1. The Washington State Gambling Commission might be in favor of it though when you look closely at their position on online gambling, with all of the pitfalls they list being remedied through regulation (3). So for those who live in Washington and want to play online poker, the best – and really ONLY – option is Ignition Poker. You can check out their review above the review on this page or sign up directly from.
2. Then head to Ignition Poker now. Not only will you receive up to $2000 in bonuses and exciting rewards, but you will have access to great traffic and be a part of one of the most reputable poker rooms available in the world. Read our Ignition Poker review for more reasons why we prefer Ignition Poker over any other poker.
3. Ignition Poker is NOT legal in Washington State as it is grade C felony, but has never been enforced. There are no federal laws banning online poker, the laws are created at the state level.
4. Ignition Poker is a poker site that opened up in early 2016, offering casino games and multi-player poker to the American market. Despite being relatively new, it's by far one of the best sites to play online poker from within the United States because it's a member of the reputable Bodog/Bovada family of.

Ignition Poker is one of the newest US cardrooms opened in 2016 and bringing a variety of opportunities to true poker players. The website is a part of the PaiWangLuo Network, an ecosystem in itself, and previously operated under the Bodog brand. Ignition Poker is geared towards American players exclusively and operates in nearly all US states.

The law in Florida as it relates to gambling is pretty clear, and they have in fact gone out of their way to include all forms of gambling, whether that be at a live event or gambling on devices of any kind, including electronic devices. Here’s how the law reads:

“Gambling: Whoever plays or engages in any game at cards, keno, roulette, faro or other game of chance, at any place, by any device whatever, for money or other thing of value, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree.”

So by including “by any device whatsoever,” this would involve gambling on electronic devices, so the fact that it the gambling occurs by electronic means would not make it exempt from this law, in spite of what some people may erroneously think.

However, does poker qualify as a game of chance here? The Florida courts have defined this as a game which relies significantly on the element of chance, and this is of course rather vague. It is of note that among the prohibited games mentioned in this section, “cards” is listed first, and poker is indeed a card game.

However, it does mention cards and other games of chance, but what if poker is seen as not a game of chance but a game of skill primarily? Well even if this is the case it wouldn‘t matter, as section 849.14 prohibits wagering based upon contests of skill as well (2), so that won’t even help.

The only saving grace here is that there has never been anyone prosecuted in the United States for playing poker online, even in the states with the harshest laws against it, like Washington State which has laws making playing online poker explicitly illegal. So if it isn’t being prosecuted there wouldn’t seem to be any real reason to be concerned, even if it is illegal.

Live Poker In Florida

Florida has a total of 8 Indian Casinos, in addition 25 non-Native casinos known as “racinos,” since they are all racetracks which have been given casino licenses as well, and 2 “Casino Ships.” (3).

Almost all of these gambling facilities offer poker rooms, although they mostly tend to be on the small side However there is a total of 31 poker rooms spread widely across the state, so while they may not be big in size they certainly are pretty numerous and fairly easily accessible no matter what region of the state you are from.

The poker at the Indian casinos is probably the best you will find, as opposed to the racinos which may only have a few tables. The Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa is noteworthy, and features 50 tables, and boasts one of the state’s largest card rooms. Florida does now have a dedicated card room open which is neither a racino or an Indian Casino, the “Best Bet” in Jacksonville, and is the largest poker room in the state with 70 tables (5).

The state had historically only granted licenses to racetracks and the opening of this new poker room, which found a loophole in the law, may be a trend where legislators are prepared to cash in on live poker more without worrying so much about promoting racetracks while doing so.

Online Poker Regulation In Florida

Ignition Poker Washington State Treasurer

Florida is one of several states that have introduced a new gaming bill, SBP7082, but the bill notably did not mention online poker. This bill instead looks to make changes in the way gaming is regulated in the state, for instance relaxing standards to operate live poker rooms in the state, but does not address the issue of regulating online gambling (6).

However, discussions about regulating online poker in Florida have been going on for a few years now, and these discussions are continuing, and it may be that an online poker bill may be introduced there in the near future, but nothing is imminent.

As is often the case, there may be opposition from land based operators who may fear that online poker or online gambling may compete with their business, but this has been shown through studies done in other states that it really isn’t an issue.

Florida is the country’s 4th most populous state, with 20 million people, and the people of Florida also are pretty fond of poker, and online poker in particular, so the market here may be huge if and when a deal gets done.

Our Recommended Online Poker Sites For Florida Residents

In the meantime, Florida poker players are flocking to Ignition Poker and Casino, which is one of the most trusted iGaming brands we recommend for players in this region. If you’re looking to play legitimate online poker games – under anonymous names on top of that – then check out our Ignition Review today to learn more and sign up for your account.

It is NOT a crime to play online poker at a trusted offshore site like Ignition, so don’t be hesitant if you’re looking to find a solid game online. They have the best cash games running right now, give out MILLIONS a month in MTT prizes, as well as boast the smoothest software out there today.

References

(1) 2014 Florida Statutes, Title XLVI, 849.08

(2) 2014 Florida Statutes, Title XLIV, 849.14

3) List Of Casinos In Florida

(4) Florida Poker Rooms

(5) Largest Poker Room In Florida Opens To Huge Crowds

Ignition Poker Download

(6) Florida Senate Bill 7082

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Each state has their own stance on poker. In one state it might be OK to play poker in a casino, but not online. In another it might be OK to play poker in a casino, but not at home or online. And in other states it’s OK to play poker whenever you want, however you want.

The lack of consistency from one state to the next makes it confusing to know what’s OK and what’s not. That forces you to find and read your state laws, which are full of jargon and lawyer speak. This only makes understanding the laws in your state more confusing.

Ignition Poker In Washington State

So what we’ve done to help is create individual state guides. We researched each state’s laws and wrote them up in an easy to read and understand format. Our main focus in each guide was the legality of poker in the state, what forms of poker are allowed (live, home, online, etc) and the consequence of being caught if one form was illegal. Take a look through each guide to find out the details about your particulate state.

Note: We’re not lawyers and laws change all the time. Use our guides for informational purposes only. Always consult with your local law enforcement, lawyers, law makers, etc before participating in any poker games.

State Poker Guides

Miscellaneous Articles Related To US Poker Legality

US Poker Legalities

Movies like Rounders opened the country’s eyes to the fascinating game of No Limit Texas Hold’em and many players in the US ventured to play poker online for real money. After Chris Moneymaker’s dramatic win in the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, online poker exploded in popularity and it was like there was never going to be any kind of letup.

But then two incidents occurred in the United States which shook up the online poker industry and caused many US-facing sites to exit the market. Let’s take a look at the biggest issues facing the industry.

The UIGEA and Black Friday incidents that both occurred in the last decade are without a doubt the biggest problems with the current American online poker landscape, and the reason why it can be so difficult to deposit on online poker sites if you reside in the US.

Both events had a huge impact on the American online poker market and made many avid poker players question the legality of online poker. As a result, many players decided to move abroad to countries like Canada in order to keep playing on the top poker sites.

The premise of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) act that was passed back in 2006 was to prohibit banks and other financial institutions from allowing Americans to transfer funds to and from unlawful gambling websites. That’s all there was to the bill, there was nothing in the bill that stopped people from playing online poker games for real money.

Then just a few years ago, the Black Friday online poker fiasco took place, when three of the biggest online poker sites accepting players in the US at the time, PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker, were shut down and closed their doors to American players overnight.

The founders of these companies were indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of bank fraud, money laundering and illegal gambling relating to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and the Illegal Gambling Business Act of 1955. What they had done was create fake businesses so that banks and other financial institutions would process their transactions. So, the DOJ stepped in to enforce the UIGEA rules and regulations.

As you can see, this is all about the government trying to stop the flow of money to and from gambling websites, and from a player’s perspective, actually has nothing to do with the legality of playing online poker. The government doesn’t care that people play poker online, evidenced by the fact that US online poker players that were affected by Black Friday got access back to their funds.

It is likely the powers that be wanted to pave the way for regulation of internet gambling, which is still very much in its infancy. Following the Black Friday fiasco in 2011, online poker had been regulated in several US states, including Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, and it’s likely that more and more states will follow likely through interstate agreements that will allow different states to share player pools.

It is still some time away before every state in the United States offers legal and regulated online poker, so as it stands right now, players that decided to stay in the country to get their online poker fix have a choice between both regulated and non-regulated sites, depending on where they live.

Since the UIGEA and Black Friday, the online poker sites that decided to continue to operate in the United States have struggled to regain the kind of momentum gained prior to both events taking place, but there are still some decent options out there that have good traffic and are worth playing on (albeit a fairly limited number of options), but compared to sites pre-Black Friday they have much smaller player pools.

Some players have moved on to fantasy sports or live poker to still their poker fix, but there will always be some players who prefer playing poker online due to its obvious advantages. So why hasn’t more online poker sites like PartyPoker and 888Poker made the decision to stay in the US?

Well, they gambled on the fact that online poker would become regulated in the US again (which it turns out was the case), and didn’t want to risk hurting their chances of being allowed to continue to operate in a regulated market. Furthermore, they were publicly traded companies and wanted to do the right thing by their shareholders. Also some states prohibit online poker, so it’s necessary for operators to geo-target and exclude certain players from playing on their site, adding weight to the decision.