BetOnline Poker offers players some of the best games of poker they've ever had, and gain a poker deposit bonus of 100% up to $500 while enjoying themselves. BetOnline puts the same high quality. Video poker bonuses at online casinos are actually quite rare, as the game has such a low edge. So, although El Royale offers a number of generous bonuses, none of them can be used for playing video poker games. However, that at doesn’t stop this being the top US online casino for real money video poker players.
Bovada Poker is on the biggest US friendly poker network together with Ignition Poker. Offering online poker, an online casino and a sportsbook makes this an excellent all-in-one choice.
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The four-point list that we have presented above is just the skeleton of the research we do before a poker site can get their place on our Top List. The complete process is much longer, more complex, and much more detailed. Below are the aspects that we consider when analyzing an online poker platform and that you should pay attention to as well.
When talking about US facing poker sites, the legal aspect is very important to consider. We’ll talk about it in greater detail later on in the article but let’s just quickly mention the basics. Namely, there are numerous laws in the US that ban online transactions with poker sites. Therefore, you need to be careful to only choose those websites that fall within these strict regulations.
Technology is making some quick progress and today most of us have access to multiple devices. Naturally, we’d love to have access to our favorite poker sites on all of them. However, not all poker sites in the USA work well on all devices, especially on mobile devices. If you enjoy to gamble on the go, you should make sure that your chosen poker site has the technology that you need. Almost all good poker sites provide mobile versions of their websites via Flash and HTML5. However, these do not always work well on Apple devices which are the most popular choice of the Americans. Ideally, there should be a native app both for Android and iOS that you can download and install.
A huge benefit of the internet is that you can very easily find other people’s interests. You should use this to your advantage when it comes to finding the best poker sites in the USA. There are numerous websites online, such as AskGamblers for example, where you can easily find user reviews of numerous poker sites and casinos online. By reading through several dozen comments, you will get a good idea of how reputable and trustworthy the casino is and know whether you should stay on it or shy away from it. That is why we are writing our list using our knowledge so you can make safer choices.
In our list of criteria, we mentioned software, so let’s explain why it is so important. The software that a poker site uses is the backbone of it or its essence. Many things depend on the software, such as your safety and the safety of your identity, the safety of your money, and the fairness of the games you play. By making sure that the poker site you choose uses software developed by reputable companies (e.g. Microgaming Playtech, NetEnt, Novomatic, Evolution Gaming, etc.) you will know that you are getting fair chances of winning when you bet your money and that you will not get ripped off. Moreover, these reputable software developers incorporate 128-bit SSL encryption and special firewalls that protect your money and your personal data from hackers and security breaches.
Poker comes in many shapes and colors, so always check whether your favorite games are supported. Most American poker sites will have games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha but only those really devoted to poker will offer some additional versions such as Razz, Five-card Draw, Seven-card Stud, and so on. With so many poker sites in the US, there is no need to make compromises and miss out on the games you want to play.
Last but not least, another crucial aspect that you should not disregard are payouts and transaction fees. You can find out about this on the poker site but you can also read personal experiences from user reviews online. Many mediocre poker sites in the US will impose high transaction fees and long processing times on deposits and withdrawals. You should not throw your money down the sink that way when you can use it to gamble and earn extra cash. Also, make sure that your preferred currency is supported and that the website is available in your preferred language. This will make the whole experience much more satisfying.
The United States law system is complex and has multiple layers, such as the federal laws and state-level laws. Because of that, there are some grey areas when it comes to gambling laws. They differ on the federal level and from one state to another. The good news, though, is that most types of online gambling, including online poker, are perfectly legal in the United States on the federal level. One exception to the rule has to do with illegal forms of sports betting that go beyond state borders. This is prohibited by the Wire Act. [1] On the other hand, online poker, bingo, lotteries, casino games, scratch cards, and other games, are perfectly fine.
Until 2011, the Wire Act was interpreted by the authorities in such a way that prohibited all online betting and gambling on the federal level. However, after the revision of the law by the Department of Justice in 2011 [2] the authorities started interpreting the law the way it was construed, which is to only ban betting on sporting contests.
Moreover, even this legislation has been proclaimed void on May 14, 2018. In a legal process called Murphy vs. NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, overturned PASPA (the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act). [3] This legal act was the sole reason why sports betting was considered illegal in most states in the US. Right now, individual states are allowed to regulate sports betting and online gambling any way they find right.
Even though these bills have been passed and legal fights have been won, individual states still have numerous anti-gambling laws. Most of these are outdated and not in accord with the modern times, so they do not directly refer to online gambling for real money. Only several states have gone to the extent of explicitly banning online gambling. However, what regular people who just want to enjoy online poker should know is that all of these laws target owners of online gambling sites and not users. There are no laws that specifically refer to those who would use the services of an online poker site. Therefore, for gamblers in the US, all online gambling is legal since it isn’t explicitly illegal. Even in those cases where it is illegal to take part in online gambling, private citizens are never punished.
However, another problem that those who want to engage in online poker in the US might encounter from a legal perspective, is making gambling-related transactions. Many banks and financial organizations ban such transactions because of the risks they carry. If you wish to play online poker in the US without any setbacks, you can do that by using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that are completely anonymous and still largely unregulated by both banks and gambling legislature.