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US OnlinePoker - Accepted Player USA

US OnlinePoker - Accepted Player USA What Poker Sites Accept USA Players?

After the 2006 UIGEA was signed under the Port-Security Act, most of the publicly traded companies closed their doors to the US market, such as PartyPoker, Ladbrokes and Betfair. This is why US players have such a difficult time in finding a variety of poker rooms and networks to play on. Although the European brands shut out the US market, the privately held companies continued to accept US poker players and new brands surfaced. Current poker sites accepting US players include; Cake Poker Network or Merge Gaming Network. Unfortunately, due to a move by the DOJ, Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker are no longer accepting US players. The online poker rooms shut down in April 2011. You can find our list of the top real money poker sites accepting US players above, along with bonuses available to new players and software features.

After the bill passed in 2006, some of the top ewallet service provides also pulled out of the US market, including NETeller, which at one time was the largest money transfer site online. Today, players have multiple options available to them to deposit or withdraw from a US poker room. Some of the major poker sites, including that of SportsBook Poker and Players Only, accept credit cards while others, like Pokerstars, support ewallets. If you do experience difficulty in funding your poker account with your credit card or your poker deposit is denied, an ewallet or alternative payment arrangement is an another option. eWallets are just as safe as your credit card and in some cases more convenient as company's like eWalletXpres or Quicktender will accept wire transfers, bank transfers, eCheck, and credit card payments. Although you're Visa or Amex Card deposit may be rejected, you can use that same card to fund your ewallet account and transfer the money to your player account. Although payment methods are limited for American players, withdrawals are still a priority. All of the US poker sites on this page guarantee you your funds and have an excellent record for making sure payments are prompt.

Top USA Online Poker Sites For US Players
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Online Poker Overall Rating Bonus Software Review Visit Site
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BetOnline poker
99%
 $900 BetOnline.com software BetOnline.com poker review Visit site BetOnline poker
LockPoker online
96%
 $750 Merge software LockPoker review Visit site LockPoker.eu
Carbon poker
93%
 $600 Carbon poker software Carbon Poker review Visit site Carbon Poker
Cake Poker
92%
 $600 Cake Network software Chilipoker.com review Register to Cake Poker
Intertops.com online poker
89%
 $600 Prima Poker software SkyPoker.com review Intertops poker online
Juicy Stakes poker
88%
 $600 Cake Network software Juicy Stakes poker review Juicy Stakes poker

Is Online Poker Legal for US Players?


There is no law specifically stating that online poker is illegal or legal for American players. The 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was written to stop transactions to and from US poker players to online poker sites. It does not have any negative impact to US players other than making it difficult to find a poker site that accepts USA players and difficulty funding (depositing to and withdrawing from) their online accounts. The UIGEA did not define what unlawful internet gambling is, but specifically targeted the financial institutions and ewallets, as well as the poker and casino rooms. The Department of the Treasury was required to draft regulations that would lead to blocking gambling transactions to and from American banks and financial institutions. The deadline for the regulations was originally December 1, 2009. Three days prior to the deadline, Department of the Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke will announced a six-month delay. For the most part, gambling legislation is left up to each individual state. While one state may completely block gambling and online poker (Kentucky/Louisiana), another may allow it like California, where SB1485 was introduced to legalize online poker in California. Federal laws are in place, however most of the federal laws are written to support the state laws. United States online poker players need to check their local legislation as to whether they are subject to any pre-existing state laws.

Federal Bills and Regulation for US Poker Sites


Federal bills introduced to license and regulate online poker for US players are in the works. Three of the bills currently under review include; Barney Frank's H.R. 2267, The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act, Jim McDermott's H.R. 2268: Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2009, and Robert Menendez's S.1597 Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009. The difference between the three bills is that while the Barney Frank bill will license and regulate online casinos and us poker rooms, the Menendez bill would only license and regulate games of skill. The McDermott bill would work with the Frank bill as a way to tax licensed poker rooms who provide service to American players. None of the bills introduced will overturn the UIGEA, but they will exclude licensed and legal sites from the UIGEA. What this means is that while the UIGEA was set up as a means to block gambling transactions to and from the poker rooms, if a USA poker site was licensed under a federal license, that site will be exempt from the UIGEA. Unlicensed poker rooms are a completely different matter.