Finding online poker sites for US players

It may seem strange, specially to those new to Online Poker, that players from the United States are restricted from certain Online Poker websites, but that’s a result of the SAFE Port Act, a law passed in 2006. A provision of that law, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, or UIGEA makes it illegal to transmit a wager or bet over the internet if the bet or wager was made in a State where it was unlawful to do so. This discouraged many of the top Online Poker websites of the time from business in the United States, as the transmission of funds could be considered illegal.

However, despite the UIGEA, playing poker online is generally not a crime in most States in the U.S. In fact, organizations such as the Poker Players Alliance, and the Safe and Secure Gambling Initiative exist in order to preserve and protect the rights of poker players under the law. This means that the demand for Online Poker in the United States can be legally catered to, and there are a number of websites that do exactly that.

Finding such a website is actually fairly easy, as a simple Google search can net several links to Online Poker rooms, or to sites that can recommend those that accept U.S. players. It is generally prudent, however, for players to do a little research on the site they choose to play at, not only to get the best deals and bonuses, but also to find a good, trustworthy site.

Payment methods for these Online Poker websites often include traditional methods such as credit cards and bank transfers, specially for those sites that are based legally operated in the United States. However some websites also accept physical checks and Western Union transfers. Some players prefer to have offshore or foreign bank accounts to use with Online Poker websites, which makes it easier for them to process payments to and from the website itself.