With the popularity of poker at an all-time high across the nation, more and more players join the ranks of professionals with each passing day to win serious amounts of money. Televised Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments have brought the rules to the game into the living rooms of Louisiana homes and new players oftentimes want to know where and how to get in on the action. With the advent of the internet, there are multitudes of legal online poker rooms for Louisiana residents that are available to anyone in the Bayou State looking to cash in their chips off a winning hand and we have built this page to provide the map in how to do so.
There are a few federal laws on the books regarding online poker for U.S. players and none is as important as the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Passed in 2011 with the SAFE port Act, this law prohibited any online poker site from engaging in banking transactions over the internet and effectively outlawed running a gambling business of any kind over the internet from within U.S. territories. While it does not make the simple act of placing a bet in a card game unlawful, it does erase most venues in which to do so. Players are still allowed to play their favorite game for money over the web so long as they only visit legal poker sites for Louisiana players that are based outside of the United States and therefore in legal operation. Any site not bound to federal law is capable of facilitating a poker bet for any Louisiana player.
Read More: Is It Legal To Gamble Online In Louisiana?
With the only necessary factor for legality being an online poker room’s location outside of federal jurisdiction, there are plenty of sites available. Louisiana locals will want to find more than just legality for a truly stellar online poker experience however. Great Louisiana online poker sites will have been in business for a long period of time, have positive reviews, a large network of players, tight security, ample privacy and 24/7 customer support. We are happy to report here that we have found a couple of legal online poker sites that bear all of these features and are happy to share them with you here.
The massive amount of players that stalk the tables at BetOnline is proof enough of a highly successful online poker network. Boasting the fastest growing network in the United States, BetOnline provides an immense guaranteed prize pool of $250,000 every week for its members to battle over on the felt. The amount of activity at this online poker room keeps that prize pool endlessly growing.
With games ranging from sit’n’play to high stakes tournaments, users are able to play the game that they love for real cash at any time of the day or night whether it be Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha or even 7 Card Stud. Members are able to sling the chips around the tables before even the first cards are dealt with BetOnline’s generous welcome bonus of 200% extra cash on top of any first deposit made into a new account. This stands to be worth up to $1000 for those serious players who sit down at this poker site’s tables with confidence
While online poker remains as the preferred medium of the game for many in the Bayou State, Louisiana does have a number of licensed card rooms available to citizens. With a more lenient take on poker when compared to other states, the Louisiana Gaming Commission has allowed for over nine different live poker rooms where players may look eye-to-eye with their opponents through Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha and Stud games. Occasionally, large high-stakes tournaments are found within the state’s borders with even some high-profile events such as the World Series of Poker making stops within the Bayou State’s borders. Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel & Casino is one such top destination for card players in Louisiana with quite a lot of felt laid out upon its fast-paced tables.
Although bettors only have to be 18 or older in pari-mutuel betting facilities such as a horse or dog race track, all other forms of legal gambling for Louisiana residents, including poker, requires participants to be 21 years of age or older. Louisiana takes its age requirements very seriously and the penalty for playing poker while underage is a $500 fine and up to six months in jail. While Louisiana is strict on this, the internet remains largely unregulated, as any of our recommended online poker rooms are available to Bayou State locals aged 18 years or older.
The very basic fact of the matter is that the State of Louisiana does not regulate poker, or any form of Poker is a growing national trend that appears to have no end in sight and Louisiana is on par to ride the crest of the wave. With lax laws that allow for licensed card rooms throughout the state, Louisiana residents who are of legal age are able to join in the action for real cash either at a New Orleans casino or over the internet at a reputable online poker site located outside of federal jurisdiction. So long as Bayou State players never engage in the business of operating poker games for profit or try to create their own site, they will be able to play any variation of the game that they wish, whenever they wish.