This includes, at the most basic level, implementing things like age verification and identity checks. Protecting poker players from gambling-related harmĪnother key thing that regulation does for an operator is to require them to protect their customers from themselves and the perpetual risk of gambling-related harm.

It’s almost like the community has forgotten about Black Friday. This should be a particular consideration in poker, where a lack of proper oversight has exposed billions of dollars of customer bankrolls to operator misconduct, insolvency, and sudden changes in the legal landscape. The barrier to entry for legal online gambling operators, frustrating though it may be to customers, helps ensure that reputable sites are the only ones that can operate under the local regulatory conditions. We’re talking about the very fundamentals – ensuring the randomness of the shuffling algorithm, authenticating the encryption of hole cards, verifying the segregation of funds – things that are of the utmost importance in creating a safe and fair experience at the virtual tables.įor these reasons alone, a local license should be seen as a major selling point for a gambling website. Most notably, it provides proof that the games are being run with integrity. Everyone knows that prohibition doesn’t work, and it’s disappointing to watch elected officials sit on their hands.īut regulation does provide some necessary guardrails that protect players from both each other and from the operators themselves. The frustration of not having legal access to poker has created an adversarial relationship between policymakers and the poker community as a whole. Local laws often work to thwart the remote operations of foreign gambling websites, forcibly limiting legal options available to players. Of all the poker sites that exist around the world, only a fraction of them are licensed and regulated in the jurisdictions they serve. We’re going to talk about some of the qualities that differentiate trustworthy poker sites from the ones that might be exposing you to more risk than you realize. In online poker, there’s always a game going.īut how many of these poker platforms are legitimate, reputable options for discerning players? For that matter, what does being a legitimate poker site even entail? And why does it matter? You’re spoiled for choice, with variants running in most formats at all hours of the day and night. There are dozens, perhaps hundreds of poker websites and mobile apps available across the globe offering all sorts of wonderful games for players of every shape and size and background.

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