Legal Poker Online

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To play legal poker online is simply a matter of being educated on the laws and statutes that govern the online poker industry in the United States. Most do not know of these laws and even fewer know what they mean to online poker in the USA. Stick with us and we'll tell you everything we know about playing poker legally in the United States and clear up a lot of misconceptions about these laws.

The UIGEA & How It Affects Online Poker

The UIGEA of 2006 is simply an inconvenience on the road to playing legal online poker. It says that U.S. banks are forbidden to do transactions with known offshore gambling entities. This means that when you try to use your credit card, there is a good possibility it will be denied because the charge is intended for gambling purposes. Banks typically block these transactions because they don't want to be in violation of the law and they do try to look out for their account holders. Good news is that there are still several ways to deposit money although some are not electronic. Wire transfers, money orders, and e-wallets are great solutions to this problem. While not as fast as a successful credit card transaction, these deposit methods are much faster than using credit cards that won't work. On the whole, US online poker players need not worry about the UIGEA unless they are depositing funds with illegal forms of transfer. The worst case scenario for violating the UIGEA would be having your funds seized by the U.S. Department of Justice however it should be noted that some U.S. citizens that have had gambling fund seized before were able to recover their money.

The Wire Act of 1961 & How It Affects Online Poker

Simply put, the 1961 Federal Wire Act has no bearing on online poker anymore. Recently, the US DoJ published it's new interpretation of the 1961 Wire Act and it stated that any form of gambling not related to betting on sports falls outside of the jurisdiction of the Wire Act. Stopping offshore sports betting was the original goal of the Wire Act back in 1961. Later, that interpretation was expanded to include all forms of online gambling but the Department of Justice has since backed off of that stance and now only considers online sports betting to be in violation. This is great news for USA poker players as the available options for US accepted online poker sites should improve dramatically.

State Gambling Laws & How They Affect Online Poker

Depending on which state you live in, there may be laws on the books which ban playing online poker. Most states do not have these laws but a handful do. You will want to be sure to check your local ordinances and state statutes to make sure that you are not in violation of these laws. In reality, no state will enforce any law they may have on the books that makes online poker illegal when it comes to the individual.

Legal Gambling Age & How It Affects Online Poker

In most states the legal age to play poker is 18 years old. Some states do require players to be older however there is simply no way of enforcing this when playing online. What you do need to focus on is the legal gambling age at the online poker room. Most sites, if not all of them, have a minimum age of 18. You will want to be sure to abide by this as failure to do so can result in a player not being paid their winnings.

Legal Poker Sites That Accept US Players

Now that we've explained the laws surrounding online poker in the United States, let us show you some of the poker sites that currently allow players from the United States to play in their poker rooms. These sites have been either been around for a long time or are backed by the biggest names in the industry. Either way, these sites are safe to play at and U.S. players do not need to worry about their validity.

Disclaimer

None of the staff at here at LegalPokerOnline.com are legal professionals but rather seasoned online poker players. We have more than 30 years in combined experience when it comes to dealing with online poker sites and the laws surrounding them. All of the information on this page is for reference only. Please consult a lawyer in your state if you want more clarification on the UIGEA, the Federal Wire Act of 1961, and/or your state/local gambling laws.