Despite the fact that online poker isn’t completely legal in every state, there are several states where you can play. The first was Nevada, followed by New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 2011, Delaware and Pennsylvania legalized online poker, and more states are working on similar laws. Currently, four states have legalized online poker, with more expected to follow. And West Virginia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are on the cusp of legalizing online poker.
If you’ve never played poker online, this may be the best time to learn the ins and outs of the game. Most online poker sites have a “quick start” feature, which makes it easy for new players to play without waiting for good cards. Using this feature, you can choose the stakes and number of players, and then be seated in a game in seconds. Here are the most important aspects of online poker:
Since UIGEA made it illegal for US banks to process transactions with offshore online poker sites, many countries regulated the industry. Despite the UIGEA, some sites continued to accept US players and found ways around the banking issues. This helped online poker to continue growing until the US passed legislation on April 15, 2011.
The US Senate has long been opposed to online poker, so they introduced the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. However, the bill failed and online poker has since expanded to more sophisticated software. Many new online poker sites have sprung up since then. Despite the legal challenges, several states have legalized online poker and Pennsylvania has become the fourth. This new ruling is good news for the online poker industry and will help to keep it legal in the US.
The United States has six states that currently regulate online poker. Several more are likely to follow suit. This is good news for players, but it will require more regulatory oversight before online poker becomes fully legal in the US. In the meantime, revenue results from these states will continue to be substantial. And more states will be joining this growing online poker industry through a multi-state network. You don’t want to be left out. And if you’re an online poker player, you can play legally!