Legal Poker Sites

Online poker is legal in a number of countries and nations including the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada and Ireland to name a few. The majority of legal poker sites available online are in fact regulated and licensed by their governing jurisdictions. While the media would like to cause fear and panic among players, the fact is that very few countries have actually banned online poker, including the United States.

This page offers you one of two things. The first is information on legal poker sites by country as well as information on the current laws in place or the laws in the process of reform. You will also find a list of poker rooms below that are in fact legal online poker sites. Each site listed on this page is licensed by a government body, and follows very specific and regulated guidelines. Players that join our legal poker sites are entitled to receive a first deposit bonus, as specified in the chart below.

Legal Online Poker Sites by Country

US Poker Sites - The United States UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Act of 2006) is one of the most talked about subjects and yet widely misunderstood. The UIGEA was signed in 2006 when it was attached to the Port Security bill. The purpose of the bill was to restrict banks and financial institutions from allowing transactions to take place between the bank and offshore gaming sites, like PokerStars and Party Poker. While the bill's intention is to stop the banks from processing payments, it is not a means of banning online poker or internet gambling for that matter. For more information on the UIGEA, please see our US poker sites page, which also lists information on the best poker rooms accepting American players.

Australian Poker Sites - Australia is one of the countries that's on the fence with internet gambling. It's not illegal for players to play online, but it is illegal for advertisers within Australia to accept wagers from Australian players. Can Australian poker players play real money poker online? Absolutely, but you will have to find a poker site that accepts Australian players. Read our Australian poker room page for more details.

Dutch Poker Sites - The Netherlands and the Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the few countries that has ruled for poker. In fact, a court ruling that poker was a game of skill has pre-empted the government to look further into regulation with the possibility to auction of licenses to online poker sites.. The court stated that online poker was a different game altogether in that it requires skill.  Not every poker site has the ability to support Dutch players. We have created a list of legal Dutch poker sites that you can read here.

Romanian Poker Sites - Romania is another country looking to cash in on the poker market. Romania is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing markets for online poker and plays host to some well-known international tournaments including the Romanian Poker Championship. There are no laws specifically outlawing online poker in Romania, however, there are no laws that say it's 100% legal either. More information is available on our Romanian poker page.

French Poker Sites - The French government was one of the first government bodies to regulate, license and tax online poker rooms. Legal French poker sites are required to apply for a license through L’ARJEL (l’Autorité de Régulation des Jeux En Ligne). L’ARJEL poker sites will pay tax based on the rake taken from the players. Players should note - only poker sites licensed by L’ARJEL are allowed to accept French players. Sites that do not operate with a L’ARJEL license should be avoided. Please see our French poker site page for information on the top five poker sites licensed by L’ARJEL (l’Autorité de Régulation des Jeux En Ligne)

Irish Poker Sites - Irish players are able to play poker online legally, thanks to an outdated gambling act that was written long before the internet was ever created. The online gambling market in Ireland is primarily made up of horse and grey-hound betting, however Ireland is host to one of the world's largest poker tournaments. Our Ireland poker page outlines the leading Irish poker sites currently on the market, including information on the legal aspects of Irelands gambling act concerning online poker.

German Poker Sites - Germany is one of the few countries that has outright banned online gambling and online poker. Germany holds a monopoly over their gambling market, which has been criticised by the EU and goes against the suggestions made by the EU. The last few years have seen some much-needed progress, however poker is still illegal in Germany. That said, there are still hundreds of thousands of German poker players that play online daily. For more information, check our German poker page.

Canadian Poker Sites - Canadian poker laws are similar to Australian poker laws. The Canadian gambling market is provincially run through the government lottery. The provincial lotteries within Canada require companies to have a license in order to take bets from Canadians. Obviously, the poker rooms don't fall into this category. It is not illegal to play poker in Canada. It is illegal to advertise and promote to Canadians when a company resides in Canada, unless licensed. It is however illegal to bet on sports. Check our Canadian poker site page for information on the top poker sites accepting Canadian players, information on where you can play poker in the Canadian dollar and more.

Government Bodies that License Online Poker Sites

Gibraltar Regulatory Authority - The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority was appointed as the Gambling Commissioner in 2006 when the Gambling Act of 2005 was signed. The GRA initiative is to ensure that the licensed poker sites comply with regulations set forth in their license and in accordance with the Act. Gibraltar originally operated under the 1958 Gaming Ordinance Act, which was revised in 2005 and signed into law in Oct. 2006. Of all the licensees within the online market, Gibraltar has the strictest guidelines in place to protect the consumer, the market and ensures complete enforcement of said guidelines.  Gibraltar is part of the European Union and is included in the UK Gaming Act. You will find many of the big brands such as Party Gaming, Ladbrokes, and William Hill are licensed under the GRA.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission - The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, also known as KGC is located on the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake in Quebec Canada. Because of Canada's Constitution Act with respect to the First Nations, the provincial gaming laws do not apply to Kahnawake, . The Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established in 1996 with respect to the  Kahnawake Gaming Law  set forth by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake. The KGC licenses 180+ online casinos, and poker rooms.

The Isle of Man - The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission was created in 1962 as an independent body regulating casinos, sportsbooks and poker rooms. The objective of the Commission is to ensure gambling under their licenses is crime free, that underage gamblers are prohibited from play, to ensure that operators holding an Isle of Man license operate fair games and to assist with problem gambling. The Isle of Man licenses both land based operators and online companies such as Pokerstars.com.  There are two key benefits to choosing a legal poker site licensed through the Isle of Man. The first is that player funds are always protected. Citing from the Gambling Supervision Commission website "On the Isle of Man we make sure that all licensee's have a system in place which fully protects all player funds. This means that any deposits or winnings you have with an island regulated gaming firm are secure and can be enforced by law". What this means for players is that by choosing an Isle of Man poker room you are backed knowing that you funds will never disappear like some of these fly by night operators. Secondly, the entire application process an operator must go through before receiving their license is very rigorous as is their guidelines. All operators must have their games tested and audited by an approved independent testing company. Isle of Man has approved (BMM Compliance, Cigital Inc., Compliance Testing Laboratory, eCOGRA, GLI Europe BV, Gaming Associates, iTech Labs, NMi Metrology and Gaming, QUINEL , SIQ, Software Quality Systems, TST Global, and  WPA Audit). As of the time of this review, the Isle of Man licenses 32 properties, including land based operations