Is Online Poker For Money Legal In Georgia

Posted onby admin

Can You Play Online Poker in Georgia?

Online gambling, similarly to gambling in real, land-based poker rooms is most accurately described as ‘stringent’, whereby the hosting of gambling games is not allowed by the state itself resulting in no online poker sites hosted and regulated in Georgia. Georgia is among the top three least poker-friendly states in America, and those familiar with laws in the state expect that Georgia may be one of a handful of states that will make online gambling illegal in the coming years. Learn About Other State Laws. The best hope for poker players in Georgia is for a federal bill, forcing states to opt out if they do not want an online poker framework. That could give politicians a chance to decide whether they consider legal poker sites Georgia-friendly, with no pressure of having to deal with the pressure of having introduced a bill themselves.

There is currently no legislation permitting online poker in the state.

Georgia has some of the strictest gambling laws in the United States. It's illegal both to bet and play for money in any game played with (poker) cards. Based on the gambling statues, playing poker in any capacity, whether at an underground club or a non-raked home game, is illegal in Georgia, as is online Internet poker in grtYear.

Current Georgia Gambling Laws

Gambling

If you reside in the state of Georgia and want to play online poker, you are sadly out of luck. In fact, if you want to do any form of online gambling aside from charity events and bingo, you are breaking Georgia's laws.

Georgia has some of the strictest gambling laws in the United States. An example of this is Georgia Code Section 16-12-21(a)(3) which makes it illegal both to bet and play for money in any game played with cards.

Those in Georgia can play the state-run Georgia Lottery that is intended to pay for education. It is also possible to play on social poker and casino sites in Georgia, such as Zynga Poker and the popular Double Down Casino. Georgians can also play on MyVegas, MGM's free comps site, although they must travel out of state to redeem any rewards they win.

In Feb. 2016, the state's House of Representatives did approve measures that could allow casino gaming to Georgia. The bill included a 20 percent state tax rate and was proposing the construction of four casinos. However, the bill went nowhere and was scrapped in early 2017.

Best Online Poker Sites for Georgia

None at present. But you can always play poker for free with the WSOP Social App.

Georgia law does not declare online poker legal or illegal. There is a state lottery, which was legalized in the early 1990s. Raffles for charitable organizations are also allowed. Some bingo is allowed if licensed.

Specifically banned activities include wagering on dog or horse races, dogfighting, casinos, commercial gambling, pyramid clubs, and chain letters.

Latest Developments Regarding Online Poker in Georgia

There have been no changes in Georgia’s gambling laws for online poker.

In 2011, there was a movement to give law enforcement the authority to raid gambling parlors. The move was to target internet cafes that allowed people to use computers there for internet gaming. There were estimated to be up to 100 facilities at the time then-Governor Nathan Deal put forth the initiative. However, attention does not seem to stray from those particular facilities.

There are some lawmakers who introduce casino legalization bills each year. The 2017 bill was sponsored by State Senator Brandon Beach, who used Senate Bill 79 to try to legalize a horse racing track and up to six land-based casinos. He eventually changed the language of the bill from six casinos to two “destination resort” establishments, but the bill still failed to garner much support. The bill could not even make it out of committee. Beach does intend to continue working toward building casinos in Georgia in the coming years.

Georgia Laws Pertinent to Online Poker

All gambling-related laws are listed in the Georgia Code under Title 16, which is for crimes and offenses. Gambling is handled under Chapter 12 – offenses against public health and morals – right alongside obscenity, abortion, human body traffic, cigarettes, and offenses against public transportation.

A bet is defined as

“an agreement that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value.”

That doesn’t allow any room for arguing that poker is a game of skill.

A gambling device is “any contrivance which for a consideration affords the player an opportunity to obtain money or other thing of value, the award of which is determined by chance even though accompanied by some skill, whether or not the prize is automatically paid by contrivance.” It also includes “any video game machine or device, operated for any consideration, for the player of poker, blackjack, any other card game…” It is unclear if a computer could be considered a gambling device on which to play poker, as the definition has never been contested.

A gambling place, by definition of the code, can include any real estate, building, room, tent, vehicle, boat, or other property whatsoever. This seems to include home poker games, and the charge for knowingly operating a gambling place is a misdemeanor “of a high and aggravated nature.”

The law is very specific about certain other activities that are prohibited under the gambling clause:

  • Commercial gambling
  • Possession, manufacturing, or transfer of a gambling device
  • Possession of antique slot machine
  • Solicitation of another to gamble
  • Advertisement of commercial gambling
  • Communicating gambling information
  • Bribing a contestant in a contest or exhibition

While there is no statute directed at persons who play online poker or casino games, there is a statute that could be used against online poker operators. The “solicitation of another to gamble with intent to defraud or deceive” is complicated but includes many examples, all of which are punishable by one to five years in prison. One is “permits the playing for money or other thing of value of a game or device for the hazarding of money or other thing of value,” and another is simply “permits the betting or wagering of money or other thing of value.”

Legal

Most definitions and explanations in the Georgia Code use somewhat antiquated language and remain broad in scope. The lack of many changes in gambling law through the decades keeps the law out of touch with today’s technology and forms of gambling.

There are regular raids in Georgia conducted on large home games or tournaments held in homes, as law enforcement officials are quick to act on tips of medium- or large-scale gambling. There have not been any raids or crackdowns pertaining to online gambling, and the state government has not pursued any legal charges against anyone involved in online gambling, though the state keeps busy monitoring nearly every other type of land-based gambling.

For

Disclaimer: This is not written by an attorney and is not or should not be construed as legal advice. Please consult an attorney for help interpreting these laws as they pertain to any given situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: Should poker players in Georgia risk playing online?

Answer: It is everyone’s personal choice to play online poker, but there doesn’t seem to be any desire by Georgia’s government to crack down on internet poker players. If the state goes after operators, it will be a bad sign, but until then, most players feel safe online.

Question: What sites are open to Georgia players?

Answer: Bovada and Ignition Poker are two of the most popular sites with poker players in Georgia, though BetOnline and Intertops both find a fair amount of interest in the state, too. There are five sites in total that offer safe online poker to Georgia residents.

Question: Why is Georgia so opposed to gambling?

Answer: In some ways, Georgia is still set in an old southern mindset, one that believes gambling to be sinful and immoral. While other states benefit from the economic boosts of casinos and other forms of gambling, Georgia has only truly embraced the lottery thus far. The state is comfortable in its old ways.