- The one avenue for regulated online poker in Georgia is if a majority of states adopt online poker under a federal regulatory regime. In that scenario, online poker would become something similar to the lottery – generally tolerated by the public and viewed as a financial boon by the states.
- 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.
The state of Georgia is of very average size, listed as the 24th largest in the US, but packs a large number of residents into its borders as the 8th most populous in the nation. The economy is outstanding; home to more than a dozen Fortune 500 companies and two dozen Fortune 1000 companies, as well as the world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger/aircraft traffic. Needless to say, the government’s tax coffers aren’t lacking in surfeit. However, not a single penny of that revenue comes from gambling.
Georgia is included in an exclusive, southwestern region of the United States commonly referred to as the Bible Belt. States within this region are generally dominated by a profound Christian mindset with a distinct aversion to unseemly activities; gambling among them. It’s been that way for centuries, and with a government driven by the voting public, it’s not likely to change anytime soon. The question this article aims to answer is, from a legal standpoint, where does this leave online poker players in Georgia?
Land-based Gambling in Georgia
There are absolutely no land-based gambling destinations in Georgia; not even of the tribal variety. The only types of legalized gambling are the state lottery, licensed bingo facilities and charitable raffles. Georgians have three options if they wish to place a wager of any other kind. They can travel outside the state to somewhere like Florida, where gambling is a lawfully accepted activity; they can jump aboard the Emerald Princess Casino Cruise that departs from Brunswick Landing Marina daily (although the casino doesn’t open until the ship reaches federal waters); or they can log onto any international online poker site that accepts players from Georgia. Whether doing the latter is legal, however, is a matter of wide debate.
Deciphering the Laws of Georgia as they relate to Online Poker
It’s quite apparent that Georgia has not elected to legalize online poker, but that alone doesn’t make the activity illegal. For that, we refer to the state’s explicit gambling laws. The following is a list of all laws that may relate to online poker, taken directly from the Georgia Code, Title 16, Chapter 12, Article 2, Gambling.
| Section | Text | Meaning (in re online poker) |
| §16-12-20 Definitions | (1) “Bet” means an agreement that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value… | Playing poker for real money, despite the measure of skill involved, is defined as betting. |
| (2) “Gambling device” means: (A) 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… | Although the terminology is incredibly vague, such a contrivance could include a computer or mobile device if used to play online poker for real money. | |
| §16-12-21 Gambling | (a) A person commits the offense of gambling when he: (3) Plays and bets for money or other thing of value at any game played with cards, dice, or balls. | To play poker for money is illegal in Georgia. |
| (b) A person who commits the offense of gambling shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. | The penalty for illegal gambling is up to 12 months in jail and/or $1,000 fine. |
Is Online Poker Illegal in Georgia?
Yes. Unfortunately, despite the antiquated language of the state’s code of law, online poker is plainly illegal in Georgia. The text does define a bet, which would clearly include betting on a poker game, but does not define how or where that bet must be placed to be considered unlawful. Therefore any person physically located in the state may not place a bet of any kind (except on the lottery, or authorized raffles and bingo games). Furthermore, the definition of a gambling device is even more elusive and could easily target a computer or mobile device used to play poker online.
Not only is internet poker illegal in Georgia, it comes with a rather hefty penalty of up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.
Is Georgia working to Legalize Online Poker?
No. As mentioned above, Georgia is part of the Bible Belt and the majority of its citizens are vehemently opposed to most forms of gambling. Considering the affluent state of the economy, government officials have no need to turn to gambling to supplement tax income either. There have been no moves to legalize and regulate online poker in the Peach State, and I don’t anticipate such legislation will surface any time in the foreseeable future.
Online Poker Players from Georgia
Is Online Poker For Money Legal In Georgia Government
Perhaps the most famous online poker pro from Georgia is David “gunslinger3” Bach. He is a fantastic player at the live tables, has one WSOP bracelet under his belt and $3.39 million in major live tournament winnings. His online prowess was greatly stunted by the events of Black Friday, having cashed in just one event after April of 2011, but up until that point he had captured one SCOOP title in 2010 and pocketed $187k by taking down the esteemed PokerStars Sunday Million back on August 17, 2008. His online poker tournament winnings currently amount to $283,472.
Other prominent online poker players form Georgia include Zach “Yettimann” Shelnutt, Mike “MJCACE” Carlson, Mathieu “i_break-u” Frenchy K. and Kevin “kevdog410” McDonald.
Land-Based Card Rooms in Georgia
As we’ve already established, there are no traditionally “land-based” poker rooms in Georgia. However, there is one way to play poker in the state for real money. The Emerald Princess Casino Cruise leaves the dock in Brunswick, GA every day for 5-hour trips into federal waters, where the laws of the Peach State no longer apply to those on board. The cruise ship features 6 Texas Holdem tables and 2 Stud Poker tables, along with other casino amusements. Unfortunately, you won’t find any tournament action here – it’s all cash games among the local voyagers.
Emerald Princess Casino Cruise
Location: Brunswick, GA
Poker Room: Yes
Georgia, otherwise known as the Peach State, and its 10 million residents could support a thriving real money online poker community. Unfortunately, due to its deeply rooted aversion to gambling, GA likely never will be the legal real cash Internet poker haven its citizens want it to be – at least not until the Federal government gets involved.
With that said, the entire United States is in a state of flux with regards to gambling and lawful poker betting websites in 2020. Over a dozen states that once opposed the erection of casino resorts that included real money poker gambling tables have either approved legislature allowing for their construction or are weighing in on the issue. Others, like Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have already regulated online real money betting and gambling.
And yes, even Georgia is at least musing about the potential benefits of opening a commercial casino with a legit poker room for Texas Hold’em poker and other real cash poker gambling. That doesn’t mean they’ll ever pass a bill regulating online gambling and Internet poker, but it’s a small step in the right direction for GA poker betting fans. But as of the time of this writing, Georgia’s anti-gambling and anti-legal poker website stance is among the strictest of any state in the Union.
It’s not all peachy in Georgia when it comes to clearly defined gambling laws. Even so, Georgia residents will be able to try their luck at some of2020‘s best real money US poker websites.
Past Georgia Gambling Headlines
Quick Jump
- 1 Past Georgia Gambling Headlines
- 2 The Facts
Unfortunately, the vote would have little influence on state legislators thinking about making Internet poker legal and letting GA residents enjoy real money poker betting. In a statement recorded shortly after the results of the vote were tallied, Governor Nathan Deal reminded Georgia’s citizens that he would not support the construction of casinos or poker gambling rooms within The Peach State, and that a much larger approval margin would be required among legislators before a bill relating to real money offline and Internet gambling could take root.
Several months earlier, developer Dan O’Leary unveiled his plans to build an entertainment facility in Norcross [2]. The $1 billion poker betting and casino gambling hub would feature a staggering 7,500 video lottery terminals.
While some believe that a real money legal poker room and casino would have a degenerative effect on Georgia’s citizens, there are others who see them as a means of righting the state’s economic woes. This could be a good sign of things to come because if GA want to use real money poker and gambling to make money for the state, then opening a lawful Internet poker website regulated by GA would be a great way to boost the budget. O’Leary falls into the latter category and agrees that legal betting on casino games like Texas Hold’em poker could help Georgia out of their money trouble. He argued that his real cash betting casino could generate $350 million a year for the state’s fledgling college scholarship program.
Is Online Poker For Money Legal In Georgia County
As of 2020, no legislation has been passed that validates the existence of a land-based casino or legal poker room. If anything, Georgia has spent more attention on enforcing laws that regulate existing real money video poker terminals than it has to the whole casino gambling debate [3].
Can Players From Georgia Play Online Poker?
Surprisingly, most if not all US facing poker sites accept real money poker players from the Peach State in 2020.
Someday there might be Federal legislation in place that regulates online poker and makes US Internet poker websites legal. But until then, residents of Georgia will have no problem creating an Internet poker account, depositing funds to play real money poker with and finding a juicy cash game of Texas Hold’em poker or any of the other popular Internet poker variants. And while we can’t guarantee that you’ll always win when you’re gambling at the poker website tables, we can ensure that we’ve personally analyzed each and every 2020 Internet poker betting site, and are confident that the ones on our recommended list are among the very best for real money poker fans in GA to play at.
- U. S. Poker Site
- Compatibillity
- Editor Rating
- Deposit Bonus
- Very player friendly
- Generous cashback
- Great mobile play
Is Online Poker Legal In Georgia?
Georgia’s gambling and poker betting laws as they stand now in 2020 are among the severest we’ve seen. And while there are no GA laws that specifically target online poker websites, there is speculation that Georgia will amend its gambling laws to criminalize online gambling and real cash Internet poker.
Listed below is a quick summary of Georgia’s most noteworthy gambling and poker betting laws. Please note that in order to fully understand Georgia’s gambling laws and how they pertain to online poker and real money Internet poker gambling, we recommend that you seek the consul of a legal professional well-versed in all such legal poker matters.
- Georgia’s gambling statues do not provide a definition of gambling. However, one can be deduced by combining the definitions of bet, gambling device, and gambling place.
- Bets are defined as an agreement that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value. The use of the word skill implies that games like Texas Hold’em poker and other poker variants both offline and on poker websites are covered under the definition. Section 16-12-20 (1).
- Gambling devices are any contrivance which for a consideration affords the player the opportunity to obtain money or other thing of value, the award of which is determined by chance even though accompanied by some skill. Section 16-12-20 (2).
- A Gambling place is any real estate, building, room…or other property whatsoever, one of the principal uses of which is the making or settling of bets. Essentially, any piece of owned property where a wager is made can be classified as a gambling place.
- Gambling on any game that involves cards, dice or balls, including poker betting, is considered a criminal offense, and anyone who commits the offense of gambling shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.
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]. For that matter, according to Georgia’s penal code playing just about any game where real money betting or gambling with anything of value is involved is considered a crime. And while we aren’t certain to what degree the laws are enforced, we can say with confidence that anyone caught gambling and betting on poker or casino games will have a difficult time finding loopholes in Georgia’s gambling statues.
For a more thorough look at Georgia’s gambling codes and GA’s stance on Internet poker and real cash poker offline games, please click on the following link [4].
The Facts
The History Of Gambling In Georgia
There was a time when gambling and betting ran rampant throughout Georgia. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, residents of the state gambled on a variety of card games including real money poker, athletic events and races. During that time, it became common practice for casino and poker room establishment owners to pay off law enforcement agents to look the other way because those poker games were far from legal.
In the early 20th century, Thomas Lee Bailey (1865-1945) – an influential and outspoken newspaper editor and local leader – used his widely read Cochran Journal as an outlet for his opinions. In it, he would frequently call for stricter controls on poker and casino gambling and alcohol. The state listened.
By the 1930s – a time when most other states were loosening their position against real money poker and gambling due to the Great Depression- Georgia became one of the most anti-gambling states in the Union.
Since then, not much has changed. In 1992, Georgia regulated the sale of lottery tickets. And while the lottery has remained popular among Georgia’s citizens, GA State has proven very hesitant to expand its gambling operations into popular areas like real cash Internet poker websites and legal gambling outlets.
In more recent headlines, authorities in GA have recently begun cracking down on Internet Cafes that allow patrons to play online poker and access Internet poker websites.
Regulated Gambling Options In Georgia
The only forms of regulated gambling in Georgia are charitable bingo, raffles and the lottery. Casino nights, pari-mutuel betting, commercial casinos and even home poker games are all considered illegal in Georgia, rendering the state’s gambling offerings unattractive to those who thrive on action. So, perhaps in 2020 GA isn’t the best place for real money poker gambling fans to settle down.
Locals have begun making noise over the lack of regulated gambling and lawful poker options in the Peach State, but until their whispers become a deafening roar, it’s doubtful the state will alter its position, or even take notice.
Georgia is not a very friendly state for US online poker players, which means you’ll want to be wary of engaging in real-money online poker.
Is Online Poker For Money Legal In Georgia State
The Future Of Regulated Online Gambling In Georgia
The odds of legit Internet poker and real cash online poker betting making its way to Georgia, either in 2020 or at a later date, are almost as bad as winning its state lottery. In fact, it’s more likely that GA will prohibit online gambling and poker websites altogether than it is to regulate the Internet gambling market in Georgia.
However, due to GA State’s poor economy and suffering HOPE scholarship program [5], government officials may eventually decide to brush their issues with gambling and real cash poker like Texas Hold’em aside, and allow for the construction of a land-based casino and real money poker gambling room. But that’s a big “if”.
Fun Fact
Seasoned mixed-games real cash poker specialist David Bach hails from Athens, Georgia [6]. After playing on the WSOP and WPT poker gambling circuits for over a decade without a win, Bach would score his first major title in grand fashion when he took down the 2009 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E World Championship. For his monumental legal poker achievement, Bach received $1.277 million and an exclusive gold bracelet.
Since then, Bach has made it to final table at three other WSOP events, none of which were decided over NLHE poker betting.
The Bottom Line
A slim majority of Georgia’s residents are in favor of gambling expansion and a move towards legal poker websites where GA residents can do their real money poker betting in a regulated Internet poker environment, but that doesn’t change the fact that the current Governor and most state officials are not keen on lawful Internet poker in the Peach State. Georgia’s economic woes offer gamblers and poker betting fans a glimmer of hope, but given the state’s gambling laws, general position and history, it appears significantly unlikely that it will ever regulate online poker and make real money Internet poker legal.
In a more likely scenario, GA’s real cash poker players will travel to nearby Florida to get their online Internet poker fix at their legit poker websites because the possibility of regulated poker websites and legal real money poker gambling in the iGaming market in the future is very real there.
References
[1] ↑Conservatives fear gambling vote heralds culture shift
[2] ↑Dan O’Leary Plans $1B Gambling Complex near Atlanta
[3] ↑Video Poker Bill Now Law
[4] ↑Official Code of Georgia
Is Online Poker For Money Legal In Georgia Lottery
[5] ↑HOPE Scholarship
[6] ↑A Poker Life – David Bach
Is Online Gambling Legal In Georgia
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