The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) became law in 2006. Although the law does not prohibit or criminalize online gambling participation, its primary objective was to place stringent regulations on how online gambling transactions are processed.
This regulation targets online gambling site operators, not players. The operators are responsible for ensuring that their banking processes adhere to the regulations in the UIGEA bill.
On Poker Black Friday in 2011, the US Department of Justice seized several high-profile online poker sites. The investigation targeted the operators suspected of not adhering to the UIGEA, and no investigation or prosecution involved players or customers of the poker sites.
Players were not the focus of the investigations by the DOJ during Black Friday, nor is there a history of state or federal law enforcement seeking to investigate or prosecute US residents who participate in online gambling that is legally licensed and regulated outside of the United States.
The essence of UIGEA is to protect players and their money, and it requires operators to adhere to ethical banking processes. It was not designed to harm players or prohibit them from participating in online gambling. Upon passage of the UIGEA legislation in 2006, several online gambling sites and their payment processors exited the US market.
Several of those brands returned after some time once they evaluated the landscape and how it changed following the law's enactment, while others chose not to return and jumped through the regulatory hoops required to welcome US players. After the 2011 Poker Black Friday, several poker brands and their payment processors exited the US market.
Did The UIGEA Make It Illegal To Gamble Online In The USA?
No, it did not. The UIGEA bill does not prohibit US players from participating in online gambling. The bill is not directed at players at all but instead places strict regulatory oversight on how online gambling transactions are processed. While this did cause some shifting and changes regarding the selection of brands that US players had access to, it also brought about some positive changes in the industry overall.
Many sites improved their security profile and banking suite processes and raised the bar regarding how they are processing online gambling transactions. Operators invested in high-quality, secure, and reliable payment processors that use enhanced security when processing credit card approvals to add even more protection to the sensitive financial data that players use online.
Overall, participating in online gambling for US players is much safer and more secure than ever before as long as players do their due diligence in selecting a legal and secure gambling site.
As of this writing, Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Connecticut have all passed iGaming legislation legalizing online casino gambling in some form to locals. A Multi-state Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) has been signed between NJ, NV, DE, MI, and WV, allowing them to share online player pools and more enormous jackpots when playing poker.
For the rest of the United States, players must select a trusted, secure, and legitimate offshore gambling site at which to play.
Some high-quality, legally licensed, certified, and regulated options welcome players from the United States. These include USA-friendly online casinos, online poker rooms for US players, and online sports betting for American players as well. The gambling industry has even embraced United States bingo sites based outside the US but welcoming American players.
Where Can I Find UIGEA-Friendly Online Gambling Sites?
This is a good question to ask. We are all aware that the Internet is not a safe playground all the time. Just because an online gambling site accepts US players does not make it a legitimate option for you to play at. Any site that you consider playing at should go through a stringent review process. Every site that you see featured in this guide has been reviewed by a team of online gambling professionals.
This part of the process is critical to avoiding rogue, predatory, or just downright low-quality online gambling sites. Not all gambling sites adhere to the UIGEA regulations and provide a safe gaming environment for you. The average player may not know precisely how to perform this type of review in its entirety, and our guide is a great resource for finding secure, legitimate, and legally licensed options without having to do the research yourself. Some of the topics we touch on in our review include the following:
- Is the site legally licensed and compliance-certified by a legitimate and respected governing jurisdiction and subject to auditing and strict regulatory oversight?
- What does the site's security profile look like? Does it mirror world class financial institutions when it comes to SSL coding, data encryption, fraud prevention, and firewall protection?
- What is the site's reputation among players and industry professionals?
- What software platform do they use, is it reliable and consistent in its performance? Is it feature rich with a user friendly interface? Is game selection substantial? Is it subject to auditing by independent testers for compliance of their RNG technology and fair gaming practices?
- Is their customer support knowledgeable and responsive?
- Is their banking suite flexible with US deposit methods and fast payouts?
- Do they offer player incentives and rewards that are attainable and meet industry standards for wagering requirements and playthrough requirements?
This is just scratching the surface of a comprehensive review process, and we actually dig even deeper into a brand. We take our influence in the industry very seriously. We understand that the brands on this site must be, without fail, safe, trusted, and reputable brands that will provide a secure gaming experience for you every time you visit.
We spend an enormous amount of time ensuring that the sites we include are legal and legitimate as well as high quality. United States players do have legal online gambling options, and we want to provide accurate and up-to-date information concerning those options to ensure you are only accessing the legal options for Americans.
Each state that you see in the left hand menu has a page dedicated to the gambling laws for those residents, as well as pages dedicated to the various online gambling platforms available.
You'll be able to find state-specific information on any of those venues through this guide and how the UIGEA bill affects players on a state level. You can also visit our page dedicated to United States online gambling laws for a deeper look at how the UIGEA law affects players on a federal level and which other laws come into play.