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Established back in 1999, Bookmaker Poker is one of the most favorite online poker rooms around for US residents. It should be noted that the company which owns and operates this poker room is best-known for its Bookmaker sportsbook. In addition, the company also operates an online casino running on the Digital Gaming Solutions software. Prior to opening its online poker room, the company emerged on the iGaming scene in 1996 starting its sports betting platform. However, the main question here remains, is Bookmaker Poker legal in the United States.
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21+ only. Gambling should stay entertainment — never a way to make money. If it stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER. State law decides what is available where you live; check your own rules before you deposit.
Taking a look at the company’s licensing and regulations, it becomes obvious that it does have any licensing issued by the United States-based governing bodies. In other words, it only has a license issued by the jurisdiction of Costa Rica which does not allow the company to offer its service to US bettors. However, it still persists in this online gaming world by taking the benefit of the market’s loopholes. For this reason, we cannot recommend anyone to open an online account here.
Bookmaker Poker Legal or Not?
Those who wonder is Bookmaker Poker legit in the United States will find their answers in this section. In order to correctly answer this rather important question, we have to examine the iGaming industry in the United States in terms of its federal laws which manage the industry to some degree. As many online poker fans are aware, one of the longest-standing obstacles to legalized online gaming, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was struck down in May of 2018.
This law in particular prohibited every single state from regulating and legalizing sports betting and at the time of its inception in 1992, only several states had sports betting laws including Delaware and Nevada. This law is no longer active, but there are two other federal laws which strictly manage the industry including the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act active since 2006 and Interstate Wire Act active since 1961.
Bookmaker Poker Scam or Not? That’s why you shouldn’t
As mentioned in the previous section, online gambling including playing online poker games is not illegal in the United States, but making financial transactions within offshore, unregulated and unlicensed operators is as managed by the UIGEA. This leads us to serious risks and issues related to offshore gambling that many players are not aware of, at least not at the very beginning.
While many players feel that offshore gambling is a great opportunity when legal options are missing, potential gains are nothing when compared to serious dangers lurking around. First of all, choosing offshore gambling sites including online poker sites means that you have no guarantee of your private information safety, and your money safety. In other words, you could be risking not only your funds, but also your personal information that you share for registration purposes.
Without being subject to the United States industry’s regulatory standards which pose extremely strict safety and privacy measures, such platforms can basically do whatever they want. In other words, they can refuse to pay winnings, they can suddenly change their bonuses’ terms and conditions and they can even shut down their operations overnight and leave their players with nothing. With so many potential risks and dangers involved with offshore gambling, it makes no sense to expose yourself to such activities in the first place.
Is Bookmaker Poker Legit: All you need to know
In this section, we present an objective guide on the operator’s service in general with its advantages and obvious disadvantages besides its legitimacy-related issues. While we could not ever recommend such an online poker room which holds no proper licensing, we still want to assess the operator’s service and to answer a burning question is Bookmaker Poker scam or not?
Game Types & Tournaments: Member of the Winning Poker Network
The online poker rooms in question here is another unlicensed, US-friendly member of the Winning Poker Network. This information surely adds more credibility to its shaky reputation considering the fact that it lacks licensing. When it comes to the operator’s selection of poker games, bettors can explore:
- 7-Card Stud
- Texas Hold’em
- Omaha
- No-Limit Hold’em
- Pot-Limit Omaha
In terms of its poker tournaments, bettors can access loads of cash games packed with a plethora of options for many different bankroll levels such as Sit and Go’s which concentrate on turbo no-limit games, and Sit and Go’s for high rollers, Sunday Specials, Turbo and Hyper Turbos and other. There are also knockout and satellite tournaments with multiple tables. According to the operator’s website, its rake stands at 5% and it apparently applies to all stakes. All in all, this rake is rather high especially when compared to the top US-friendly online poker sites.
Bonus & VIP Program: Rather Limited Offers
When it comes to the operator’s bonuses and promotions, players may get very disappointed with the offer. There are sign-up bonuses offered for its new customers including 25%, 50% and 100% cash bonuses worth up to USD 500, USD 500 and USD 300 respectively. However, these offers are only offered to bettors using digital currencies to fund their accounts including Bitcoin.
Other than this, players can scoop reload bonuses which also relate to using Bitcoin. Since digital currencies are not preferred by everyone, such bonus offers are far away from being the best offered in the industry. What is even more, they come with rather high rollover requirements which is another downside.
Payment Methods: Not Many Options Offered
Regarding its banking system, the operator definitely offers a limited selection of options. For depositing and withdrawing, bettors can use credit cards including American Express, MasterCard and Visa, Pay-by-voucher, Bitcoin, bank wire, prepaid debit cards and Check by courier. However, US players are generally forced to use Bitcoin which is rather unsafe.
Moreover, when using other payout options, there are high transactional fees which apply while withdrawal pending times sometimes take days to be processed depending on the chosen payout option. All in all, the banking system offered is far away from being flawless especially when compared to legal, real-money wagering options out there.
Software / Usability: Too Simple, Too Unappealing
The operator’s website including its download and mobile version looks rather too simplistic to match what its legal competition offers. Bettors who decide to join this platform which we do not recommend will find several sections listed on the homepage including its racebook, casino, sportsbook and poker departments.
There is also the operator’s contact or help section on the homepage alongside currently active bonuses and promotions offered. While the navigation is super easy as the website is very minimalistic, there is nothing modern, visually appealing going on, but only rather blend design.
Player Pool & Poker Network: Not Heavier-Trafficked
Even though Bookmaker Poker is part of the Winning Poker Network which includes over four hundred live cash games at any given time, the operator’s online poker room is far away from being the heavier-trafficker platform especially when compared to its competition which counts loads off players at any given time. On the other hand, it does enjoy a decent player pool during its major online poker tournaments such as its biggest Sunday Special.
The Future of Offshore Poker Sites
One of the most common beliefs in the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling from May 2018 which removed the biggest obstacle to legalized online gaming platforms is that this ruling means the end for offshore betting operations. In the wake of new laws and new regulations coming to the scene, things are about to change and this is something inevitable.
For state-licensed, fully regulated gaming operators this is great news which will see things changing for better while offshore operators will face some difficult, challenging time. However, facing such changes does not mean that the offshore gaming industry in the United States is deemed to disappear, but they will lose some of its loyal customers who will make the right, the wisest decision and stay on the right side of the law.
In other words, some players will choose state-licensed venues. However, at the same time, some players will decide to remain loyal to their offshore operators for some gaming perks which really do no matter when considering the risks and issues related to offshore betting. All in all, while changes are inevitable, the offshore betting industry is still far away from its ultimate ending point.
The bottom line is that staying safe, protected and being guaranteed a fair play and transparency at all times is more important than potential gaming benefits sometimes offered by offshore poker rooms. In the end, it all comes down to making the right, the wisest choice which in this case means only choosing the legit, state-licensed and regulated online poker operator.
With changing laws and regulations, US players have a great variety of options for such regulated venues. Those interested in finding one should definitely take a look at our list of reliable online poker rooms available to US customers.
Questions players ask
Is Bookmaker Poker Illegal?
Without necessary licensing issued by the US governing agencies and bodies for the industry, Bookmaker Poker may be considered illegal in the United States where it operates on the grey market as many other similar offshore operators. Thus, it is, essentially illegal even if they try to represent things differently.
Who can play at this poker room?
The operator in question here accepts US players as well as players from many different countries around the world with several exceptions. Even though US residents can register, we strongly recommend users from the States not to join here as they could face many problems and issues.
Which deposit and withdrawal options US players can use at this poker room?
While Bookmaker Poker accepts several standard deposit and withdrawal options, US players are generally left with only Bitcoin. This is another complication for the customers from the States who may be entertaining the idea of building their poker bankroll on this site and another reason to simply steer clear and play with regulated sites instead.
Is it completely safe and anonymous to use Bitcoin as my banking method?
Despite some common beliefs, using Bitcoin, as well as various other digital currencies, is not the safest option while its anonymity is far less beneficial than players may think. Adding to this the fluctuating nature of such currencies, using them brings more risks than potential gains.
Are the bonuses and promotions offered at Bookmaker Poker better than what its legal competition offers?
While this may be true in some cases, there is no general rule suggesting that offshore poker rooms offer better bonuses and promotions than its state-licensed, legal and legit competition offers. Additionally, many offshore sites make their promotions sound better than they really are because they can get away with it.