Question 1

Is it legal to play online poker as an American?

Accepted Answer

Federally speaking, American citizens playing online poker in the USA is NOT illegal, except in two states – Washington and Louisiana where it is explicitly illegal to be caught playing online (though there has been no known incident where individuals were indicted or prosecuted in any US jurisdiction). However, if you’re an American looking to play online poker in the USA, you should understand that online gaming lies in a legal grey area in many states.

Question 2

Regulated US Poker websites Vs unregulated US Poker websites: What Differences?

Accepted Answer

Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey Beginning 2013, Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey have legalized and have regulated online poker with each having sites exclusively for in-state play. Because of this, the biggest names of the industry have re-entered the market (888poker / PokerStars) but major issues have arisen especially in terms of player liquidity. Since these sites have the limitation of being in-state, the player pool has been greatly diminished, the low numbers of which fail to attract more people resulting in low profits for players as well as low revenues for the online platform. Recent developments this year are pointing out that Pennsylvania will launch online poker in Q1 of 2019, however, the US Department of Justice issued an opinion on January 24 that might cause a delay to that time frame. Rest of the US Several sites decided to keep operating in the US after Black Friday despite stringent legislations on online gambling. The appetite of Americans for online poker did not abate even after Black Friday. Full Tilt and PokerStars enthusiast migrated to less known networks which enjoyed an impressive growth these past 5 years. Thousands of US players play on these sites daily currently making them the flagship platforms for the US. Formerly less known, they now rank among the world’s largest online poker clients. The 3 largest US poker sites are currently: – Ignition Casino (Formerly Bovada) – Americas Cards Room (Winning poker Network) – Betonline (Chico Network) Players also have the option to join private clubs via PPPoker application as well as several smaller sites.

Question 3

Are non regulated US online poker sites safe?

Accepted Answer

US laws about online poker create a less than hospitable environment for both players and operators. Poker enthusiasts who play on US sites cannot claim any consumer protection from the US government. This doesn’t mean that these sites are operating without any regulation. All of these platforms are licensed outside of the US and these licenses grant players several guarantees in terms of game integrity and smooth payment processing. Nonetheless, players need to remain selective of which poker room to patronize and they should favor the largest and most trustworthy rooms.

Question 4

What are the best US poker sites?

Accepted Answer

Players are looking for different experiences. Some will favor great software over softer games. Cash Games players and tournaments players also have different needs. Moreover, in order to be able to maximize all promotions offered by the different sites, players must be willing to open an account on several clients. For all of these reasons recommending only one site would be a mistake. We prefer to list the pros and cons of each option currently available to US players in this article.

Best US Sites

Best US Poker Sites in 2024