Online gambling law?

Question

I'm aware of the law banning U.S. online gambling. However, I don't know all the details. Would it be legal if I created a gambling site that didn't allow you to put your own money into? So basically just playing for fun...

Thanks

Answer 1

Online gambling is not illegal in the United States.  If the Safeport Act of October 2006 is what your refer too, then your misinformed.   Go to the website  pokerplayersalliance.org , there all your questions about online gambling should be answered.  

I current live in the USA and play online poker for $ and I'm not alone, there are many others like me.  Pokerstars or Full Tilt poker are popular sites for many of us to get our poker fix.

Answer 2

To actually answer your question:

It would be perfectly legal to do what you are proposing AS LONG AS you do not charge players to join/use your site.  That means no fees whatsoever, no required purchases, etc.

BTW, in reference to the above responses - they are correct in that it is not illegal to PLAY real-money poker on-line in the US, but I believe that it is illegal to run a gambling site in the US - that's why all of the pay poker sites are overseas.

However, if you have a site in which players don't have to pay to play then they are risking nothing, thus they are simply gaming, not gambling.  

I think that you will find that there are already many sites where you can play Poker for free - all the pay sites have "play money" poker along with many other sites that I have read about - even yahoo! has a game.  Most/all of the pay sites even have freerolls where you can play for free and win $$ into your account.

Answer 3

Online gambling is not illegal.

There are some poker rooms that still accept US players.

If you would like to check out these poker rooms visit http://www.dizzypoker.com

Answer 4

Online POKER in the USA is not illegal by federal law, some states do have laws prohibiting it. There are laws against banks and credit card companies allowing money transfers to online gambling sites. These are the laws that concern most online gamblers.

There are some online sites are almost exactly what you are thinking, you can play for FREE, no money required, and still win some cash or some nice prizes

There are several sites that offer Poker online, and Blackjack online that are 100% USA legal, they pay cash by check, they can accept credit cards, and are subject to US law, protecting the player in the event of disputes.

Here is a link to the sites:

http://www.thedoverpro.com/legalpoker.ht...

Good luck at the tables!