Low deposit online casinos: Play with $5 or $10 deposit

Catena Media provides exclusive online gambling and sports betting content to AL.com, including analysis, tools and sportsbook and online casino offers to help bettors get in on the action. Please wager responsibly.

One of the biggest advantages of online casinos is that the minimum deposits required are much lower than at retail casinos.

DraftKings Casino and Golden Nugget casino offer the lowest minimum deposit of $5, and you can play online slots, blackjack, roulette, craps, and more casino games for stakes as low as 10 cents.

Note: If you access this page from a state without legal online casinos, you’ll see a list of sweepstakes and social casinos, which are legal in most states (excl. MI, ID, WA).

Low deposit online casinos

Here are eight of the best real money online casinos, where they are available and the lowest deposits required at each.

$5 deposit online casinos

When it comes to $5 minimum deposit casinos, DraftKings Casino is the best real money option. Here are sites with online casino games where the minimum deposit (or purchase) is $5 or less:

• DraftKings Casino: minimum $5 deposit; avail. in Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia
• Golden Nugget Casino: minimum $5 deposit; avail. in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

$10 deposit US online casinos

Most online casinos offering real money games have a $10 minimum for deposits. $10 minimum deposit online casinos include:

• BetMGM Casino: avail. Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
• BetRivers Casino: avail. Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
• Borgata Casino: avail. New Jersey, Pennsylvania
• Caesars Palace Online Casino: avail. Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
• FanDuel Casino: avail. Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
• PlayStar Casino: avail. New Jersey
• Hard Rock Bet Casino: Avail. New Jersey
• Bally Casino: avail. New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Be aware that, in some cases, the minimum deposit allowed might change depending on the method.

Online casinos with no deposit bonuses

For all this talk of minimum deposits, some online casinos could be considered as having no minimums—at least for brand-new players.

Some online casino welcome offers take the form of no deposit bonuses that make it possible to play the games right away without making any deposit.

Generally speaking, these no deposit casino bonuses come in the form of site credit or “bonus money” that can’t be withdrawn but can be used to play the games.

Online casinos with no deposit bonuses include:

• BetMGM Casino: $25 Freeplay® (MI, NJ, PA; it’s $50 in WV)
• Borgata Casino: $20 (NJ, PA)
• Hard Rock Bet Casino: $25 Casino Bonus (NJ)

In most cases, these no deposit bonuses come with playthrough requirements that must be satisfied as part of the terms and conditions of the bonus.

See the section below on cashouts and playthrough requirements at low deposit online casinos for more information about how playthrough requirements work.

See more: Best online casino bonus codes & sign-up offers

Legal casinos (real money) vs. sweepstakes casinos vs. offshore casinos

Legal casinos that use real money generally do require you to have money in your account to play the games. When you win, the winnings are in the form of cash.

However, the no deposit bonuses described above do let you play games without depositing.

Social and sweepstakes casinos also allow you to play games without having to make any sort of purchase. You can purchase coins with which to play on sweepstakes sites, but that’s not required.

Many of these sweeps sites enable you to play for free or have very low coin purchase minimums, often below $5. These social and sweepstakes operators include:

• WOW Casino: minimum $0.49 purchase; avail. all states except Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, and Washington
• Pulsz Casino: minimum $1.99 purchase; avail. all states except Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, and Washington
• LuckyLand Slots: minimum $0.99 purchase; avail. all states except Idaho, Michigan, and Washington
• Chumba Casino: minimum $1 purchase; avail. all states except Idaho, Michigan, and Washington

Meanwhile, offshore casinos that are not regulated in the US may or may not allow you to play without depositing. But as mentioned above, we strongly discourage you from playing on these sites, even if they do offer no deposit bonuses.

Since such sites do not have to abide by US gambling laws, you cannot be certain that personal information you give to such sites will be protected.

See more:

• Best online gambling sites in the US
• Alabama online casinos

Free casino games online

There are multiple ways to play free online casino games. As described above, some online casinos offer no deposit bonuses to new sign-ups. These bonuses enable players to start enjoying games right away with no expense. If the players get lucky, they could even win money and start a bankroll without depositing.

Social and sweepstakes sites also offer free casino games. Sometimes, these sites offer only some of their games for free. But by purchasing coins, you can access other games as well. But all sweeps sites offer some form of free casino gameplay.

Another option for those seeking free online casino games is the free-to-play demo versions of games found at many sites.

These demo slots and table games play exactly like their real-money counterparts. You can’t win money playing the demo games, but you can try games and enjoy them without having to risk any of your funds.

See more: Best new online casinos

Online casino bonus vs. minimum deposit

One question often asked is whether you can claim a welcome bonus at an online casino if you make a minimum deposit. No deposit bonuses obviously don’t require you to make any deposit at all.

On the other hand, many welcome bonuses come in the form of deposit matches. Here, the amount you deposit affects the size of the bonus. If the site is offering a 100% deposit match bonus worth up to $1,000, whatever you deposit (up to a $1,000 maximum) will be matched by a bonus worth the equivalent amount.

Pros and cons of making small vs. big deposits at online casinos

There are many reasons why making a minimum deposit might be the best choice for players, but some may prefer playing online casino games for higher stakes.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of making both small and big deposits at online casinos.

Online casino deposit methods

Online casinos typically provide many methods to deposit funds into your account. In most cases, the minimum deposit allowed is the same no matter which deposit option you use, but that’s not always the case.

Here are some of the most popular deposit methods accepted at low deposit casinos.

• Credit cards and debit cards: Most online casinos let you make deposits with a Visa or Mastercard, and some also take Discover and American Express.
• Play+ prepaid cards: Many sites recommend using site-branded Play+ prepaid cards for minimum deposits.
• ACH/e-check (VIP Preferred): Several sites make it possible to deposit the minimum using e-checks.
• PayPal, Venmo, Skrill: Online casinos usually offer at least one and sometimes multiple third-party wallets for making deposits.
• PayNearMe: You can make deposits using PayNearMe at participating 7-Eleven and CVS stores as well as other retailers.
• Apple Pay: A few online casinos take Apple Pay as a way to make deposits.

See more: Online casinos that accept PayPal

Low deposit online casinos: cashouts and playthrough requirements

Much like with deposits, you’ll find most online casinos require you to withdraw at least $10 when cashing out, although sometimes that minimum depends on the withdrawal method you’ve chosen.

That is typically the case at online casinos that use real money for the games.

With social and sweepstakes sites, you can often redeem winnings for cash prizes, but there is usually a minimum amount required. This minimum can range from 10 coins (worth $10) up to 100 coins (or $100). Be sure to read the site’s terms and conditions to know the exact threshold.

Be aware as well of playthrough requirements (a.k.a. “wagering requirements”) that are often attached to an online casino bonus. You must satisfy these requirements before you can withdraw any money associated with bonuses.

For example, with no deposit bonuses, you might see the bonus comes with a “1x playthrough requirement.” That means you simply have to play games with the bonus, and you get to keep whatever you win.

Occasionally, there will be a playthrough requirement placed on those winnings, though. This means even after playing through the bonus money, you might have to wager more in order to withdraw anything.

Sometimes, playthrough requirements can be difficult to satisfy, such as when they are “20x” or higher. If you receive $20 in bonus money but it has a 20x playthrough requirement, you have to wager 20 times the bonus amount — that is, 20 x $20 = $400 — just to receive the bonus.

Again, always read the terms of a bonus carefully so that you won’t be surprised by such requirements.