Global Poker Legal In California
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- Global Poker Legal In California State
- Global Poker Legal In California Rules
As in many US states, there is no law prohibiting the actual playing of online poker in California. There have been many attempts to legalize and regulate the game properly, but because of many competing interests - notably powerful brick-and-mortar card clubs and the influential tribal casinos - no legislation has so far been successful.
Global Poker, a sweepstakes poker site, is legal in 31 US states. Players buy promotional “gold coins”, which cannot be redeemed for cash. When buying gold coins, they receive a bonus in sweeps cash, which can be cashed for real dollars.
- Many live poker rooms across the country remain closed due to the social distancing challenges of poker in 2020. Poker rooms have adapted to the new reality — hopefully temporary — with a variety of policies to meet city and state requirements and to keep its citizens safe.
- Sit and Gos - Top Global Poker legal gaming. Global Poker also runs Jackpot Sit ‘N Go poker games, where three players start with the same chip stack and the prize pool is randomly determined at the start of the game. The object of the game is to win all of the chips.
As of 2020, virtually all forms of poker are legal in California, but the current online laws are hazy, to say the least. In terms of playing online poker California legal experts agree that things could be clearer.
Initially, legislation proposed by California Senator Lou Correa - SB 678 (also known as the Authorization and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013) - had the backing of some tribes, including the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.
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Most notably, only taxed and regulated online poker California sites were to be allowed under the new legislation - with classic table games, like roulette, outlawed.
Despite numerous amendments to the bill, as of 2020, nothing has been signed into the statute books but SB 678 - and its almost identical partner, SB 1366 - remains a definite possibility to be implemented in the next year. So while legal poker sites are a no-go in California right now in terms of government-regulated sites, that could soon change.
While rival Indian tribes discuss the best way to implement a possible SB 678 Bill, similar legislation - SB 51, also known as the Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2013 - will include online horse racing and racetracks in any new laws.
Under the proposed SB 51, options open to thousands of online players around the world, such as player-to-player transfers, would be permitted. That's great news for online poker CA players who want to get there money onto a site fast.
As in New Jersey, a “bad actor” clause is a requirement of SB 51, whereby any poker site that took American bets after UIGEA was implemented in 2006 would be barred from operating in the Sunshine State.
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Finally, a more widely supported Bill - AB 2291 - was introduced in February 2014 before the legislature deadline. This bill gained a lot of traction among the online poker California community.
AB 2291 - The Gambling Control Act - is supported by a multitude of Native American tribes in California, and prohibits the setting up of new online poker sites to existing card clubs and tribal casinos.
Interestingly, however, there is no “bad actor” clause included in AB 2291, and if legislation were to be passed, it is conceivable tribal casinos could buddy up with major global online poker firms to launch websites, as has been seen in New Jersey.
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While legal poker sites in California haven't come to fruition, live poker has been legal in California for a century, and that is reflected in the state's range of legal brick-and-mortar establishments.
As well as many tribal casinos that have poker tables, there are dozens of card clubs like the home of the WPT LA Poker Classic - the Commerce Casino - which can comfortably seat hundreds of players.
In December 2020, 534 entrants played out the $10,000-buy-in LA Poker Classic at the Commerce, with British pro Chris Moorman taking away a first prize over $1 million.
San Jose's Bay 101 also stages an annual WPT event, and major California Championships and WSOP Circuit events are held in the state each year.
Whether the tribal casinos come to an agreement or not, the future of legal poker California players can enjoy may lie in a proposed bill outlawing the game across the entire United States.
The Restoration of the America's Wire Act would reverse a 2011 decision by the Department of Justice not to include poker in any online federal ban. Worryingly for California pro-poker activists, the Senate Bill is supported by the US Senator from that state, Dianne Feinstein.
Is Online Poker Legal in California?
Playing poker online isn't strictly legal in CA, but no one has ever been prosecuted for playing Internet poker there. That's not to say you will find it easy to make real-cash deposits at unregulated sites if you live in California, but overall, there is nothing to stop US players from enjoying the games online in 2020 as much as anyone else in the US. Even though the online poker California legal situation hasn't been totally solved, lots of people still enjoy the game.
What Age Do You Have to Be To Gamble In California?
21 years of age or older.
Are There Any Live Casinos in California?
Some of the world's most famous land-based card clubs are in California. Boasting itself the world's largest poker club with 243 tables is the Commerce Casino, while the Bicycle Casino (190 tables) and San Jose's Bay 101 (30 tables) all offer world-class poker action as well. Traditional table games played for real-money like blackjack and roulette are banned in the state, however.
Can I Make Deposits In California?
There are no specific laws outlawing the best poker sites in California, but CA players should still be mindful that some real-money deposit methods may not work online. Check your favorite rooms to make sure you are using the best US banking method to load up funds.
Many poker lovers in the U.S. and Canada have been enjoying Global Poker’s offerings in the time since its December 2016 launch. Players on the site appreciate the social gaming theme, the increasing tournament guarantees and the ease of depositing and cashing out via PayPal.
Still, others remain skeptical of the site’s legal $weeps Cash model, opting to take a chance with unregulated sites or resorting to putting on real clothes and driving to the casino to grind it out, one sluggish table at a time. With that, it’s time to address the elephant in the room — what is the $weeps Cash model all about and how is this legal?
$weeps Cash Model
For starters, Global Poker is a public company owned and operated by parent company VGW Holdings Limited, and was incorporated in Australia in 2010. The reason there are no other sites quite like Global Poker is that the virtual currency gaming business model they employ is patented. A bit more on the history and setup of the site is explained in this early PokerNews review.
The virtual currency part of the equation is at the heart of the model. Rather than wager real money deposited through a bank or another currency, players at Global Poker have the option to play using either Gold Coins or $weeps Cash.
$weeps Cash won as sweepstakes prizes can be cashed out for real cash prizes through PayPal.
The difference between the two is important. Gold Coins are Global Poker’s primary virtual currency and are equivalent to what other sites may call “play money.” That is, they have no monetary value, cannot be cashed out, but can be used to enjoy all Global Poker gaming options together with other players on the site.
$weeps Cash, on the other hand, is Global Poker’s promotional virtual currency, and $weeps Cash won as sweepstakes prizes (through $weeps cash tournaments or ring games) can be cashed out for real cash prizes through PayPal.
Here’s the kicker: $weeps Cash cannot be purchased for real money, while Gold Coins must be purchased for real money using PayPal. $weeps cash can be obtained free of charge as a bonus with purchase of Gold Coins or through one of Global Poker’s multiple Alternate Methods of Entry (AMOE).
How it Works
While it may seem confusing, it’s more simple in practice. Players can buy Gold Coins by clicking on, that’s right, “Buy Gold Coins” at the top right of the Global Poker lobby page. In the pop-up, players can select from the various Gold Coins packages, most of which come with “Free $weeps cash” that matches the amount of the purchase.
Once the package is purchased via PayPal, players are redirected back to Global Poker with both the Gold Coins and $weeps cash from the package now in their account. With both Gold Coins and $weeps cash available to play with, players can switch back and forth between the Gold Coins and $weeps Cash by clicking the 'Switch Currency' button located near the top right of the page.
Depending on the currency you have selected, all gaming options from NLH and PLO ring games to sit ‘n’ go’s to multi-table tournaments will appear in that currency, until you click the button to switch it.
Cashing Out
Global Poker prides themselves on fast, safe cashouts, and their strong relationship with PayPal has a lot to do with that.
Joseph Del Duca, Head of Communications at Global Poker, explained that PayPal knows their business model inside and out and processes payouts for thousands of their customers every day.
“At Global Poker we go to great lengths to ensure a safe and secure social gaming experience for our players.'
“Before starting that relationship with them we asked them to take a look at our business model and ensure they were comfortable with it. We were entirely transparent in this process and PayPal did their own comprehensive due diligence. As a result, they are happy with what we do and how we do it. Don’t just take our word for it though - There are several ‘cashout threads’ in online forums where countless players have shared their positive cashout experience.”
It seems that any early kinks that existed with cashing out at Global Poker using PayPal have been resolved, as players in recent months continue to post positive experiences attesting to the speed of getting verified and receiving funds to their PayPal accounts with no fees assessed in the process.
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Safety and Security Measures
“At Global Poker we go to great lengths to ensure a safe and secure social gaming experience for our players. We are constantly monitoring and improving our security using the latest technology and industry practices,” Del Duca said.
One of the strongest safeguards for players, according to Del Duca, is the fact that they are a public company as it brings transparency to their position and makes their financial information readily available for the public to view the state of the business.
On top of that, Del Duca emphasizes that Global Poker takes very seriously their mission to protect their players from threats like collusion, bum-hunting, or predatory behaviors.
“We constantly encourage players to contact us with anything that may concern them. We commit to a full and thorough investigation of any legitimate concern that is raised.”
“We have brought on board a number of Security and Game Integrity experts with significant leadership experience with the world’s largest poker sites to spearhead this part of our business.
“We already have some excellent tracking and monitoring tools in place to ensure fair games but we strongly believe that it is vital to constantly evolve in this area. We are developing more and more tools to automatically find suspicious activity and we have a team who works around the clock proactively looking for anything that may be a potential risk.'
But if you ask Del Duca, their greatest asset when it comes to keeping the site safe for all its rule-abiding players is maintaining communication with the very players who are grinding at the GP tables day in and day out.
“We constantly encourage players to contact us with anything that may concern them. We commit to a full and thorough investigation of any legitimate concern that is raised.”
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In just their second year in the online poker market, Global Poker continues to grow its offerings, its guarantees and its player base as its reputation of being a legitimate, player-centric site spreads. If you are a poker player in the U.S. or Canada and want to try out a different kind of site, you can sign up at Global Poker for free today and check it out for yourself.
Global Poker is solely available to players in the United States and Canada.
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