You’re probably here because you have questions about US legal online poker sites and, if online poker is legal in your jurisdiction, how and where you can play. First off, playing online poker is not a crime. Poker is a legal game in the United States, regardless of where it is played, and US players can still play poker online legally. In fact, online poker players can do so without the risk of federal agents knocking on their doors.
Perhaps you’ve heard that the United States Department of Justice disagrees with this claim. What you may not know is the DOJ isn’t after the players. They are after the financial institutions and unlawful offshore online poker companies that attempt to put up unregulated US poker sites that accept Americans. On the other hand, the US DoJ has negotiated with US Legal Online Poker Sites such as PokerStars, WSOP.com, and 888Poker to provide certain states, such as Nevada and New Jersey, with fully legal gaming licenses.
US Legal Online Poker Sites
So, knowing now that playing online poker in the United States is not illegal, you may want to know which online poker sites are accepting Americans. The most popular US online poker sites are as follows (we’ve reviewed each site to be safe and trustworthy to play at):
| Site | Bonus Amount | Bonus Code | |
|---|---|---|---|
 888 Poker | 100% up to $700 + $8 FREE | MACPOKER | Play Now! |
 Pokerstars | 100% up to $600 | PSA3321 | Play Now! |
 PKR Poker | 100% up to $500 | BOCORP | Play Now! |
 PartyPoker | 100% up to $500/€325/£250 | PPBN2 | Play Now! |
 Red Kings Poker | 100% up to $1,600 | PBONUS | Play Now! |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Online Poker Legal in All 50 of the United States?
The short answer is yes. But this is a tad more complicated. Online poker isn’t regulated at the Federal level. Therefore, each state has its own online gambling laws. To find out your state’s laws, check out these guidelines.
How Deposits Are Made at US Legal Online Poker Sites
We have some good news for you. Getting your hard earned money onto an online poker site isn’t difficult. But you might have to try a couple different methods.
Credit Cards (VISA / MasterCard / AMEX)
No matter which US legal online poker site you decide to try first, the first attempt should be made using your Visa bank or credit card (if you have one). The reason this should be your first attempt is because it is the simplest and most convenient method.
Why not MasterCard? Because MasterCard’s are not accepted forms of deposit. Visa cards are 50/50. Sometimes your bank will accept the transaction. Sometimes they won’t. But try it out first and if that doesn’t work, try these:
eChecks
A once common form of funding online poker accounts was eChecks. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case anymore. However, if you play on BetOnline Poker, you’re in luck. eChecks are still a valid form of deposit for many US players. For those unaware of how an eCheck is processed, you simply deposit through your checking account and, if approved, the money will show up in your poker account almost instantly. There are no guarantees this form of payment will work even on BetOnline Poker, but it’s a smart play to try it.
Western Union and MoneyGram
Everyone knows about Western Union and MoneyGram. What you might not know is almost every online poker accepts these forms of deposit, even for US players. They’re not the most convenient ways to pay because you have to physically go to a retailer to deposit. But the success rate is high. Before going out to the store to buy your Western Union or MoneyGram (yes, they cost a few bucks to use), get the proper information from the poker site to ensure you are sending your money off to the right place.
Payouts: How to Collect Your Winnings
Perhaps your biggest concern about playing at US legal online poker sites is how you’re going to get your winnings. As long as you are playing on one of the regulated online poker sites in your jurisdiction, you have nothing to worry about. Payouts will be made in a timely manner. If you play on other sites, there will be long delays to receive your money because there are a limited amount of payout options for US players.
Why the DOJ Hates Online Poker
The United States Department of Justice hates online poker because online poker sites don’t help fund our local economies as much as local casinos do. What we mean by that is the attempt to ban online poker by the United States is nothing more than a silly political issue. Even though it may sound illegal, local casinos pay off politicians and pay a ton in taxes so that lawmakers will refrain from legalizing online poker.
Unfortunately, the way online poker is taxed not something that we can change at a micro level, and with the way that the political system works in the United States, its probably not going to change anytime soon. You’ll slowly see states incorporating online poker sites because they go into recession or need tax money.
Is Nationwide US Legal Online Poker Sites in our Future?
This isn’t an easy question to answer, but we highly doubt it since every single one of the 50 states has to band their networks together, and we all know how long legislation for that kind of thing can take. We don’t want to give you false hope – there is potential for quite a few states to legalize online poker but it will definitely take time. If that doesn’t happen, you still have the opportunity to play on any of the other outstanding online poker sites that we’ve reviewed.