Online Poker Sites Accepting the USA
Devoted to tracking what US poker sites are staying open or closing to the United States in addition to breaking news coverage solely about the US. This page has received 41,000,000 customer visits in the past 7 years due to unbiased, accurate information.
URGENT NOTICE: Major sites such as PokerStars, Party Poker and Full Tilt Poker no longer accept players from the USA.
I like to recommend this site because it accepts ALL 50 US States, which is the only site to do so. A high deposit and withdraw speed room with full poker, casino and sports gaming.
Previously named Bodog. Personal favorite overall site because really nice software, $100k guarantees and $1,000 bonus. Bans, Washington and Maryland and New York.
The most amount of player traffic BUT people in New York, Utah, Kentucky, Washington DC, Maryland, Washington, Missouri and Louisiana are not accepted.
Updated: April, ‘13 – Compatiblepoker is not affiliated with these companies. Check local laws before gambling online or using any poker deposit option.
Updated April, 2013 – If you don’t see the site on this list they do not accept US players or are not a popular enough poker site to list.
Bowmans, Paddypowerpoker, Bluesquarepoker, Victor Chandler, Betus.com etc. consolidated with iPoker Network. Don’t accept US players.
For future reference see the state run poker info.
(These are common consensus from experts across the web. Always consult a lawyer before making your own decision.)
- 1. Is it illegal to play online poker in the United States?
No. The USA clarified that ‘online poker’ does not fall under the Wire Act. Now, 2013, they are working to create licensed poker sites within state borders. It is now clear that online sports betting is a federal crime but nobody has been arrested for playing online poker even at offshore sites without licenses. See state bans to your left about details and possible felonies.
- 2. Is it safe to play online poker in the US?
The following question was answered by the authoritative online gambling legal expert, I. Nelson Rose. To summarize, he says you are not going to jail for playing at online poker sites without a US license. It is safe to cash/deposit checks from US poker sites as long as you’re reporting income. He advises not to keep too much money online at this current time.
- 3. Why did Party Poker, Poker Stars and other sites close down to US players?
Party Poker closed to the US in 2006 to protect their investors because of the UIGEA Law. Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker’s domains were seized (.com versions) in 2011 because the US government used an organization that oversees .com domains where if the government believes they are committing a felony, they can go through ICANN to take away the site. Many switched their domain names to .ag or .lv and continued business as usual, PokerStars and some others left the US completely in order to get in on licensed State poker in 2013.
- 4. So what is the deal RIGHT now? Is poker banned and what happens next?
Poker has been legalized in the USA. There are no up and running US based operations but they are expected towards the end of 2013. You can still play legally online at Betonline.ag and other websites for now but depositing can be a bit hard, but not illegal. People are still playing online poker just fine. Casinos such as Harrah’s Entertainment will now lobby “for” poker and online casinos, whereas before they were “against” it. They went from paying lobbyists to help the UIGEA to paying to have legalized internet poker in the US.
- 5. Can I play in my State and what is this situation with online poker in 2013?
We are in a transition period at the moment. Online poker is being legalized by some US States and they are applying for operating licenses. A ‘State Pact’ is what players and the States are looking to create where, if your State allows online poker you will be able to play in the States that have joined together. States are worried that they will not be able to compete with the larger established offshore sites that service the US.
People still play right now against people around the world at internet poker sites like Bovadapoker.lv. There is no difference other than it’s harder to deposit at offshore sites than will be at State run sites. States frequently banned by some gaming sites offshore and most likely online will be Washington, Hawaii, Kentucky, New York, Missouri and Maryland.
– The first US licensed real money poker site has launched for Nevada citizens only, it is owned by the same people who own the UFC (fighting league). The name is Ultimate Poker. It appears very basic and does not have a very good cashier (no credit cards) currently.
– I’ve modified the poker traffic analysis chart to show Bovada and Carbonpoker (Merge) so we at least have two US rooms to look at. It’s amazing to see Poker Stars growth even without the United States. They were a 2bn company in 2006 and should now be worth approximately 8 billion. All meanwhile US sites are 1/5th the level of traffic of the peak years thanks to the governments aid in trying to ‘weed out the competition’. I don’t believe online poker will ever be like it once was for us living within the US. A sad reality for those who play professionally and do not want to relocate.
– Finally an organization has been appointed by the DOJ to release funds from Full Tilt Poker. This site did a good write-up on it. Still more waiting…
– New Jersey has passed their online betting bill today. They expect up to 1 year before full implementation is in effect. This will allow citizens to bet on all games that you would be able to bet on if you were in the physical brick and mortar NJ casino.
– Nevada has passed interstate gambling legislation (with focus on poker). By entering into agreements with other US States Nevada will allow a multi-state online gambling environment. New Jersey was seeking the same thing but Nevada rushed the law first.
– The New Jersey governor has vetoed the bill to legalize online gambling, but said he will sign it as long as more protection for players is met. Basically it’s a done deal, there will be legal online gambling in New Jersey. They have estimates saying it will be worth 500m-1b per year despite only having 9 million in population.
– Something relatively interesting is happening with US poker. Nevada is trying to set up “Pacts” with other States that plan on allowing internet poker. This would mean an inter-state poker for those who accepted, if the bill passes. I’m assuming even if this bill does not pass it or something similar will pass once the States realize poker won’t work without a large player pool which can only be created by interstate poker.
THIS PAGE IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE! Any US poker sites or US casino deposit methods are for informational purposes. Remember to always get help if you feel you’re having problems with online gambling.