software and offered a decent selection of games, with many enjoying their Instant Play Club which didn’t require a download. This operation slowed down considerably in 2013 and became full-on “rogue” in the beginning of 2015. Membership here ultimately resulted in lost funds and angry emails to customer service agents who had long-before been let go by management.CrazySlots
Sometimes it’s “all in a name” and CrazySlots certainly lived up to their moniker (for a time). They were another brand launched by Vegas Technology who targeted those who shunned table games in favor of spinning reels and and chasing jackpot prizes.
Licensed and regulated out of Curacao helped to attract people under the guise of “trust and reliability” but when the site cut and run, everyone playing there lost whatever funds remained in their accounts. Most were attracted to the massive bonuses they offered while open, giving out thousands of dollars in free money to both new and returning players with an extremely low rollover requirement to clear.
However, as the saying goes, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t.”
DaVinci’s Gold
Another site powered by Rival software was DaVinci’s Gold, simply another skin of their technology that provided them with extra marketing opportunities. They didn’t even bother adding a poker room or sportsbook to differentiate the brand, instead choosing to “cut and paste” their existing websites.
The look and feel of pages featured elements of various novels written about Leonardo DaVinci, as well as a film about his life. Once in their cashier you would find a bizarre bonus structure for new signups with percentages rising for each financial transfer, yet descending maximum amounts that could be claimed.
During their final days they slowly stopped answering player emails before abruptly pulling out of the United States and running off with any existing balances. Sometimes life imitates art and all of DaVinci’s sad former members will readily agree.
English Harbour
With a larger marketing budget than most competitors at the time, English Harbour became a top choice for thousands of people who wanted to join a trusted online casino that came highly recommended. However, the Boston Tea Party has nothing on the drama that unfolded in this controversial virtual body of water as owners of the site sailed off with everyone’s booty.
It was yet another skin of Vegas Technology, which therefore folded at the same time as every other one of their properties, many of which are listed on this page. All of them were backed by EH Gaming Ventures Group but this was the longest-tenured of their fleet, launched way back in 1997.
They claimed to have vast financial reserves designed to payout players quickly when they won, however, this fairytale was debunked as soon as they closed up shop. Many were attracted to them over the years as they were one of the only sites with progressive blackjack at the time. It was fun while it lasted but even just the mention of their name still causes some to shudder with rage.
Go Casino
Here we have an unimaginative brand powered by the aforementioned Vegas Technology, with Go Casino conjuring absolutely nothing in the imaginations of those who hear its name. Another cookie-cutter website, this one looked like it was slapped together in a few hours and then released to the American market.
It was owned and operated by Golden Palace Gaming Group who were behind some of the biggest iGaming blunders of the 2000s, invariably resulting in furious players losing bundles of cash into the ether. Mercifully, Go came and went quickly, leaving a small number of affected bankrolls in the process, although their $20,000 signup bonus of course managed to lure a few unsuspecting punters into their trap.
Golden Cherry
Sometimes it’s hard to come up with an original name for an online casino, which is why many groups have simply shrugged their shoulders and mashed two existing “iGaming-sounding” names together and called it a day. This is clearly what executives at Rival did when they launched Golden Cherry back in the late 2000s (this was par for the course and totally made sense at the time).
They attracted a decent amount of players by dangling a juicy financial incentive of $888 to anyone who singed up with them, ensuring Chinese clients were sure to be interested to their lucky number of “8”. This short-lived cherry-themed venture when sour quickly and spoiled the balances of everyone registered with them in the process.
Las Vegas USA
Another tombstone in the graveyard of American-facing betting sites, this one was erected by a distant entity called Main Street Vegas Group, which may or may not have been based within the state’s actual borders. Imagination was in short supply as Las Vegas USA launched to little fanfare, sucking up as many members as possible through paid online advertising and little else.
Using Realtime Gaming software this property offered the usual array of table games and slots, underwhelming all those who were unfortunate enough to stumble through their virtual doors. Their bonus offers were also habitually sub-standard, although they were known for giving out $20 free to anyone who wanted to test drive their products before depositing. Obviously, those who did end up transferring them funds lost everything as soon as they blocked U.S. players for logging into their accounts.
Mayan Fortune
Just like the ancient society from which this brand took it’s name, Mayan Fortune became extinct after only a short-lived time on earth. They were yet another site featuring Rival software, however, the owners were an entity called Silverstone Overseas Limited, being totally upfront with the fact they were located way offshore and governed by a foreign jurisdiction (if anywhere at all).
Many were seduced with their bizarre offer of a $14 no deposit bonus, but once registered, players were spammed into oblivion until they relented and funded their accounts. Ultimately there were no Mayan treasures to discover and this destination crumbled into dust, never to be heard from again.
Millionaire Casino
Sometimes a website is so clearly a scam they’ll put ridiculous claims right in the name of their brand – enter Millionaire Casino who duped thousands of delusional players into signing up with them before smashing their dreams to pieces. Although some would obviously argue that anyone foolish enough to think they’re going to become rich by gambling offshore deserves to lose their shirt in the process.
Another bold creation of EH Gaming Ventures Group, this place rarely paid out winnings and stacked up numerous complaints in industry forums across the internet. It’s impossible to know how many people actually made successful withdrawals during their 10 years in existence, but it’s safe to say no one received a check for seven figures in that time.
With games created by Vegas Technology, only the owners of these businesses enjoyed profits throughout the decade, sadly provided by unsuspecting Americans chasing a pipe dream.
Online Vegas
Another site falling into the category of “brands rushed to market with lazy names” is obviously Online Vegas, who went for the most generic monicker possible. This was probably in the hopes of sucking up oblivious searchers who were attempting to find a virtual Las Vegas to join (and it probably worked for a while).
Unsurprisingly powered by Vegas Technology, this rogue operation was headed up by Golden Palace Gaming Group out of Curacao, assuming their license was even real in the first place. They unfortunately became quite popular due to their dazzling offers, for example issuing up to $5,125 in bonus money to new customers.
No one ever received actual cash though, as owners quietly packed their bags (with ill-gotten booty) and headed for the exit.
Pantasia
Here we have another destination that ran off of Rival software, from a group mentioned above, Silverstone Overseas Limited, who slipped away in the night (quite possibly to Asia). The name Pantasia will only be remembered by a select few individuals since this operation (thankfully) never made it into the mainstream.
They were another site who tantalized newbies with no deposit bonuses and large match offers for deposits, however, few were ever able to meet the rollover requirements and thus withdraw any funds. Pantasia routinely withheld large sums of winnings and quoted their terms and conditions as justification, before pulling the plug for good and scurrying away.
Pure Vegas
With a name that probably took 30 seconds to come up with, Pure Vegas was launched by Rushmore Gaming Group in the early 2010s as an alternative destination for players who wanted to change it up and try something new. Well, any freshness quickly dissipated as complaints started piling up about slow payouts and lacklustre customer service, as word quickly spread that this place was a scam.
Unfortunately, they utilized Realtime Gaming software who had never had a black mark up until that point, although they certainly weren’t the ones to blame for the situation. Pure Vegas closed their doors for good a few years ago and left their members broke and twisting in the wind, displaying their pension for pure thievery.
Rushmore
As the namesake brand of Rushmore Gaming Group launched in 2006 to much fanfare, Rushmore Casino was actually a solid destination for U.S. residents for pretty much their entire time in existence. Of course, the day they closed the site without notice and froze everyone’s account balances was all it took to ensure their name will live on in infamy forevermore.
The culprits were Cyprus-registered Isagro Holdings, who quickly dissolved overnight and allowed owners to scatter across the world to enjoy the proceeds of their crimes. Their popular $888 signup bonus ensured that Chinese Americans were disproportionately affected by the closure, adding another sad footnote to the horrible story.
Silver Dollar
With many extinct sites listed in this iGaming graveyard, EH Gaming Ventures Group logs another entry with Silver Dollar, their rootin’-tootin’ Wild West brand that was targeted to residents south of the Mason-Dixon Line (or anyone who just loved cowboys). It originally launched way back in 1996 and was then finally redesigned in 2009, only to permanently close their doors shortly afterwards.
Many were attracted by the $1,350 in free money Silver Dollar gave to all new registrations and the rollover obligations were actually quite fair. However in the end, owners boarded up the saloon and moseyed on out of town, presumably with sacks of stolen gold slung over their horse’s backs. Yee haw.
Slots Galore
There’s room on the list for one more EH Gaming Ventures Group property so let’s go head and give Slots Galore a tombstone and subsequent shout out. Especially since this one also falls squarely into the category of “lazily-named websites that were created in a day.”
Launched in late 2009 with a gaming license from the country of Antigua, they were able to attract a few thousand American players with Vegas Technology software before unceremoniously locking their doors, leaving befuddled customers across the country wondering where their money went. Sure for a time they offered “games galore”, but anyone foolish enough to signup with this batch of rogue miscreants only ended up with “regret galore”.
Slots Oasis
Here’s the ugly red-headed triplet of Rushmore Gaming Group’s twisted family, as Slots Oasis joins siblings Rushmore and Cherry Red as a trifecta of iGaming websites who sucked the pants off of countless Americans when they left the market. Their license from Cyprus ended up not being worth the paper it was printed on and failed to stop owners from running off with funds that didn’t belong to them.
This operation took ridiculous offers to a whole new level with their 400% match bonus up to $4,000 for all new registrations, ensuring that they attracted a healthy mix of both the greedy and the delusional. Shamefully, they besmirched the good name of Realtime Gaming in the process, who was providing the backend software for them since launching. Sadly, just like every other oasis a thirsty and desperate person comes across in the desert, this perceived sanctuary was only a mirage.
TopBet
For a while back in the early 2010s it looked as if TopBet was ready to take on industry heavyweights such as Bovada and BetOnline, however, due to incompetent leadership they crashed and burned only a few years after launching. It’s been widely reported their CEO was in way over his head and made numerous terrible decisions and as a result, lost the respect of the entire operation – including investors.
Their proprietary software was amazing at the time, although since everything was built in-house they couldn’t offer a wide variety of table games or slot machines. This lack of unique products along with the aforementioned management problems ensured that this operation both burned out and faded away.