Is Online Poker Legal

This is the question most beginner online US poker players ask before joining a poker site. The simple answer is that playing poker online is legal but the sending and receiving of money as a result of playing money is illegal. This falls under The Wire Act. Many poker sites thrived in the US for many years until the federal crackdown in April 2011 when the DOJ seized the domains of many of the top poker sites and began charging the owners. As a result most poker sites now do not accept paying members from the US. There are still some sites that accept US players but you are certainly playing at your own risk as the government has shown they can intervene at any second and you will probably not receive any or all of your money. What has taken the place is online poker clubs or membership sites. These clubs charge a monthly fee and you are given credits which allow you to enter a certain number of tournaments to win prizes. You are not actually gambling real money but you can win prizes. More often than not the prize is a seat in a live poker tournament but it depends on the site you join. There are also some sites that are coming online in locals where poker is legal such as Las Vegas. The catch is you have to be a resident of the locale and be located in the locale while playing. We will detail examples of the membership and locale sites in other posts so you can know which ones are best. This site will be updated with any updates concerning the legality of poker in the US so check back often.