For clarity on this particular forum rule (online gambling)

[Karl_EDT]

I obviously must have missed the original directive, but why exactly is discussing video poker on online casinos not allowed? Isn't online gaming pretty much legal and regulated in the majority of the United States? Someone previously said (I think it was Dinghey when he was chastising me regarding being critical of the business strategy of casinos) that the paytables and offerings of online casinos can be good, even advantageous, or something to that effect.

I don't play online casino video poker, but I have thought about it and I might want to try it at some point. So this means I cannot ask anyone here about the best sites and best paytables of these online places, etc?

All the major casinos in Las vegas have a website version extension that is essentially the same as playing games in the actual house/brick and mortar casinos, you can use your card and earn the same players club stuff as elsewhere, there's virtually no difference.

[Webman]

The goal isn't to stifle discussion but to protect members as there are somewhat frequent posts by "new members" linking to illegal or irreputable gambling sites which we make our best effort to remove quickly. Their strategy to get around moderators is often to make several replies first to pretend to be "normal" members before they start posting links to these sites. Any online gambling site will obviously collect payment and/or bank information and we certainly don't want our members taken advantage of in this way by bad actors. These types of sites spam the internet trying to lure in visitors, and this forum is naturally one place they would like to do so.

Sites with a brick and mortar location in the US are fine to discuss. Offshore sites (anything outside the US) will generally NOT be allowed, even if they claim to be legal. If a website ends in a foreign extension (instead of .com it is .ag, .it, etc) then it most likely will not be allowed.

The online gambling space has evolved a lot over the years, from being completely illegal to now being very prolific in the sports betting world. If anything, the opening up of legal gambling in some places can actually make it more difficult to determine what is safe and what is not, so it is still something to be very cautious about. Because we can't keep track of every online gaming site out there, If it isn't clearly obvious that it is a reputable big-name US site (brick and mortar, Draft Kings, etc) where people can play safely then most likely it will not be permitted here on this site.

Even though we are being mindful of these things, people should also be aware that at ANY of these sites, online casino-style gambling may not be permitted in your state. Last I checked, only 6 states allowed it, but this is subject to change at any time and may have changed already. Sports betting is allowed in far more states, but online video poker is more restricted. Just because a site is allowed to be posted here does not mean it is necessarily legal for YOU in your state, so always check that yourself before signing up for anything, at your own risk.

If you feel a particular site SHOULD be allowed and it was blocked, you can email us at forum@videopoker.com with details showing it is a legal and safe site for US players and we will most likely permit it at that point. Or better yet, email ahead of time to ask just to be sure.

[Tedlark]

Karl - online gaming, except for sportsbetting, is illegal in Illinois.

Just a head's up.

[Karl_EDT]

Thank you Webmen and Ted, yes I think I was confusing and wrongly equating straight up sports betting in the USA with typical online casino gambling; it's different throughout Canada. Canadians in general can gamble online without issue, but it's illegal for the actual servers to be in canada, except for tribal/indigenous lands. It can get confusing for people.
I did notice on MGM's online casino BET MGM that it asks you up front where you are located before it allows you to access the games and offerings.

[Tedlark]

Thank you Webmen and Ted, yes I think I was confusing and wrongly equating straight up sports betting in the USA with typical online casino gambling; it's different throughout Canada. Canadians in general can gamble online without issue, but it's illegal for the actual servers to be in canada, except for tribal/indigenous lands. It can get confusing for people.
I did notice on MGM's online casino BET MGM that it asks you up front where you are located before it allows you to access the games and offerings.

In the United States, in those individual states where online gambling is legal, a potential player MUST be located within the geographical borders of that particular state in order to participate in playing for real money.

[Karl_EDT]

As I understand Ted you're from the upper midwest area; are you ever able to visit across the border, like to Toronto or beyond? Ontario has this legal online regulated entity called IGO which is iGaming Ontario, part of Ontario's Alcoholic and Gaming Commission Board. It regulates and monitors all online gaming in the region and actually makes everyone safer from scammers and such. You need to 19 years or older to play, instead of 21 like USA, and be physically located inside Ontario's georgaphic boundary. I have not seen or heard anything similar in scope in the USA except via individual states.
I'm wonder how many posters here who play in real casinos buildings also do online?
I'd also wonder, do casinos in places like Vegas and AC also have anything set aside inside the casino building that is devoted to playing on that casinos's website? I remember hearing about a actual room off the casino floor in Resorts in Atlantic City, and also in a Reno Nevada casino called Peppermill, that had actual computer stations for people who wanted to play the website.