Best US Poker Sites Online - USA Accepted Poker Rooms

Fortunately, for American players, the top brands and best US poker sites have continued to operate long after the UIGEA was passed in 2006. There is still a good selection of quality US poker sites on the market, and this page lists the absolute best poker rooms based on our own experience. Over time, you have probably noticed some sites advertising "US friendly". A US friendly poker site is best defined as a poker room that accept US players, but also has the ability to process payments in a timely manner, among other features.Our US poker sites do this and more. These sites offer top performing software, excellent customer service, great promotions and they are the fastest paying real money poker websites for USA players. If your searching for a great poker room with top notch software, bonuses and is accessible to US players, you will definitely want to test out the rooms below. All new USA players qualify for the top bonus on signup.

USA Players Note - PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have stopped accepting USA players. There are plenty of options for you including Bovada Poker, where players have no problems with deposits or withdrawals..

US Poker Sites Accepting Deposits from the United States

When the Unlawful Internet Enforcement Act of 2006 came into effect June 1st, 2009 it became even more difficult for Americans to fund to and from their online poker accounts. This law prevented banks from being able to process US poker deposits and as such resulted in many of the US credit cards and prepaid debit cards from authorizing gambling transactions. Does that mean the UIGEA was successful in being able to stop US players from playing poker online. Absolutely not!Americans still have the ability to use an eWallet which serves as a virtual bank account in addition to eChecks and credit card deposits. Credit card deposits are hit and miss depending on which poker site your playing at. Some poker rooms have better success rates than others, like Bet Online Poker or Lock Poker. If you've had problems loading your player account, your best defense is to check our poker deposit page for details on which sites accept which payment, and choose the one that best suits your needs.

US Internet Gambling and Online Poker Laws

The ability to have online gambling in the USA licensed and regulated has moved slowly since the UIGEA was signed into law in 2006. Here are some of the early bills that have been introduced (after the UIGEA) to regulate online gambling in the U.S.

April 26th, 2007 - HR 2046 - Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act – Sponsored by Barney Frank - Sought to license and regulate online gambling in the United States, but never made it to the House.

May 3rd, 2007 – HR2140 – Internet Gambling Study Act – Sponsored by Shelley Berkley – Aimed to provide for a study by the National Academy of Sciences to identify the proper way to handle Internet gambling in the USA. The bill was discharged on Jul 28, 2008 by the House Judiciary: Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

June 7th, 2007 - HR 2607 - Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2007 – Sponsored by James McDermott – Attempted to amend the tax code to allow for regulation of online gaming in the U.S, but never made it to the House.

June 7th 2007 – HR 2610 – Skill Game Protection Act - Sponsored by Robert Wexler – Tried to amend the UIGEA to exempt games of skill such as poker, rummy, and mah jong, but never made it past the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

After many more unsuccessful attempts at introducing a bill to regulate U.S. online gambling in 2008 and 2009, Barney Frank’s 2010 bill (HR 2267) is set to go to the House for a vote. Even though this is as close as the U.S. has gotten to licensed and regulated Internet gambling it’s still too soon to celebrate. Reality has begun to temper initial excitement over signs that the US Congress may revise the nation's current ban on Internet gambling.

American poker players hopes rose in late July when the House Financial Services Committee passed HR 2267, sponsored by US Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), to license and regulate Internet gambling. Those hopes were diminished with sober assessment by both advocates and opponents of the bill's chances of adoption before the end of 2010. Here is why.

First, Frank's bill may simply have run out of time.

The US Congress took its summer recess Aug. 4, although House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she plans to call the House back into session before Aug. 12 to deal with a jobs bill.

What's more, the Congress will meet for barely a month when it returns in September. Plans are to adjourn for the year on Oct. 8 to allow House and Senate members to campaign for re-election in November.

Second, a tax revenue companion bill to Frank's proposal, HR 4976, introduced by US Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) has even less chance of making it through the House in the remaining time.

Discussed by the House Ways and Means Committee in May, McDermott's bill would allow the Internal Revenue Service to tax both online casinos' revenues and individual gamblers' winnings as it does now for land-based casinos. Advocates estimate that taxing online casinos could bring the federal government some $42 billion in revenue over the next 10 years.

Finally, among various amendments tacked on to HR 2267 was a proposal from US Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) to forbid any Internet gambling site now operating illegally in the United States from obtaining a license under the new legislation. This would mean some of the best US poker sites we play at today would be denied their license including that of Bodog, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. If this ammendment takes place, will the top USA poker sites still be able to accept American players?

To date no online poker site operating within the United States has been prosecuted under the UIGEA. Advocates of Frank's bill said they couldn't be considered illegal, and therefore should qualify for licenses. However, that may change now that the UIGEA is being enforced. Despite federal regulations, American players have the biggest share of online betting with 17 percent, according to H2 Gambling Capital, a consulting group.

Nonetheless, a poll taken earlier in 2010 by Fairleigh Dickinson Public Mind found that two-thirds of the U.S. citizens surveyed oppose Internet gambling – public opinion that could work against bills now before Congress.