Can Us Players Play Online Poker Abroad

Italy online poker overview

We get lots of inquiries from US Poker Players concerned about the number of online poker rooms that have closed their doors to residents of the USA. Sites that take USD do not necessary accept US Players due to the confusing & somewhat hypocritical US anti-gambling legislation.

Like many other European Union member states, Italy has a fencedonline gambling market. This means Italians have to play on locally regulated poker networks. These are completely unavailable to people residing abroad. Other than that, Italian regulations are quite poker-friendly. They recognize the fact that poker is a game of skill, allow players to participate in a wide range of games, and don’t put unnecessary burdens on operators.

Italy online poker laws

According to Law no. 383/01, introduced in 2001, Agenzia delle dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) is the sole regulator of all gambling activities in Italy. All forms of internet gambling are considered legal as long as the operator has an Italian gambling license or a signed business agreement with a license holder. Regulations pertaining to online poker tournaments and cash games are listed in the ADM Director Decree dating back to Jan. 10, 2011.

What is or is not legal in Italy?

As per the aforementioned 2011 ADM decree, Italy-facing internet poker operators are free to offer all the popular cash game, STT, and MTT options to Italy residents. ADM does not force poker sites to use geo-location plugins. Instead, regulations forbid them from offering real-money games to anyone without an Italian fiscal code. Moreover, Italian ISPs are required to block offshore gambling sites.

As a result, neither Italian players nor foreigners can “hop the fence” surrounding the market. In this case, lawmakers succeeded in completely isolating the local internet poker scene from the rest of the globe. The only way out would be to use a VP. However, legitimate poker sites almost always close the account of an offending player if they detect this sort of abuse.

Italy and poker-related taxes

As mentioned above, poker is considered a skill-based game in Italy. Thus, according to Article 1, Paragraph 945 of Law no. 208/2015, players have to pay a single 20 percent tax on all sums not returned to them. In the case of poker, this refers specifically to rake and tournament fees.

Quite obviously, a higher rake will negatively impact players’ profits. The extent of this impact differs from one poker variant to another. In fact, even stakes come into the equation, as turning a profit in low-stakes games typically requires more grinding. For example, the profit margins for micro-stakes cash games tend to be really low. This makes them nearly “unwinnable” for most Italian players. This isn’t such a big issue in the case of MTTs and other single-payout formats.

Where can I play poker online in Italy?

Italian poker enthusiasts have only two regulated platforms. Since one is three times as big as the other, the choice doesn’t seem too difficult. However, it is worth noting not everything is what it seems in the online poker world. In most cases, the less-popular sites feature softer games. These are exploitable as long as the overall traffic is at an acceptable level.

The above patterns hold true when it comes to PokerStars.it and iPoker.it.

PokerStars.it

PokerStars Europe aside, the company’s Italian branch is the largest and healthiest poker room of all the ones available on any fenced European market. The player pool is about 10 times smaller than in the case of the international version of PokerStars, but that’s more than enough to keep the cash games running and to provide MTT enthusiasts with generous prize pools.

As far as selection, expect healthy Hold’em cash games, Sit & Go tournaments that don’t take ages to take off. Additionally, there are multi-table tournaments with decent prize pools and an Omaha lobby that isn’t empty. If you love poker and you live in Italy, PokerStars.it is very likely to push all the right buttons for you.

Aside from the main PokerStars poker room, PokerStars.it’s sister sites include PokerStars Europe, PokerStars.pt, and PokerStars NJ.

iPoker.it

As mentioned previously, iPoker.it is about three times smaller than PokerStars.it. That’s actually a great success if you consider the differences in traffic between those platforms on the global poker scene. It’s also worth noting “three times smaller” doesn’t mean small in this case. More than 600 players during peak traffic hours are more than enough to sustain iPoker’s flagship low-stakes games.

This site is a decent choice for inexperienced poker enthusiasts. Low-stakes cash games and low buy-in tournaments sit in the spotlight. The games are also very loose with plenty of post-flop action.

Cash game traffic in Italy

The seven-day average for players participating in standard cash games hosted on all Italy-licensed sites falls within the 1,100-1,300 range. This number rises to 2,200-2,800 when traffic reaches its peak. That tends to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. (GMT).

The variance is very high. Plus, it’s hard to discern any reliable patterns. Sometimes the seven-day peak will occur on Monday, while another time it may be on a Saturday.

The number of active players doesn’t dip below 2,000 around the peak, but it’s worth noting it does drop below 1,000 during off-hours. Consequently, timing poker sessions correctly will positively impact profitability. You’ll also get more options when it comes to table selection during peak hours.

Where can I play live poker in Italy?

Italy currently boasts 11 high-profile land-based poker rooms. Unfortunately, none seem to be particularly noteworthy:

• Casino de la Vallee – St. Vincent Poker Room (11027 Saint-Vincent, Aosta Valley)
• Casino di Venezia – Ca’ Vendramin Calergi Poker Room (Cannaregio, 2040, 30121 Venezia VE)
• Via Paliaga Poker Room (Via Paliaga, 4, 30173 Venezia VE)
• Casino Le Palme at Hippodrome Abruzzo Poker Room (Via Salara, 55, 66020 San Giovanni teatino CH)
• Casino di Campione Poker Room (Piazzale Milano, 2, 22060 Campione d’Italia CO)
• Casinò Le Palme Civitanova Poker Room (Via Giorgio Sidney Sonnino, 7, 62012 Aurora MC)
• De Sanctis Poker Room (Corso degli Inglesi, 18, 18038 Sanremo IM)
• Costa Cruises – Mediterranea Poker Room (Via dei Calafati, 16, 17100 Savona SV)
• Princess Cruises – Pacific Princess Poker Room (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 19, 00053 Civitavecchia RM)
• Saint Vincent Casino and Resort Poker Room (Via Mus, 11027 Saint-Vincent AO)
• Slottery Las Vegas Olgiate Olona Poker Room (Via Busto Fagnano, 44, 21057 Olgiate Olona VA)

History of online poker in Italy

Italian gambling regulations are considered fairly reasonable these days. This hasn’t always been the case though.

In the early days of online poker, the relevant laws were needlessly restrictive. Players were outright prohibited from participating in online poker games. Fortunately, much like in the case of other Western countries, these regulations weren’t enforced back in the day. As a result, when Italian poker enthusiasts witnessed Chris Moneymaker win the 2003 WSOP Main Event, they did what pretty much everyone else did at the time. Without a care in the world, they started joining global poker networks en masse.

Italian regulators took a few years to notice they were bleeding money due to strict, outdated laws. Still, they managed to plug this leak well ahead of other European governments.

In 2007, the country put the first batch of internet poker regulations on the books, establishing the Italian fenced poker market. Back then, local players weren’t allowed to participate in online cash games. Fortunately, ADM officials recognized the error of their ways fairly quickly. They removed the restriction in the aforementioned 2011 Director Decree.

Germany online poker overview

Germany is home to numerous poker superstars, such as Fedor Holz, Christopher Vogelsang, and Ole Schemion, so people tend to assume that it’s a very poker-friendly country. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly the case.

Aside from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany does not have any online poker-specific regulations. Nobody seems interested in pressing the issue on the federal or local level. As is often the case in such circumstances, the law is somewhat ambiguous. Thus, players are largely left to their own devices.

Germany online poker laws

Generally speaking, Gambling laws are considered a part of the public order domain. This means that they are managed by the state (Bundesland) level. The local Ministries of the Interior usually supervise land-based casinos.

Specific regulators are assigned certain competencies in accordance with the Interstate Treaty on Gambling. For example, the Hessian Ministry of the Interior and Sports is responsible for sports betting licenses. Meanwhile, authorities of North Rhine Westphalia manage advertising permissions for lotteries and bookmakers.

What is or is not legal in Germany?

This is where things get a little more confusing. The Interstate Treaty prohibits any German business from hosting online poker games. However, it does not specifically prohibit German citizens from playing real-money games operated by companies licensed abroad. This begs the question: would it be possible for one of those states to prosecute a German player?

Theoretically speaking, the answer is yes. So far though, no players have been charged with any crimes due to activities related to online poker.

Consequently, most German poker enthusiasts simply shrug the matter off and do their thing. The situation is basically the same as in pre-Black FridayAmerica.

What confuses the situation further is the fact that Schleswig-Holstein issues its own online gambling licenses. In fact, many high-profile Europe-facing poker operators have acquired them. Such a license essentially confirms that it is legal for Schleswig-Holstein residents to play on any site that holds it.

Poker rooms with such a license include:

• Ladbrokes
• Betfair
• Bwin.party
• Bet365
• Bet-at-home

Up until the 1980s, the legal gambling age in Germany used to be 21, but 12 out of 16 states lowered it to 18 since then.

Where can I play poker online in Germany?

As briefly touched on above, German residents have unrestricted access to all the major poker networks operating on the international market. The German government has never attempted to prosecute individual operators. As such, operators don’t have a reason to ban Germans from joining their platforms. Consequently, German players have access to international player pools. Meanwhile, many of their European colleagues make do with fenced, low-traffic sites.

PokerStars

PokerStars overview

Undoubtedly the largest online poker network in the world, drawing in more players than all other West-facing sites combined. PokerStars is also the only site offering the full experience when it comes to online poker, including a sense of belonging to an actual community, a thing quite rare nowadays. With great welcome bonuses and recurring promotions, only sub-par customer support mars PokerStars’ image.

PokerStars game choices

PokerStars is the only sites where offerings outside of Hold’em actually draw players. Omaha and various mixed games both have active player bases. There’s also a staggering array of MTTs and SNGs taking place every day, including some for Omaha.

Other locations where PokerStars operates

There’s also local support for fenced markets in:

888poker

Online Poker Player Database

888poker overview

Since launching in 2002, Gibraltar-based 888poker carved out quite a chunk of market share for itself. It even surpassed its closest rival, partypoker. It’s known for offering a stable and consistent array of game modes to both cash game and tournament players. Additionally, it is a World Series of Poker sponsors, allowing their user-base access to WSOP satellites.

Between the best no-deposit bonus on the market, the soft competition compared to giants like PokerStars, and support for browser-based play, 888poker is a solid choice for both recreational and advanced players.

888poker game choices

Standard cash game modes include Hold’em, Omaha, and Stud (each with multiple variants). No-Limit Hold’em is the only format to see action on a regular basis.

As far as regular MTTs are concerned, there are the weekly Sunday Mega Series and the daily Fish’n’Chips and HighRollers, to name some. There’s also several SNGs, including two 888poker exclusives.

Other locations where 888poker operates

Besides the global site, local poker rooms are available in Spain and New Jersey.

Party Poker

partypoker overview

Play Online Poker For Real Money

Now, partypoker has had its ups and downs since their launch in 2001. It used to be the largest online card room in the world until legislative changes forced it out of the American market in 2006.

The soft competition and good cashback system attracted hoards of professionals and spiked the difficulty, causing the site to start losing traffic. Things settled down since. Now the poker room attracts many recreational players, as well as a decent number of experienced grinders.

partypoker game choices

Hold’em is king, while Omaha and Stud available but not very popular. However, partypoker offers lots of MTTs for all kinds of players, as well as some sit & go tournaments.

Other locations where partypoker operates

There are local sites for New Jersey, Spain, and France.

Where can I play live poker in Germany?

Poker Sites For Us Players Real Money

German poker rooms tend to be way larger than those found in France, but the number of available venues is significantly smaller. All in all, Germany has a total of 158 tables spread across 26 different venues. Below is a list of what we feel are the most interesting places to play:

• Casino Flensburg Poker (Süderhofenden 16, 24937 Flensburg)
• Casino Kiel Poker (Holstenbrücke 30, 24103 Kiel)
• Poker Saar (Fernstraße 51, 66538 Neunkirchen)
• Casino Schenefeld Poker (Industriestraße 1, 22869 Schenefeld)
• Spielbank Bad homburg Poker (Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Kisseleffstraße 35, 61348 Bad Homburg vor der Höhe)
• Spielbank Bad Kissingen Poker (Im Luitpoldpark 1, 97688 Bad Kissingen)
• Spielbank Bad Neuenahr Poker (Felix-Rütten-Straße 1, 53474 Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler)
• Spielbank Bad Steben Poker (Casinopl. 1, 95138 Bad Steben)
• Spielbank Baden Baden Poker (Kaiserallee 1, 76530 Baden-Baden)
• Spielbank Do-Hohensyburg Poker (Hohensyburgstraße 200, 44265 Dortmund)

Germany and poker-related taxes

By default, German residents aren’t required to report any poker-related income. That’s basically all there is to it. If you’re a recreational player, it’s just you, your bankroll, and the rake. Unfortunately, this does not apply to professional players. If playing online poker is your primary source of income, then you must report your poker-related revenue.

Theoretically speaking, this could be perceived as an admission of guilt. However, charging a player for reporting poker-related income would obviously discourage other players from paying their taxes. This is possibly why the authorities choose to behave as if everything is legal.

As mentioned above, Germany has never charged anybody with any poker-related crimes so far. However, that doesn’t guarantee that it won’t happen sometime in the future.

All things considered, it’s a rather uncomfortable situation. Nonetheless, judging from what happened in other countries where players faced a similar situation, the risk is pretty much non-existent.

History of online poker in Germany

Play Online Poker Games For Free

The legal stalemate in Germany is pretty much as old as the game. The Interstate Treaty that bannedonline casino gambling and online poker in 15 German states went into effect in July 2012. It didn’t have any practical impact on online poker in the country though.

It’s also worth noting that German authorities previously tried forcing local Internet Service Providers to block access to online gambling sites on more than one occasion.

Each time this happened, they were essentially laughed out of the court as soon as the ISPs reminded them that, according to German regulations, telecommunication companies are not responsible for the content they provide.

The Schleswig-Holstein regulations were introduced in February 2013, following a year-long legislative effort. Virtually every operator interested in obtaining a Schleswig-Holstein license applied for it as soon as the new law was on the books. Each license was issued for six years, which means sites will need to renew in early 2019.