Not Shown: American Samoa | Guam | Northern Mariana Islands | Puerto Rico | US Virgin Islands Especially in recent years, online poker in the United States has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Facing a number of legal actions by the US Department of Justice, the industry seems to have a bit of a black mark in the minds of some players. In this article, we will examine the existing laws affecting online poker and its legality in the United States. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act After several attempts to criminalize internet gambling operators through legislation, Congress attached a provision onto a SAFE Port Act which regulated port security. The legislation was called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) and was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 13th, 2006. The UIGEA does not criminalize online poker players or the act of gambling online, but instead goes after gambling site operators and payment processors that process online gambling transactions. The passage of the UIGEA quickly eliminated some of the larger online poker rooms from the US market. Many companies, such as Party Gaming, are publicly traded. Since their shareholders could be charged criminally for crimes committed by the company, they immediately withdrew from the US market. The law changed the online poker landscape and gave more power to rooms that stayed in the US market. Black Friday On April 15th, 2011, the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York unsealed an indictment implicating PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, along with several payment processors. They seized domain names, froze bank accounts and charged 11 defendants with violation of the UIGEA. Full Tilt and PokerStars were given their domain names back after they agreed to leave the US market. Still, even after all these indictments came down, many online poker sites still continued to service US players. Is online poker legal in the USA? In a word: Yes. No American citizen pre-UIGEA or since its passage has been charged with a crime for gambling online. Similar to laws on bookmaking, the bookie who takes the bets from players is liable to prosecution, not the individual bettor who decides to bet on a sporting event. With that said, sites today have to be more careful than ever with their payment processing and financial transactions as many are facing legal threats from the US government. I’d like to point out that you should take this as legal advice and if you are interested in learning more about if is online poker legal in your state, please consult a lawyer. In this industry, it is best to be on the safe side and if doing more research could save a huge headache then please do so. Legal US Poker Sites While the legal US poker site options vary per state, we highly recommend using one of the options in the table below: Are your funds safe? Yes… for the most part. Like every industry, there are rotten apples but for the most part operators are honest and keep player funds in segregated accounts, separate from operating funds. Following our advice on prospective online poker US legal rooms can save players a lot of headache later on. US online poker players have little reason to worry about prosecution and the act of gambling online is not expressly illegal under Federal law. Furthermore, no one has been charged with a crime for playing online poker. UnitedStatesofPoker.net has embarked on a large project: Detailing the right to play online poker in each state and territory in the United States. As legislation continues to progress through congress, each state has also embarked on individual poker legislation. It wont be too long before individual interstate and intrastate poker rooms are legalized in the United States and the resident of each state will be able to play on only a select few poker rooms. As each state passes laws and creates an online poker market we will keep updating these pages. Online Poker In The United States Several legislators believe online poker in the United States is illegal and many other players think it is entirely legal. The 100% truth is in fact online poker is a grey area and has more to do with what state you are currently living in than anything else. This is why several US online poker rooms don’t provide access to players living in some states over others. Residents of Maryland and Washington probably have the hardest time trying to find reputable US online poker sites, but they still exist. So what should you do if you are looking for more information about online poker in the United States? First, congratulations, you are already taking the first step by visiting this site. We have over 150 pages with only 1 goal in mind: To inform you of about all of the US online poker rooms available. We want you to know that online poker for US players is still 100% an option regardless of whether you live in Seattle or Baltimore, Chicago or Dallas, or even Las Vegas or Honolulu. Keep browsing our site for information on the most reputable us online poker sites. Can You Play Online Poker In The US? One of the most asked questions we receive is: Can you play online poker in the US? I’m here to say yes you can! In fact, there is at least 2 poker rooms available to you regardless of which state you live in. Typically, poker sites in the US provide some of the best rakeback and deposit bonuses in the world, which is why many non-US residents also play on these poker rooms. The US online poker industry has fierce competition between 5 major networks all looking to provide reputable online poker services to US residents. Unfortunately, not all poker sites in the US are created equal. It is up to you to stay informed and up to us to provide you with the best information we can. Where can I play poker in the US? Another common question is: Where can I play poker in the US? We could easily just provide a link to some poker rooms and leave it up to you to decide where you want to play. But we actually try to take it one more step and provide recommendations on where you should play poker in the US. In effect, we’ve attempted to become both a resource and a guide on the US poker industry. Fully aware that many other US poker portals exist, we appreciate every visitor we receive and we feel we owe you the respect to always provide the most up today information. So if you really want to know where to play poker in the US, all you have to do is ask. But be prepared! We may actually ask you more questions than you asked us. That is because, without a doubt, no one single factor can go into choosing the best US poker site. Benefits of Playing Online vs At Your Local Casino Online poker allows players the ability to play poker 24 hours a day from the safety of their own home by simply logging on their computer. Players can wake up and play in their underwear. They will not have to waste gas money or put their name on a waiting list and wait even longer at the casino for their favorite game. The online game differs from live poker in many ways and offers players clear advantages from their local brick n’ mortar casinos. Below, we have listed several reasons to begin playing online vs playing at a live casino. Faster action and less rake In brick n’ mortar casinos, players are limited to one poker table and a measly 20-35 hands an hour–online poker dwarfs that amount two-fold. Online players can multi-table large amounts of tables, increasing their win rate and rewards. Also, when playing in a brick n’ mortar casino, players will contribute a much larger amount of rake than they would when playing online. Most land based casinos will take up to $5 out of the pot and may take extra money out for promotions, such as a bad beat jackpot. These numbers can be even higher depending on the casino. Online casino rake is much smaller. The vast majority of online sites will not rake pots more than $3 and offer promotions such as a bonuses and rakeback, which will offset the cost of an already low rake amount. Also, it is vital to note that players will have to tip dealers if they play live. This is an added expense which can total thousands of dollars a year, depending on how much time players spend playing. Online poker offers no such expense, due to the automated software and lack of a need for dealers. Variety of games offered Online poker rooms offer players much more in game variety than their brick n’ mortar counterparts. Even in the largest live poker rooms around the world do not offer as many games as even the most basic of online rooms. Heads-up and 6-max games are not readily available in most live rooms. The same goes for tournaments. Online rooms offer round the clock sit n’ go tournaments and large field tournaments with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line. Live casinos have these events as well, but for the vast majority of poker players they are inaccessible. Real Money Legal Online Poker In The 50 States Listed below is a list of the best US poker sites per state. You will also find updates on the latest online poker real money USA legal news happening on a per state basis. Alabama The state of Alabama has some of the strictest set of anti-gambling laws in the entire country. Simultaneously, the gambling ... Alaska The gambling laws of Alaska are quite strict and the state has not regulated several forms of gambling, including table ... Arizona The gambling laws of Arizona are vague and contradictory but it has a broad definition of gambling and has regulated ... Arkansas Arkansas is definitely not the ideal US state for gambling enthusiasts. Although the state’s gambling laws do not contain a ... California California has a well-regulated gambling industry, including a state lottery and horse racing betting. Native American tribes own a number ... Colorado Colorado, like many US states, has strict gambling laws, although these laws are based on too wide a definition of ... Connecticut Connecticut has regulated several forms of gambling, but the state has a set of strict gambling laws and does not ... Delaware Delaware is one of those US states that are very serious about protecting their well-regulated gambling industries. While it is ... Florida Florida is not one of the best US states for people fond of gambling. The state has very strict gambling ... Georgia Georgia, like most US states, has regulated some forms of gambling and takes firm steps to protect its existing gambling ... Hawaii Hawaii is one of the hottest vacation destinations in the US, but it is infamous as one of the worst ... Idaho Idaho has regulated and licensed several forms of gambling, but has a set of strict gambling laws meant to protect ... Illinois Illinois has regulated and licensed several forms of gambling. The state has a strict set of gambling laws, which it ... Indiana While Indiana has regulated several forms of gambling, it has some strict gambling laws, which it uses to crack down ... Iowa Iowa offers plenty of options for seasoned gamblers. Simultaneously, Iowa has strong gambling laws, which it doesn’t hesitate to use ... Kansas Kansas, like many other US states, has regulated several forms of gambling and guards its regulated gaming industry well. The ... Kentucky Kentucky, which hosts a major horse racing event called the Kentucky Derby, is an excellent place for horse bettors. In ... Louisiana The US state of Louisiana is widely acclaimed for its excellent cuisine, music, parties, and gambling. People flock to Louisiana ... Maine The state of Maine has regulated certain forms of gambling and protects its regulated gambling industry with a set of ... Maryland The gambling laws of Maryland do not comprise a clear definition for gambling; instead, all forms of gambling are considered ... Massachusetts Massachusetts, which recently expanded its regulated gambling industry, uses a set of strict gaming laws to deal with offenses related ... Michigan Michigan, which recently regulated its commercial gambling industry, has a set of old gaming laws and a set of new ... Minnesota Minnesota has a number of gambling laws, which it doesn’t hesitate to use against those involved in illegal gambling activities. ... Mississippi Associated with riverboat casinos from times immemorial, Mississippi hates unregulated gambling in all forms. This US state has a strictly ... Missouri Missouri has a well-regulated gambling industry and deals severely with unlicensed gambling operators running illegal gaming outfits in the state. Section ... Montana Montana has recently created a set of effective gaming laws to protect its regulated gambling industry. The state adopts a ... Nebraska Nebraska had once prohibited all types of gaming activities, but today, the state has relaxed several of its gambling laws ... Nevada Nevada can rightly be called the gambling capital of the United States of America. The focus of the state is ... New Hampshire New Hampshire, the first state in the US to launch a state-owned lottery game, has fairly strict gambling laws. According to ... New Jersey New Jersey has been in the news recently because of its online gambling bill, which could legalize and regulate several ... New Mexico Betting on any game of chance not regulated by the state of New Mexico is considered to be illegal in ... New York Online poker might have a future in New York, considering the fact that Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, has ... North Carolina Although one of the poker-friendly US states, North Carolina does not appear to be much interested online gambling legalization in ... North Dakota North Dakota had made a serious attempt to legalize online poker 2005, and the legislator responsible for it was Jim ... Ohio All forms of gambling are illegal in Ohio unless regulated and licensed by the state of Ohio. The state has ... Oklahoma As far as online poker issues are concerned, Oklahoma is hardly in the news. The state seems least interested in ... Oregon Oregon is one of those US states that are least interested in online gambling legalization. The state has not proposed ... Pennsylvania Pennsylvania has the second richest gambling industry in the US, and Representative Davis says that Pennsylvania can easily become number ... Rhode Island Rhode Island, along with West Virginia, was recently considered by the state of Delaware, which had legalized and regulated certain ... South Carolina The state of South Carolina has been locking horns with the poker gaming community every now and then. In Nov ... South Dakota The most popular gambling destination for the gamblers of South Dakota is Deadwood, which is full of Indian casinos. South ... Tennessee Tennessee, like most US states, has regulated a few forms of gambling and protects its regulated gambling industry with a ... Texas One would have thought that Texas would be one of the most gambling friendly states in the US, considering the ... Utah The state of Utah has attracted a lot of attention from US online poker players in general, and the Poker ... Vermont Vermont is not an attractive US state for people fond of wagering money on games of chance. The state proved ... Virginia The state of Virginia offers a bit of horse racing betting and state-operated lottery gambling. A large portion of the ... Washington The state of Washington has regulated several forms of gambling, but its unfriendly attitude toward online poker has made it ... Washington DC The District of Columbia has regulated a few forms of game and protects its regulated gambling industry with a set ... West Virginia West Virginia, which has regulated certain forms of gambling, is now mulling over the pros and cons of legalizing online ... Wisconsin Although not an ideal state for the gambling enthusiast, Wisconsin has regulated several forms of gambling and protects its gambling ... Wyoming The state of Wyoming has a poor appetite for gambling expansion in general and online gambling legalization in particular. But ... American Samoa American Samoa, a US territory, is located to the southwest of Samoa. The territory is actually a chain of islands, ... Guam Guam is a US territory where proponents as well as opponents of various forms of gambling are constantly locking horns. ... Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico are two commonwealths of the US. It is a collection of 15 islands located ... Puerto Rico One of the most attractive features of Puerto Rico is its land casino resorts, most of which are located by ... Virgin Islands The US Virgin Islands, along with Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico, are the five insular territories ... Nevada Gets third real-money online poker site Nevada is undoubtedly the wagering state and home to Las Vegas, a city where gambling is legal and encouraged ... Nevada and Delaware finalizing online poker collaboration Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed an agreement Tuesday morning in Wilmington, Delaware, that joins the ... Legal online poker in California scheduled for January 1, 2015 Newly introduced legislation could see legal online poker in California by January 1, 2015. The proposed Internet Poker Consumer Protection ... Online Poker Player Traffic in the US dropped last week The amount of poker players in the United States playing at legal US online poker sites decreased last week, according ... gamblingbarcelona/USAGamblingMarket.html
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 09:59:28 +0000
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