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As far as we know, the answer is yes.* Technically poker is a legal gray area but there is not a single case of an American Citizen being prosecuted for playing online poker. Imagine the uproar such a trampling of freedom would cause.

In fact, if some Average Joe was prosecuted for playing poker it would probably be GOOD for the game because of the outcry it would cause. I’m not sure why so many people believe online poker is illegal, but thats incorrect. I’m going to guess that poor news reporting is to blame for some of the confusion.

There have been regulations passed in recent times that have attempted to limit online poker in the United States by requiring credit cards to block gambling transactions, but they have basically been unsuccessful. The biggest attack against online poker was the US government shutting down Neteller, a popular poker funding method, in early 2007.

Currently, the only way to get in trouble with online poker in the US would be to set up your own poker site like PokerStars within the US. If you were to do that, then yes, you could get in trouble. But as long as you’re just playing poker, you’ll be good to go. So get out there and have some fun.

* = I am not a lawyer so don’t take this as legal advice. The laws governing online poker vary widely around the world. I am only telling you this as an account of my own personal experiences playing online poker. I’ve never had any trouble playing online poker in the US and I don’t know of anybody else who has. But it is still your responsibility to check the gaming laws in your own jurisdiction.

Read about the UIGEA here.

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