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• US Players Accepted
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US poker sites ranked by traffic

Fortunately for Canadians, online poker play is completely legal in Canada. Fortunately for Canadians, online poker is completely legal in the country. In fact, after the so-called 'Black Friday' of the game, many USA players migrated to Canada to enjoy playing legally online. This means that the best CA options have high traffic and can focus more on features and specifically catering to you, without having to worry about legal issues. Wherever you go within the 10 provinces and 3 territories, you can open a few tables and enjoy the best online poker in Canada, served up by trustworthy and honest internet sites. Some operators, perhaps endowed with an overabundance of cautiousness if not sense, have elected to treat the country as a “grey market” and avoid accepting. Canadian Poker Site Guide. Welcome to PokerSites.ca where you will find the latest up to date information on the best online poker sites in Canada, getting exclusive bonuses at the most popular rooms on the Internet. Yes, it is true that almost all of the reputable internet cardrooms accept Canadians.

There are currently 4 states that offer legal online poker in the United States – New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Pennsylvania became the latest to join this group when PokerStarswent live in the state on Nov. 4, 2019.

WSOP/888 US is currently the only poker site that shares online poker players between all three legal online poker states (NJ, Nevada & Delaware). It’s currently the #1 US online poker site by traffic.

Poker Stars – New Jersey and Pennsylvania

Party Poker – New Jersey only

Pala Poker – New Jersey only

US States launching soon

With the official launch of online poker Pennsylvania, there remains only one state that has legalized online poker. West Virginia legalized online poker in 2019, but wasn’t expected to go live until 2020.

The Mountain State, however, has a small population and launching an online poker room with a large number of players may be difficult without a shared liquidity pool with other states.

That may be resolved through litigation regarding the federal Wire Act.

Sweepstakes Online Poker – Available to all US Players

Global Poker – Uses a unique sweepstakes model allowing for online poker for real cash prizes and is available in all US states.

What is or is not legal in US?

Playing online poker is not strictly against any US laws. Therefore, a number of offshore sites continue to find creative ways around the banking issues created by UIGEA and continue to accept US customers.

In the years following the 2011 indictments, four states have also passed bills legalizing and regulating the activity in fenced-in markets inside state lines. Three of those states have also signed an agreement to share player pools.

In the meantime, Global Poker, which started accepting US customers in December 2016, uses a sweepstakes and virtual-currency online poker model. As a result, it is not considered online gambling, leaving it outside the purview of the UIGEA.

Where can I play poker online in the US?

Outside of state-licensed online poker sites in Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, there’s really only one legal online poker site for US players.

Global Poker

Global Poker offers what amounts to real-money online poker to players inside the United States. The site launched in December 2016 offering a form of virtual currency gaming. The virtual currency can later be converted into real money on PayPal, but players don’t start out on Global Poker buying into tournaments and cash games with real dollars.

Instead, they purchase Gold Coins which come with bonus sweepstakes prizes called $weeps Cash. The $weeps Cash can be used to buy into $weeps Cash tournaments and ring games. Any $weeps Cash earned can then be cashed out through PayPal. There are also Gold Coin poker games, but no real money available down that road.

Global Poker uses its own custom-made poker software incorporating its patented sweepstakes technology. It’s glitchy, but serviceable.

The site is strictly No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha, but there are cash games, tournaments and sit and go’s. Global Poker runs various freeroll tournaments and promotional leader boards. All of the banking is done through PayPal.

Where can I play poker live in the US?

Poker is America’s game. As a result, most states have tribal casinos, commercial casinos or card rooms where you can expect to be able to play live poker.

In fact, it’s much easier to list the states where you can’t legally play live poker. Although, even in that list of states below, you likely won’t have to look too hard to find an underground game, or a casino in a neighboring state with a poker room tucked right up next to the border.

• Utah
• Texas*
• Hawaii
• Tennessee
• Alaska
• New Hampshire
• Georgia

*Texas is experimenting with poker in private social club settings. The state attorney general has declined to issue an opinion so far, leading to sizable operations opening in major cities. However, a recent raid in Houston has cast considerable doubt on the longterm viability of the clubs.

Individual states with online poker offerings

Up to and including January 2018, there are just four US states with laws legalizing and regulating online poker.

Delaware was the first state to do it, passing the Delaware Gaming Competitiveness Act in the summer of 2012. It approved both online poker and online casino games.

In February 2013, Nevada became the second state to come on board, authorizing the issue of online poker licenses. Within a week, New Jersey became the third state to legalize online gambling. It authorized the issue of licenses to casinos in Atlantic City that allowed them to operate both online poker and online casino sites.

In April 2013, the first-ever legal and regulated online poker site in the US went live in Nevada. The site’s name was Ultimate Poker. An offshoot of Station Casinos affiliated with the Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organization ran the site. By November of that same year, legal and regulated online poker sites also went live in Delaware and New Jersey.

Pennsylvania jumps on board

Pennsylvania became the fourth state to authorize online gambling. It passed online poker and online gambling legislation as a part of a comprehensive gambling expansion bill in October 2017.

Since then, there has been much legal and regulatory maneuvering in the state. There has even been an external threat that arose after the Department of Justice revised its opinion about the Wire Act’s applicability.

PokerStars officially launched in Pennsylvania on Nov. 4, 2019.

West Virginia makes it five to go

West Virginia is now the fifth state to legalize online poker. The Mountain State did so with the passage of H 2934, the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act.

The bill became law after Gov. Jim Justice declined to sign. However, the appearance of online poker (and casino) sites in West Virginia is not imminent.

Lottery officials must still promulgate regulations for the new industry. It is likely to be 2020 before any site will possibly launch.

Activity in other states

Of course, a number of other states, including California, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois have all seriously considered various forms of legislation that would legalize and regulate online poker over the past few years.

In 2018 and 2019, Michigan also made significant pushes to legalize online gaming, including poker.

The federal government has succeeded in pushing the largest global online poker site operators out of the US market. However, several offshore online poker operators still accept US players.

US online poker overview

There are essentially two federal laws that govern online poker in the US.

The Wire Act

The first is the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, aka the Federal Wire Act. The law essentially prohibits the operation of certain types of betting businesses using wire communications. Its original aim was to stop interstate gambling and end organized crime’s interest in the business.

The act passed decades before the internet or online poker even existed. However, since it governed the loosely-related act of betting or wagering using wire communications, many believed it had some jurisdiction over online gambling.

In September 2011, in response to questions regarding the legality of online lottery sales, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released a formal legal opinion on the scope of the act. The opinion concluded that interstate transmissions of wire communications that do not relate to a sporting event or contest fall outside of its reach.

Interested states took it to mean the act did not apply to online poker or other forms of online gambling. Now, four of those states have passed legislation legalizing and regulating the activity.

That may be changing, however. In January 2019, the DOJ reversed its opinion to say that the Wire Act, in fact, does relate to all online gambling.

In June 2019, a New Hampshire federal judge threw out the opinion as it relates to two litigants – the New Hampshire Lottery Commission and an associated vendor. However, the ripple effect of this judgment is unclear at this point.

The UIGEA

The second law is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Congress passed UIGEA in 2006. It made it illegal for US banks to process transactions for offshore online gambling operators. The law effectively pushed a number of online poker sites out of the market.

Other sites stayed in the US. However, the DOJ forced the largest remaining sites in the industry, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet out in 2011. The DOJ charged them with various illegal gambling and money laundering charges, partly under UIGEA.

History of online poker in the US

Online gambling first hit the internet when online casinos started opening in 1994. The operators were mostly based in places like Antigua or the Isle of Man, but they still took customers from the United States and were only too happy to accept US cash.

In 1996, the Mohawk Territoryof Kahnawake, a First Nations group based just outside of Montreal, Canada brought online gambling to North American soil for the first time. It set up a gaming commission and started issuing licenses to online casino sites. The Kahnawake Gaming Commission helped the number of online gambling websites around the world go from a handful to hundreds.

In 1998, a Canadian entrepreneur launched the first-ever online poker site. Planet Poker advertised in CardPlayer Magazine in the US prior to its Jan. 1, 1998 launch. The first ever real-money online $3/$6 Hold ’em game was filled with US players.

By 1999, the US Senate realized online gambling was widespread across the US and sought to do something about it. The Internet Gambling Prohibition Act was introduced, but it did not pass.

Over the next few years, sites introduced more sophisticated online poker software, and new sites launched around the world, offering cash games and tournaments.

In 2002, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled the Federal Wire Act prohibits sports betting, but not necessarily online gambling. At the time, the DOJ disagreed, claiming online gambling was illegal, However, the industry kept growing.

The poker boom

In 2003, online poker’s popularity really took off. A Tennessee accountant aptly named Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event after getting into the tournament through an online satellite. Coverage aired on ESPN, and Moneymaker’s story became a national obsession. Millions of Americans thought they could be next.

Poker was suddenly everywhere on TV, as the advent of hole-card cameras made live games more watchable than ever. Most shows were branded, and the commercial breaks were filled with spots for offshore online poker sites. The productions sold the game to the American TV-watching public and they bought it.

Then, in 2006, Congress took another shot at taming the wild beast. It passed UIGEA, making it illegal for US banks to handle transactions with offshore online poker sites. It certainly pushed a handful of operators out of the US market, but it didn’t eliminate the market altogether.

Several sites still accepted US players and found ways around the banking issues. Online poker continued to grow until April 15, 2011.

On that day, three of the largest online poker operators in the world were indicted on various illegal gambling and money laundering charges, including violating UIGEA. The sites included PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet. Access to the sites from the US was shut down, and the massive US online poker market was effectively closed.

However, it wouldn’t take long before efforts to open it up again began.

US legal and regulated online poker

In response to questions regarding the legality of online lottery sales in December 2011, the DOJ released a legal opinion that the Federal Wire Act only applies to sports betting. Several states took this to mean they could consider licensing and regulating online poker and casino sites if they wanted.

Delaware was the first state to do it, approving both online poker and online casino legislation in 2012.

In February 2013, Nevada became the second state to pass online gambling legislation, authorizing the issue of online poker licenses. A week later, New Jersey became the third state to legalize online gambling and made plans to issue licenses for online poker and online casino sites.

In April 2013, the first-ever legal and regulated online poker site in the US went live in Nevada. Legal and regulated online poker sites went live in Delaware and New Jersey in November 2013. Pennsylvania became the fourth state to legalize online poker when it passed a comprehensive gambling expansion bill in October 2017.

Now, as sites jump through the regulatory hoops to get games up and running in Pennsylvania, even more states are considering similar online poker legislation.

Like most of the world, Canadians are huge fans of sports betting and gambling. With a market filled with so many gamblers looking for entertaining options, the range of online gambling establishments is high, and their efforts to entice potential players is extremely strong.

This means, as a prospective Canadian player, that you will have access to one of the largest varieties of online poker sites, and these sites will offer you just about anything to try and claim your business.

If you’ve ever come across the saying ‘When companies compete, you win’, it was clearly referring to the online gambling industry in Canada. If you’re a Canadian resident or citizen and simply want to search for a new online poker site or wish to try your hand at online poker for the first time, you’ve landed on the right page. The multitude of options are fantastic; however, it can be quite overwhelming, especially when you’re overloaded with too many options.

Top Canadian Poker Rooms for January 2020All Poker Rooms are Licensed , Mobile Friendly Advertiser Disclosure

Contents

• Overview of Gambling Laws in Canada
• Frequently Asked Questions

To assist you in making the right choice, we at Top10pokerwebsites have gone ahead and completed a lot of the research, vetting, and homework for you. We also compiled a list of the best online poker sites available to Canadian players. These online poker sites understand the Canadian market and the unique requirements of players like you. Not only to these online poker sites cater to your every need, but they also offer incredible bonuses and promotions to try and attract you to their site. It’s highly recommended that you take full advantage of these offers.

Is Gambling in Canada Legal?

The question that is always on everyone’s mind when it comes to online gambling is the legality along with if they will get in trouble when gambling online. Canadian players are no different when it comes to online gambling and also wonder if it’s allowed to play online poker for real money.

The main reason for the confusion is that the Canadian laws aren’t very clear and are therefore open to interpretation. There is some Canadian legislation on record pertaining to online gambling. However, it doesn’t specifically state that it is legal or illegal for that matter. It’s essentially just a poorly worded grey area.

The Canadian legislation is aimed towards the companies that provide their services to the country to ensure they conduct their business in a specific manner. This is 100% correct in our opinion and shouldn’t concern us.

Specialized Poker Sites vs. All-In-One

There are two types of online poker sites you will come across in Canada. The first includes an All in One site that provides sports betting, casino games, and online poker under one roof. These online sites are fantastic for recreational players and for those who love a little bit of everything. If you are someone who enjoys playing online poker, some roulette, and a sports bet here and there, these All in One sites will be the best choice for you. Most of the online poker sites listed on our site fall into this category.

The second type of site available to players in Canada is speciality sites. These online sites only offer online poker, sports betting, or casino games. This will not be an ideal choice if you are searching for a little bit of everything but might be perfect if you are searching for something in particular. Naturally, these speciality sites will have a lot more to offer as they will be considered experts or specialists in their area of online gambling.

Canada Legislation and Online Poker

Real money gambling and betting are extremely popular activities when it comes to a country like Canada. Like certain areas in the world, online gambling laws often are quite complicated.There are multiple styles of legal gambling online. However, the laws pertaining to gambling with overseas companies aren’t very clear.

We at Top10pokerwebsites have therefore provided an overview of the gambling laws in Canada, and include details of what is and isn’t allowed. We also included information on current laws surrounding online gaming and how these laws will affect you. In addition, we discuss the Kahnawake Gaming Commission which is a commission that is situated within the borders of Canada. You can also rest assured with the information provided on this site, as we will maintain this page with updated legislation changes that affect online gambling with the borders o Canada.

Overview of Gambling Laws in Canada

Looking back in history, the gambling laws were quite strict in Canada. There are limited styles of gambling allowed in the country. However, there were a couple of changes to the legislation during the 1970’s that managed to relax things quite a bit. The renewed Criminal Code provided each individual province, within the borders of Canada, the ability to regulate and license gambling within their own regions.

This came about due to the introduction of several land-based casinos across the country. Most provincial governments began by operating their unique lotteries that are still available. In addition, there are currently several sports betting options that have been approved by provincial governments that are mostly operated by an organisation known as Sports Select. The betting operations are referred to by differently, depending on the province, and while they offer legal sports betting, players only have a limited range of bets they can place as oppose to other leading sports betting sites in the world.

Online Gambling Laws

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Things became somewhat more complicated when it relates to to gambling online in Canada. There are currently two provinces operating their own casinos online and some of the betting outlets approved by the government allow players to make wagers online. It’s legal for players in Canada to gamble at these establishments and betting outlets and to buy lottery tickets over the internet.

However, it’s illegal for online gambling operators to offer any kind of gambling services to the citizens of Canada unless it’s licensed and approved by the Canadian government. The Canadian laws on this is clear. The grey area pertains to businesses that are situated and operate overseas, that allows people from Canada to play at their sites. Initially, this may be viewed as illegal based on the interpretation of Canadian law. However, should the businesses that are situated overseas be somewhere where its legal to gamble online, then it is arguable whether those laws do not apply.

How Gambling in Canada Affect You

If you wish to engage in gaming activities online and are a resident of Canada, then you most likely not overly concerned about the laws that relate to gambling online. The larger concern is if playing at an overseas online gambling site is against the law. The legislation that is current, it’s very difficult to say with any exact confidence if it is or is not.

There is not a law that is specific that makes online gambling legal. There is also not a law that defines it as illegal. There is an outdated Canadian law that states it’s illegal to be in a betting house, and although this is an outdated law, some still argue that the law can relate to online gambling, even if an argument that is weak and would most likely not stand up if challenged in court.
However, there has yet to be a citizen in Canada charged, arrested, or punished for using the services of an overseas gaming operator. Although this doesn’t make things overtly clear, it still suggests that there is little to be concerned about should you play online, and in fact, a large number of Canadians do on a regular basis.

The only drawback for players in Canada is that beyond any state and government approved gaming operation; there is not any regulations from within Canada that apply to online poker rooms. However, this does not need to be of any concern as there are a great number of reputable poker sites operating online, many of which are known worldwide.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission is situated in the province of Quebec and is situated on the Kahnawake reservation. This organization license online gambling sites, but only if they operate within the boundaries of he Kahnawake reserve and adhere to certain criteria set out by the Commission. Due to the Kahnawake Gaming Commission operating as sovereign nation, it is therefore not governed by the laws of Canada and therefore makes it legal to operate online operations.

Canadian Gambling Legislation Changes

There are reports that the government of Canada is considering, or at a minimum, having discussions that relate to the introduction of legislative changes pertaining to gambling online. At this point in time, there is little expected to come from this, however, should there be any updates, this page will be updated with those changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have any questions relating to play poker online and you live anywhere in Canada then please do read on for below we have put together all of the most commonly and most frequently asked questions from such players.

Underneath each of the following questions you will of course find the answers to each of them, and if you have any more poker site specific questions you are looking or the answers too then our poker site reviews are worth checking out!

As many online and for that matter mobile poker sites offer their services, poker tournaments and all of their poker game sot player based in lots of different countries of the world then you are going to find that no matter at what time you do decide to play at any Canada player friendly online or mobile poker site there will be a huge number p players logged into those sites.

So in regards to when is the best time to play online or even mobile poker games and enter poker tournaments it doesn’t matter when out choose to play as there will always be thousands of players logged into any of our featured and top rated poker sites!

It will of course be utter pointless you singing up to any online or mobile poker site from Canada is you are not going o find a deposit and banking option that is available to you! It is with that in mind that every single one of our featured Canada player friendly pork sites both online and mobile poker sites will give you plenty of different depositing and banking options.

Our handpicked and fully legal and license online poker sites that we have showcased throughout our website have all been picked for a reason and one of the main reasons we are presenting them to you is that they are all famed for being fast paying poker sites.

So in regards to whether you are going to have to wait very long when you request a winning payout you are going to find each of them will pay you out all of your winnings in the fastest possible time frames.

Canada based players who sign up to any of our top rated poker sites are going to discover that they are not only going to be able to play poker game variants and also enter online and mobile poker tournaments at those sites for all of them also have available a range of different poker side games too.

If you ever fancy playing blackjack or baccarat games for example alongside your chosen poker games or poker tournaments or any other type of casino based games those games will also be available, so you can have plenty of additional gambling opportunities at each of our selected Canada player friend online and mobile poker sets too!

As a player who is based in Canada one thing you will never want to be forced to have to do when you are funding your real money online poker site account is to be forced to have to pay excessive fees and charges, and that will be something you will be forced to do when playing at any online poker site that uses a different currency other than CAD!

We have therefore paid careful attention to just which online poker sites that we are going to be introducing you to and showcasing you to throughout this website and all of them will allow you to find your account suing Canadian Dollars and they will also allow you to set your poker site account
to that currency.

As such you can then rest assured and have the peace of mind that you are never going to be hit with any additional fees and charges when you make a deposit or even when you make a withdrawal of any winnings from your online poker sit and poker room accounts, when you make the very smart decision of playing at any of our approved and fully licensed Canadian poker sites.

One thing that has changed very recently is in regards to the number and type of different poker game variants that are now accessible via a mobile poker playing platform and on some poker apps.

There was a time when you would only find the poker game variant of Texas Hold ‘Em Poker being offered at all mobile poker sites and that was all well and good if that was the poker game variant you enjoy playing he most!

However, as the years have ticked by and with there now being many more poker players playing poker game via mobile phones including smart phones and tablet devices, many poker sites have increased the range of number of different variants their poker platforms have on offer on them.

So you will find that by picking out just which mobile poker site you do sign up to and play at carefully you are going to have access to plenty of different poker game variants, and it is worth also knowing you will be able to play those poker games at free play poker tables or of course play them for real money if you prefer!

The poker software platforms that the vast majority of our approved and highly recommended poker sites use will allow you to play more than one poker game and in more than one poker room at a time, so you can pick and choose how many live poker tables you have open and are playing at those top rated Canadian player friend online poker sites!

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Some of our featured online poker sites will now let you start up and set up your own poker tournaments and as such if you have any friends or family members that you want to play against then make sure you set up your own private poker tournaments and poker rooms and invite your friends and family members to join in the fun and games!

To be able to play poker legally online you will have to be the legal minimum age at the very least based on where you live in Canada in regards to any local gambling laws. Each poker site out come across may also have their own age limit restrictions in place too which will be prominently displayed on their respective website.

All Canada based online and mobile poker players do have a huge range of different poker tournaments that they can take part in and enter, both mobile and online Canadian player friendly poker sites have plenty of tournaments up and running throughout the day and night.

If you are living in Canada and want to find out just when any poker sites poker tournaments are up and running then visit the poker sites websites and take a good look through the poker tournament schedule as that will enlighten you on how every poker tournament has been structured and designed and when it will be going live too.