Can I Play Poker Online In FLA Legally?

If Florida’s Million Poker Tournament is able to attract hundreds of interested players, there’s no reason in the world why Florida online poker would fail to be successful. As a matter of fact, legal online poker sites almost always have a significant number of poker players from FL. If fishing wasn’t the most popular pastime in the Sunshine State, it would probably be poker. Currently it is not legal to operate an online poker site within the state of Florida. The State issued a review of online poker back in 2010 and the landscape has been shifting towards a full out online option. There are however several reputable and secure online poker sites which are legally licensed outside of the United States that welcome players from Florida. We also have additional information to answer some of your questions in our Frequently Asked Questions guide.

Identifying Legal and Reputable Florida Online Poker Sites

Players in Florida must be very diligent to only access those online poker sites which are legally licensed, compliance certified, and regulated by a respected governing jurisdiction located outside of the United States. One way to do this is to rely on professional input. The creators of this guide are online poker professionals and analysts who have an extensive range of experience in the industry. We have personally vetted each of the sites you see included on this page, and can recommend them to you without hesitation. We have evaluated every component of their operation, and have found them to operate based on a standard of excellence in each case. Once FL moves forward with state licensed online poker options, the selection will expand to include those sites as well.

 

Legal Florida Online Poker

The only way a poker player from Florida can play poker online is by signing up with a legally licensed offshore poker site. Fortunately, there are a number of highly reliable and reputable online poker sites that have proven to be fair. These sites are licensed by a governing jurisdiction which has already embraced and legalized online poker gambling. They are closely regulated and monitored for fair gaming practices. These online poker sites accepting Florida players should be recommended to you by someone experience and preferably an industry professional, such as the creators of this guide. Poker players should never randomly pick an online site since there are a few scoundrels lurking around the Internet for possible victims.

One such scam is a poker website that allows you to subscribe and input your personal details and then close the door on your face and say U.S. players are not allowed in. They do this to acquire just enough information to proceed with identity theft and fraudulent practices. They are cyber predators. These predatory sites can be difficult to spot, particularly for the novice player.

Online poker in the Sunshine State is a gray area. The state has a gambling law and issues licenses to brick and mortar establishments but says nothing about online gambling. This is a window of opportunity for online poker sites accepting Florida players to justify US players on their website. There are no state or federal laws expressly prohibiting participation in legally licensed online poker gambling.

If one were to be challenged about legal Florida online poker sites, here are a few explanations you could use to defend online poker gambling:

• The state gambling law only states that anyone who plays unregulated gambling games is committing a misdemeanor. However, gambling is defined broadly as a game of chance whereas poker could be classified as a game of skill. Also, there are multiple licensed and regulated poker rooms that are located outside of the US.

• The other part of the gambling law in Florida also says it is a crime to make bets on games of skill although it does not mention about private games. In fact, authorities allow private poker games and this could also include online poker games. The law implies betting in public rooms where one is required to pay a fee to join must be licensed.

• The gambling law makes it clear that small stake poker games are legal and in the majority of cases, these small stakes poker games are done in private homes.

• There has yet to be an arrest made in Florida concerning online poker games.

The Attempts to Enforce Online Poker Rules

There are certain rules that some lawmakers are trying to establish for online poker in Florida. Cognizant of the fact that many people in the Sunshine State play poker, it makes sense to set some rules. One of the suggestions is the creation of a player pool. Another suggestion was to have licensed agents that would help the government regulate, monitor and oversee online poker. For now, these are just suggestions that have been put on the table. Lawmakers appear willing to wait and see how other states handle online poker before doing anything about state based Florida online poker.

Top Florida Online Poker Site

Visit Bovada Poker for secure, reliable and trusted online poker gambling. They are our recommended poker site for players in Florida and in the US in general. They provide a nice game selection and an active tournament schedule with a wide range of buy-ins and great prizes and jackpot payouts. New players will be eligible for a 100% match bonus up to $1000 on their first deposit, while return players will be eligible for ongoing and special promotions and reload bonuses.