So if playing poker online is not against the law in the United States, why aren’t there sites and games available to residents of all 50 states? UIEGA An acronym for the Unlawful Internet Enforcement Gambling Act, the bill was an attachment to an anti-terrorism bill (the SAFE Ports Act), snuck in at the last minute and signed into law in 2006. Online poker is fully legalized only in several US states – Delaware, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and New Jersey. Nevertheless, you still have a chance to play poker even if you’re not in one of these four states, as players are not forbidden to take part in online poker games, nor are they prosecuted for doing so.
No portion of the online gambling industry has taken as much heat, speculation, and scrutiny as that of legal online poker. Entire forums, user groups, and even careers have been made through online poker. The vastness of the industry, the popularity of some of the major sites, and the publicity the industry receives has made it one of the primary targets of debate over whether or not poker is legal under the pretext that it is a game of skill rather than a game of luck. When ever you hear about the regulation of online gambling, you can almost always assume that the undertone of the proposed legislature is geared toward online poker above any other form of gambling.
Black Friday
April 15th, 2011, was a rough day for many online poker players. This is the day that the proverbial sky had begun to fall. On April 15th, the Department of Justice seized some of the largest online poker rooms. This includes Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, Absolute Poker and UltimateBet. On May 23d, the hammer had fallen again - this time taking out DoylesRoom. Dubbed poker's 'Black Friday,' the industry had been left reeling.The Poker Players Alliance, iMEGA, and many professional players had all spoken out against the move, mostly under the impression that the Department of Justice had acted out of line. Unfortunately, the effects of the seizures have left many players without money and many more players without a way to get involved in the World Series of Poker without buying directly into the events in question.
Millions of people all over the United States have joined in on online poker, and players have been scrambling for a new place to play. With online poker rooms coming and going, it is somewhat difficult to determine which ones are worth using and which ones are not. We have found that some of the poker rooms are attached to businesses that are much larger than only online poker. While a stand alone poker room could be targeted by the Department of Justice fairly easy, it is unlikely that a major gambling business, such as Bovada, would ever get targeted.
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BetOnline Poker Room
When it comes to online poker, BetOnline is part of the cake poker network. BetOnline offers their users a solid set of games and bonuses, all of which are finely tuned to help both amateur and professional players alike. They offer a series of bonuses, including step and satellite tournaments to the World Series of Poker's main event. They offer their users a 15% or 25% match to $1,000 on every deposit, which is one of the better bonuses around. BetOnline uses strong poker software which is tested and certified to be fair by independent 3rd parties. In the end, this poker room will provide you with a way to play various mixed games, Omaha, Texas Hold 'em, stud and draw games. As one of the more complete poker rooms out there, BetOnline will offer you a solid gaming experience.
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We cannot guarantee you will win in these poker rooms, but we can guarantee you one thing - a fair game play experience. In the event that you want to play online poker, you will be entitled to play some of the more exciting games online. Though not everyone becomes rich by playing online poker, you will definitely have a chance at earning real money if you stick to a reputable online poker room. If you have any degree of luck, you could very well walk away a winner by using any of the US legal online poker rooms.
FAQ's About Online Legal USA Online Poker
1) How has Black Friday affected those who play online poker?
Black Friday has shut down many online poker rooms, but this has not caused the industry to just stop. There are still many options available as playing online does not violate any of the online poker laws. These online poker rooms operate outside of the United States, but are the some of the best in the world.
2) Some players have not received their money from the online poker rooms that have shut down. How do I know this will not happen to me?
It is unlikely that none of these players will receive their money, but we can tell you that the sites we have put out here are some of the world's most trusted sources of gambling. That is arguably the most important part of the relationship between the poker site and player. If the sites did not pay out the winnings to the player, they would quickly go out of business.
3) Can I really enter the World Series of Poker through these online poker rooms?
Yes. Many online qualifiers have won their entry by way of online tournaments. When you visit an online poker site they will tell you if there are World Series of Poker qualifying tournaments coming up. These are legitimate qualifiers, and if you do well, you could be on your way to playing in some of the biggest poker events in the world just like Chris Moneymaker did back in the day.
4) Is it true that online poker rooms will let you play at a younger age than other forms of gambling?
In some states the legal gambling age for poker is lower than it is for casinos or sports betting. If you live in the United States, there will be two ages that you have to abide by. The first is the online poker site's gambling age that they will list. The second is the legal gambling age for players in the state that you live in.
5) How high can the stakes be at some of these poker rooms?
It is not entirely uncommon to find blinds in the $100's or $1,000's. There are plenty of big players out there who enjoy putting thousands of dollars on the line when they sit at these online tables. There can be a ton of money won at online poker sites.
6) How many players are usually on in these online poker rooms?
Some online poker rooms have tens of thousands of active players at any given moment. It really just depends on which site you are on. With online poker being so popular, these sites are more than capable of hosting thousands.
7) My poker bonus wasn't added into my account. Why is that?
Most online poker bonuses are not distributed immediately. For the most part, online poker bonuses are distributed over time as you earn frequent player/VIP points. This rewards players who play at more tables and in more tournaments as the bonus is then handed out.
8) Are there any wagering requirements on legal poker bonuses that are added in instantly?
Generally speaking, you do not have to contend with wagering requirements in the event that you receive an instant play bonus. There are some bonuses that might stipulate some form of a wagering requirement, but for the most part you will not have to worry about that.
9) Do these poker rooms offer a free play style of poker?
Yes. Every online poker room offers free to play card games for fun and for learning. Online poker sites will offers many free tables and tournaments for players who do not yet want to risk real money when they play. And like we said, it can also be utilized as a learning experience and tool, before making the jump to playing for real cash.
10) What assurance is there that these poker rooms accepting USA players are legitimate?
We have tested the poker rooms in order to offer you a completely legitimate experience. We play at these online poker sites ourselves, and would certainly not recommend an online poker site that we do not trust 100 percent. These online poker sites that we have reviewed meet all of our quality expectations.
We have tested the poker rooms in order to offer you a completely legitimate experience.
Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, Jason Mercier, and current November Niner Amir Lehavot– these are just a few of the real money poker behemoths originally hailing from the Sunshine State, Florida. In fact, in six of the past seven years, at least one resident of Florida has made the WSOP Final Table at one of the poker world’s most prestigious real cash poker betting events. This is in large part due to the popularity of online poker on legal poker websites in Florida prior to Black Friday.
Since then, things have died down a bit in the Internet poker gambling world in FL. Recently implemented gambling and betting laws raise the question as to whether all forms of device driven gambling, like Internet poker betting for real cash, are technically illegal in 2020. Additionally, the state prohibits unregulated gambling in any shape, way or form meaning lawful poker websites are the only option for Florida’s poker betting fans.
Still, the state’s 26 casinos, poker rooms with Texas Hold’em games and other poker games plus multiple racetracks are physical proof that real money poker and other gambling variants are thriving. And most of the state’s gambling community is widely in favor of passing legislation that would legalize online poker and usher in a new era of legit Internet poker websites for FL citizens. Yet, while several Internet poker bills have been brought to the table, it appears as though the betting residents of Florida are going to have to wait an indefinite amount of time before taking to the virtual real money poker felt.
Online Poker Sites Legal In Us
As it stands in 2020, gambling online in The Sunshine State raises some questions. However, with the right real money US poker site, making a wager can be done.
History Of Florida Poker Legislation
Quick Jump
- 4 Is Online Poker Legal In Florida?
- 6 The History Of Gambling In Florida
According to Abruzzo’s proposal, the state of Florida would receive 10 percent of all revenue generated through online poker and Internet poker transactions. His goal was to pass a form of the bill by March 2011 to be implemented no later than July 1st of that year. Unfortunately, the lawful poker websites bill died in the Senate Criminal Justice Committee in April 2011 [1].
Abruzzo would try again to get his Internet gambling and poker betting bill through in 2012, but due to heavy resistance from the Seminole tribe – the largest Indian gambling interest in the Sunshine State – efforts to legalize online gambling fell short and the reality of legit poker websites disappeared. It was around the same time that FL State began cracking down on Internet café gambling. This is when players go online and access real cash poker websites in public places. In the past that was a popular way to bypass the poker laws and get a game of Texas Hold’em real money poker in!
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Can Players From Florida Play Online Poker?
As of the time of writing, real cash poker players from Florida are still permitted to register accounts on US-facing poker websites. In light of recent laws passed by the state’s government, this could change at any time. So, if you’re playing Internet poker from FL in 2020, be aware and stay up to date with the Florida government’s most recent position on whether gambling on real money poker websites is legal.
There are still a lot of online poker rooms and poker websites that accept players from the United States, but they are not accepting players from all states. If you do decide to take to the virtual Texas Hold’em poker felt, it is recommended that you take a look at our list of the best Florida Poker Sites for real money.
Is Online Poker Legal In Florida?
While we are no legal authority on the subject of legit Internet poker in FL, we can say with confidence that Florida’s gambling and real money poker laws are vague, at best. Technically, there are no laws prohibiting someone from playing online poker for real cash at a poker website. However, some of the state’s laws can be interpreted to say it is illegal for FL poker players to play Internet poker.
If anything, Florida has failed to mention much of anything regarding the legality of online poker and whether gambling for real money at poker websites is legal. And although it is best to seek on the subject of Internet poker before participating in any online gambling or real money poker activity, we’ve summarized the key facets of 2020‘s gambling and real cash poker law in Florida, some of which can be interpreted to encompass online poker at poker websites:
- According to Section 849.08, unregulated gambling in the state of Florida is illegal and considered a second degree misdemeanor. [2]
- 849.08 goes on to state that playing cards, possibly including poker games like Texas Hold’em poker, on an unregulated device or at an unregulated facility is also illegal. Cards could be interpreted to include poker and Internet poker games, although the word “poker” is never specifically referred to.
- Real money poker rooms are legal, but must adhere to a strict set of principles and guidelines set forth by the state.
- Penny-ante home real cash poker games, where the winner of a hand wins no more than $10 are considered legal in so long as the poker betting game takes place at a dwelling – which can be interpreted as a place of residence. [3]
From this it can be concluded that playing online poker from a computer on poker websites, despite the location of the device, could be considered illegal. However, since no one has been prosecuted for playing online poker, it’s impossible to know how state officials would react to the issue of online poker and Internet poker play if presented before a court of law.
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HB3 – Prohibition of Simulated Gambling Devices
In early-2013 Florida passed HB3. For the sake of simplicity, we’ve paraphrased it below:
Section 849.16 indicates that machines or system[s] directly or indirectly operated by a user that can be used to play games of skill or by reason of any element of chance or any other outcome unpredictable by him or her are illegal, in so long as an exchange of real money, credit, allowance, or thing of value can be traded for.
HB3 was meant to outlaw Internet cafes where FL citizens went to play legal Internet poker in Florida. However, the language is so broad that it can be interpreted that any device, including computers, smartphones and tablets, that can be used to play on gambling and poker betting websites, are all technically illegal in 2020. [4] Absurd, we know – but that’s one way to read it.
The bill will likely be amended, and there are some that believe the new bill will include provisions outlawing Internet poker, including both off-shore real money poker websites and legal free-play Internet poker sites in the US. To support this theory, subscription-based online poker site ClubWPT.com [5] pulled out of Florida two days after the poker website gambling bill was signed into law by Governor Scott.
The Facts
The History Of Gambling In Florida
1932
1932
Due to the suffering that the economy endured during the early 30’s, the state of Florida legalized pari-mutuel gambling.
1935
1935
Gambling started to grow even more and slots were legalized in Florida.
1937
1937
Unfortunately, this law was revoked and slots were no longer available to play in the state of Florida.
Are Online Poker Sites Legal In Usa
1978
1978
Gambling was on the verge of growing even more throughout the state, but the referendum on granting casino gambling in Broward and Miami-Dade was defeated. This referendum was re-introduced in 1986 and 1994, resulting in the same outcome.
1979
1979
The Seminole Tribe made real strides in the gambling world and opened a high-stakes bingo hall on their own lad. Unfortunately, this did not conform with the state’s law but the appeal was won and the bingo hall remained open.
2004
2004
Finally, the referendum from previous years was passed and Broward and Miami-Dade got their casinos. This allowed them to expand their slots offerings, which would ultimately lead to more customers in the tribal casinos.
2010
2010
Legislature allows “No-Limit” poker to be played in live casinos. Resulting in a boom in venues throughout the state. Gambling was becoming a big thing in the state of Florida and was constantly growing in popularity.
2013
2013
This year saw a big decline in gambling facilities as internet cafes banned all gambling games from being accessed.
Gambling and real cash betting, whether sanctioned by the state or not, has existed in Florida since Henry Flagler enticed high-roller real money poker betting and casino fans by erecting the landmark (and illegal) Bacchus Club casino in 1888.
In the 1920s, the underground gambling and poker betting scene in both Tampa and Miami was thriving. A game called bolita, which originated in Cuba, was the poison of choice for most real cash high-rollers gambling in FL. In the 1930s, the rise of crime bosses like Al Capone led to illicit gambling circles and real money poker games throughout the state. Stories of murder, mayhem and corrupt police officers were common, and while not all of them were true, illegal gambling and poker betting become so popular that by the 1940s popular casino games were said to be buying elections in Florida.
The Great Depression compelled Florida’s government to seek ways to raise additional revenue. Subsequently, legislation legalizing real money gambling on horse racing was passed in 1931. This marked the first time gambling in any form was legal in Florida. Four years later, slot machines became legal.
The Florida State Lottery was sanctioned in 1988 and by 2008 generated more than $4.2 billion in annual real cash gambling wagers. Lottery officials claim that in the past two decades, over $20 billion in betting profits has been collected from the lottery fund to support educational causes.
Despite this, organized crime ruled the gambling and real money poker world in Florida throughout much of the 20th century. And it wouldn’t be until 2004 that the Seminole tribe would win the battle to operate Vegas-style real cash gambling slots in the state of FL.
Since then the Indian tribe has gained the right to spread more games in its various casinos. The state has settled its differences with the tribe, in large part due to the more than $2 billion in state revenue they generate each year in real money gambling profits for the government of Florida.
In 2010, Texas Hold’em No-Limit poker and other No Limit poker games became legal in Florida’s then 23 real money poker betting rooms and all Seminole poker rooms.
Today in 2020, Florida’s online and offline gambling and Internet poker community is bustling. Over two dozen real cash legal poker rooms, more than half-a-dozen tribal gaming casinos and three horse tracks litter the highly populated, tourist friendly Sunshine State of FL.
Although the state laws seem to be in flux, US poker players in Florida do have access to Internet poker rooms that take US players.
Regulated Gambling Options In Florida
The only type of regulated gambling not offered in Florida is commercial casinos. Horse racing, slot machines and lawful real money poker card rooms are all prevalent throughout the state. Florida also offers a state lottery, Powerball, bingo and raffles (only for charity) and para-mutual gambling on top of its wide legit real cash poker gambling offerings.
The Future Of Regulated Online Gambling In Florida
HB3 has most advocates of state regulated online poker extremely concerned about the possibility of legal Internet poker websites. Some fear a scenario where HB3 will be amended to ban online poker and gambling at Internet poker websites completely. And while the Internet poker bill is certainly not the last nail in the coffin, the Seminoles will likely resist any online poker legislation making Internet poker legal unless it can be amended to not jeopardize their poker gambling earnings.
The Bottom Line
It could be a long while before proposed online poker legislation is heard by the committee in FL. Will we eventually see some sort of legalized online poker giving the Sunshine State’s gambling fans somewhere legal to play real money poker in Florida? Probably, it won’t happen soon and all bets are off on when the first legit poker websites will open their doors.
Floridians best hope might be for the federal government to come around on the issue of legal Internet poker and gambling for real cash on poker websites. Until then, FL players are encouraged to enjoy Florida’s prospering no-limit real cash poker scene, and other poker variants. It’s a good way of getting in some real cash gambling practice before legit Internet poker betting for real money eventually comes to Florida!
References
[1] ↑Florida’s internet poker legislation won’t pass this session
[2] ↑Statute 849.08
[3] ↑Statute 849.085
[4] ↑Did new Florida law make computers and phones illegal?
[5] ↑ClubWPT
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