Legal Online Poker For North Dakota Residents
North Dakota is the state with the most concise gambling laws. They explain in a clear and straightforward manner what is legal and what not, with the help of only a few definitions. All in all, you will see that North Dakota is pro-poker state, with only one restriction.
Is Poker Legal In North Dakota?
|
|
North Dakota laws don't even mention it – in fact, you won't even find references to placing any sort of bet over wire or other electronic means. And given the general poker-friendly stance, we can safely say that it's perfectly legal to play poker online in North Dakota and there are no signs that restrictions will be imposed in the near future.
Legal Online Poker Sites For North Dakota Residents
Most, if not all online casinos will accept players from North Dakota. However, there are so many low quality sites out there that weeding out the sloppy ones might just ruin all the fun. We have done the work for you. We played at a huge number of online casinos and came with a few recommendations.
Poker fans in North Dakota probably already know that going online for poker is their best option, but do they know where to go from there? SportsBetting offers some of the best customer service paired with one of the highest quality products that most poker players could ever dare to hope for.
Seasoned veterans and new players alike know that the trick to playing poker not only for a lot of fun but great profits lies in maximizing the opportunities you have to play, and therefore score a big win. SportsBetting helps you accomplish this with a couple different specials that could be the difference from walking away from the table or playing just one more hand. Firstly, every week SportsBetting offers reduced rake. This means less of your money goes to the poker site, and more can stay in your stack or even go in the pot. Just the little bit of extra savings can amount to an extra couple of hands which could lead to more money in your account. From there, SportsBetting really shines when they offer to cover all fees associated with a payout at often as once a month. When you don’t have to budget for fess associated with taking money out of your account, you may not only be able to take a bigger chunk of money out, but you just may find the opportunity to win one more big hand.
For residents of poker seeking a home for all of their legal online poker games, they would be wise to consider an account at BetOnline, a gambling network that has been serving US citizens and residents of North Dakota for almost two decades.
When trying to nail down what makes this the best site for poker fans all over the state, it’s hard to fixate on any one thing. The site’s intuitive layout and powerful technology that can help players sift through thousands of poker tables in a matter of seconds depending on how they want to play and how much they want to wager could be part of it, as could the high amount of guaranteed cash tournaments. Most of all, it seems to be the devotion that this poker site shows to its customers. For anyone who needs an example, they should look no further than the sign-up bonus available to all users. Whenever a player first starts an account, they will find that they are eligible to earn back a full 200% of their initial deposit in bonuses to play with anywhere on the poker site. It’s a great way for a player to break their teeth in the poker rooms and maybe even win some free money without having to make any real risks.
Poker games in privately owned residences are allowed provided the amounts wagered are kept "reasonably low". According to the state's Penal Code, it is a misdemeanor if a player bets more than $25 in a single hand, and a felony if the amount goes over $500.
If you play a friendly round with $1/$2 or even $2/$4 bets you should have no problem staying below $25 – or just stop betting once you reach this. Should you go overboard with wagering, you may face criminal charges.
Is it Legal to play Land Based Poker in North Dakota?
Legally playing poker in North Dakota is a little tricky as they have laid out their laws in a sly way so as to prohibit poker without actually prohibiting poker. Essentially, they don’t in any way charge or penalize playing in a game of poker. Instead they target the poker rooms and have heavy penalties ranging from class a misdemeanor to class c felonies that dissuade even the most daring person from creating a poker room.
For this reason it is often wise to stay away from any local poker rooms. Though you personally may not be charged it can still be rather inconvenient to be there when a bust is happening. Winnings can’t be guaranteed either as who knows what can be claimed as evidence. In the end, illegal poker rooms are never going to be a solid option simply because they are too high profile in the states right now and are actively hunted down and shut down.
Those looking to do more than play poker at home with a group of friends really only have one option. There are several areas throughout the state where Native American Tribes run casinos and these casinos do indeed offer poker. At home poker is still an option for those who enjoy it though as usually the state will not go after at home games unless the homeowner is charging players some sort of fee or commission.
Legal Land Based Poker Rooms in North Dakota
Due to the Casinos in the state the gambling options of poker players in North Dakota are expanded considerably. The main thing that playing at a casino brings into the picture is playing in tournaments for big money. While all the casinos are likely going to be more profitable than home games, Spirit Lake Casino is definitely ahead of the competition in the size of tournaments they offer. Capping out at a buy-in of $115 dollars Spirit Lake towers over its nearest competition which is Dakota Magic which has a tournament with a $60 dollar buy-in.
Still the Casinos are spread out all across the state so if one is closer than Sprit Lake the money you save in gas may be worth playing with the smaller buy-ins. Though with some of them having buy-ins as low at $10 or $20 dollars, it may actually be worth it to simply play a high stakes game at home with friends. While you won’t get the number of players you would at a big tournament it certainly would probably be profitable. The other advantage to home games is that the type of game isn’t set in stone. At Casinos the only form of poker they really play for tournaments or otherwise is no-limit hold ’em.
Between the casinos and games of variety at home, an avid poker player can indeed carve out quite the niche for themselves in North Dakota. It isn’t the land of gambling prosperity that Nevada is by any means but those looking to have a little fun and make some money with cards in North Dakota will find it surprisingly open for business.
Note: As a final note, be warned that the information presented herein shouldn't be regarded as legal counsel – we are simply a group of poker players from North Dakota and this website presents our own point of view of online poker laws in the USA. If you believe the information is unclear or just need another opinion, we would advise you to contact a legal representative.
