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Currently, online poker in the USA is in a state of transition. While the passage of the UIGEA laws in 2006 slowed down the progress of online poker in America, recent developments have made the eventual regulation of online poker in the United States seem more like an inevitability rather than a dim possibility.

In most recent times, a number of US poker sites have been shut down under the UIGEA. We have worked hard and handpicked the best legal US poker sites that are still accepting US poker players. Check out the table below where we have listed our top ranked poker sites for people in the USA.

Best US Poker Sites

• RankLogoSiteBonusMacLinuxReviewVisit Site
• 1Bovada Poker$1000Reviewwww.Bovada.eu
• 1BetOnline Poker$900Reviewwww.BetOnline.com
• 2Sportsbetting$900Reviewwww.SportsBetting.com

Legality of Online Poker in the USA

By and large, the act of playing online poker in the United States is not illegal – probably. At times, the Justice Department has tried to say that online gambling should be covered by the 1961 Federal Wire Act; however, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that this only applies to sports betting, and not other forms of online gambling. Some states have restrictions on online poker: most notably, Washington State has made playing online poker a felony offense.

On the federal level, the most confusing bit of legislation in this regard has been the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, also known as UIGEA.

Issues with Depositing from the USA

While this law did not make online gambling illegal in the United States, it did make it illegal for banks and other financial institutions to allow money to be wagered or deposited at gambling businesses with their knowledge. UIGEA is the major issue facing USA players who wish to deposit money into online poker accounts, or on other online gambling sites.

Current US Poker Deposit Methods

Despite the restrictions placed on American gamblers due to UIGEA, most online poker sites still have plenty of deposit methods available to USA players. Some players have found that credit and (more rarely) debit cards are still an effective method for funding their online poker accounts. In other cases, players may be able to use bank transfers or bank wires, or deposit by check (or electronic checks, also known as e-checks). Finally, while most e-wallets have stopped allowing American players to use their services to fund online gambling accounts, a few sites still have agreements with specified e-wallets that will do business with USA customers.

Many online poker rooms have also come up with their own unique or innovative solutions to allow USA players to deposit on their sites. Check your favorite poker room’s website for a complete list of deposit methods available.

Taxes on Online Poker Winnings In The USA

Regardless of the legality of where and how you gamble online, the income made from playing online poker is considered taxable income by the IRS. Worse yet, for most players, the method for computing taxes is one that may result in a significant tax burden on winnings.

In order to properly claim online gambling income (or offline gambling winnings, for that matter), a player must add up the total amount they’ve won in all winning sessions they’ve played during that calendar year. How to compute ‘sessions’ is a thorny issue; players have been known to use each day as a session, while others choose to get more in depth, keeping track of each table/tournament they’ve played or each time they’ve stopped playing. Adding up all of these winning sessions will allow you to computer your gross gambling income.

You may then add up your losing sessions from the year, and treat these losses as deductions. However, you may not take more in deductions than you have made in gross gambling winnings. If you wish to file your taxes correctly, this can really hurt, as the IRS expects gambling income to be reported even if you suffer a net loss for the year! Thus, a $10,000 win can only be offset with $10,000 in losses, even if you lost much more during the year. The worst part of this for most gamblers is that by itemizing deductions in this manner, you will lose the standard deduction you may have otherwise taken.

However, things are not quite as bad if you can file as a professional poker player. Professional players have the advantage of claiming only their net win on Schedule C, rather than adding wins and deducting losses. You may also be able to claim other business deductions associated with your profession, just as you would when operating a business. On the other hand, you will now have to pay a 15% self-employment tax on your income. It is also difficult to achieve professional gambler status in the eyes of the IRS; if you hold another job while you play online poker, it is unlikely they will accept your claim.

Future Outlook for Online Poker in the USA

The future outlook for online poker in the United States is optimistic. While efforts at the federal level haven’t yet been successful, there has been increasing momentum since 2010 to repeal UIGEA and regulate online poker inside the USA, as has been done in France, Italy, and other major nations. Additionally, there has been great interest by a number of states in creating their own intrastate online poker networks in the absence of federal legislation. New Jersey recently became the first state to have such a bill pass their legislature, while Florida, California and Iowa have all had similar legislation debated in the past year. It seems likely that several states will give the green light for online poker in the near future, with federal regulation also a distinct possibility in the medium-term.

Gambling Laws In The USA State by State

In this section, we’ll be adding all the latest news and happenings with regards to online gambling legislation as it takes place, on a state by state basis. The list below provides reviews of state laws. This site (www.legaluspokersites.com) has a list of every state if you don’t see what you are looking for here. We look at the current laws, any pending bills or legislation in the state, as well as a general history of gambling in each state and the future outlook.

Not all poker rooms currently accept US players, but thankfully there's still a handful of reliable places to choose from…

Best US friendly poker sites.

These are the best real-money US friendly poker roomsthat I've played at. I think they're the most reliable online poker sites available to Americans as of January 2020.
I haven't bothered listing the ones I don't trust.

Is it legal to play online poker in the US?

I'm a better poker player than I am a lawyer. So I wouldn't want you to completely trust everything I say on this topic. However, I've been involved with online poker for years, so I'm just going to give you my opinion on playing poker on the the Internet in the US anyway.

Aside from a few states (see below), it appears to be perfectly legal to play online poker for real money in the US. Thousands of American players play online poker for real money every week. No players have ever been arrested.

If online poker is was illegal, the online poker rooms would not be accepting US players. US-facing rooms are vigilant about staying on top of the law. So unless the poker rooms prevents you from creating an account, you are good to go.

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It is safe to play online poker in most US states, which is why we have these US friendly poker rooms. If you would like further reassurance from a legal expert in this area, read this article by I. Nelson Rose.

Here's a reassuring quote for you:

You are not going to go to jail for merely playing poker online. It is not a federal crime to make a bet. Half the states do have ancient laws on the books making it a crime, sometimes, to make a bet. But these are never enforced. I have been unable to find anyone who has been charged, let alone convicted, for playing Internet poker.– I. Nelson Rose (Is it safe to play poker online?)

And here's another reassuring quote from VegasClick.com:

No American has ever been arrested, indicted, or prosecuted by the feds for gambling online, because there's no law against it.– Michael Bluejay (Is online gambling legal in the U.S.?)

The UIGEA.

The UIGEA was passed in September 2006. It stands for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, and it was attached to the SAFE Port Act. Official details can be found between 31 USC § 5361 and 31 USC § 5367.

Contrary to what some people believe, this did not make online poker illegal. It simply made it a little more difficult to process transactions to and from online poker rooms and online casinos. It does not make the act of playing poker online for real money illegal, so it's not aimed at you.

(I don't write much about casino stuff here, so if you're looking for a casino to play at you should check out my friend's casino bonus site.)

Black Friday.

On Friday 15th April 2011, the FBI seized the domains of the top 4 US-facing online poker rooms. This is known in the industry as Black Friday. The 4 main affected sites were:

• UB Poker & Absolute Poker

These poker rooms were indicted for apparent bank fraud offenses, although it definitely appeared to just be an attempt to reduce the number of online poker sites that could cater to US citizens. You can't let that kind of money go untaxed, so best to slow the issue down until the Government can think of a solution for getting a slice of the action.

This did nothing to change the legality of online poker -- it simply resulted in these poker rooms no longer accepting or offering real money play to US poker players. This was the biggest change in online poker for US players since the UIGEA came in to effect in September 2006.

The major US poker sites were kicked out, leaving behind a handful of smaller US-facing rooms to pick up the slack. Their software isn't as fancy as the old big boys', but they work and most importantly the (majority) are dependable companies to play with - it's not a Wild West of rogues.

US online poker law by state.

Each state has their own laws when it comes to gambling online. Here's a quick overview on playing online poker in the US by state.

States that have big problems with online poker.

• Washington

These states have explicitly stated that online poker is a felony. Some online poker rooms that accept US players have restricted access to players in these states.

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States that have issues with online poker.

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• Missouri
• New York
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Utah
• Wisconsin

These states have issues with online poker and online gambling, but it's a bit of a grey area. It may be the case that there are some sort of laws in place, but they are not heavily enforced. I'm sure that there are many people in these states playing online poker on a regular basis, but there must be some element of risk.

As you may have spotted, I'm not a lawyer, so it's definitely in your best interest to do a bit of research for these particular states. This state gambling law summary at Gambling-Laws-US.com has a lot of helpful information, so check that out.

States that are regulating online poker.

• Nevada
• New Jersey

These states are beginning to allow regulated online poker through online gambling companies that have acquired permits.

It's early days though, so it's nothing to get excited about. Expect it to be a while before this regulated state-by-state poker situation gains traction and is a worth getting involved in as a serious poker player.

States that seem okay.

• All the rest

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As far as I'm aware, the states in white do not seem to have any problems or issues with online poker. You'd obviously want to do a bit of checking around first to be sure, but unless you find anything blindingly obvious on the Internet you're probably fine.

For even more information on the current laws in each individual state (and general thoughts on the risks in each one), have a look at my friend's site: pokerlaws.org/united-states/. He writes more about it than I do, and is also a lot more American than I am.

Why aren't all poker rooms US friendly?

In a nutshell, it is easier for some rooms to operate by not accepting any US players at all.

The UIGEA has made processing deposits and withdrawals trickier, so some rooms prefer to stick with non-US players to make their life easier.

Poker companies have limited resources, so some have decided to focus on developing their product and servicing players rather than constantly dealing with difficult payment processing. Other's are happy to put up with the effort. Different poker rooms, different plans and ideas.

There are a lot of poker players outside the US, so some have just decided to focus their attention on other markets. Fair enough.

Best US poker deposit methods.

Although deposit and withdrawal options are slightly limited for US players, it is still easy to add funds and withdraw money from your online poker account. Some of the more popular deposit options for US players include:

1. Bitcoin - This is the most utterly restriction-free way to send money across the Internet. You just have to be prepared to put up with the volatility of a fledgling currency. Having said that, I think it's amazing.
2. Credit Card - The success rate of this method varies greatly from room to room. It's hit and miss, but worth a shot. VISA cards have the highest success rate.
3. Western Union / MoneyGram

Different poker rooms will have different deposit and withdrawal methods on offer for you, so don't expect to find the exact same methods everywhere. The poker room will let you know your options in the cashier, so your best bet is to just sign up and see what they've got. They'll usually highlight options for US players.

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Note: Don't be surprised to have to pay fees for these methods, and higher ones than players outside of the US might be paying. They're not terriby large, but they're noticeable. If you make a deposit/withdrawal without paying a fee, consider it a bonus.

Other useful links.

As I say, I'm not a lawyer (not yet anyway), so I don't have all the answers. Here are a few helpful pages with more in-depth information:

Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.