Online Poker Sites Legal For USA Players

Poker is fast becoming something like America’s new national pastime, with private games and televised tournaments everywhere you look. There are so many misconceptions about online poker play, we've decided to clear the air about what US law says about play poker online. We’re here to educate you, to help you find legal online poker sites, and make sure you stay within the boundaries of existing American poker law.

Info About The Legality Of Online Poker In The U.S.

Legal Age to Play Online Poker

In general, Americans must be 18 years old or older to play legal online poker. You should check the laws in your state or consult our convenient gambling age guide to check the legal gambling age at the online poker site you are interested in joining. In some states, legal gambling age is 21, so check your state’s gambling statutes before you make a cash deposit to an online poker site that accepts US bets.

Reality of Laws About Legal Online Poker

Though some states do have laws on the books that expressly forbid their citizens from playing at legal online poker sites, no individual citizen has ever been targeted by the government for placing wagers through Internet poker pages. State and federal governments tend to go after online poker site providers rather than individual players.

What the Law Says About Legal Online Poker

The Federal Wire Act of 1961 was an attempt by the US government to crack down on organized crime by making it illegal to place bets over the phone or across state lines. The US Department of Justice recently clarified the Wire Act to specify that it forbids only certain types of sports wagering, not online poker or casino gambling. Since only a handful of states have laws that explicitly forbid citizens from participating in online poker play, and since none of them have yet to arrest any individual for playing online poker, you can rest assured that existing online poker laws in the US are not intended to target you, rather to take down illegal online casinos and poker rooms that operate outside the boundaries of the law.