UK Real Money Poker
Over the past decade, poker has gained immensely in popularity in the UK and other parts of Europe and online poker can now be played on dozens of online poker sites that accept players from the EU. But if you reside from a European country or the UK itself, then playing on regulated UK real money poker sites is the way to go.
In the UK, where playing poker online is legal and regulated, players from England, Scotland and Wales are allowed to play on licensed online poker sites. In 2005, the Gambling Commission was setup to oversee many forms of gambling activity including land-based gambling and online gambling. Operators that want to offer online poker in the United Kingdom would be required to obtain a license offered by the Gambling Commission or any jurisdiction where online poker activities are legal.
In order to obtain a license from the Gambling Commission, independent testing of the random number generator (RNG) used to deal the hands will be carried out so as to ensure reliability and accuracy of their shuffling algorithm. This will help to provide a fair and honest gaming environment for all the players.
In addition to this, the Gambling Commission also requires that licensed operators adhere to strict codes of conduct to ensure that underage players can’t play on online gaming sites. It is also the sites responsibility to provide the necessary support to persons that have problems related to online gambling.
Outside of the United Kingdom, other European countries have different attitudes towards the industry. Some prohibit online gambling and online poker altogether, whilst other European countries like Italy, France, and Spain have regulated online poker markets, allowing players to play on licensed sites against players that reside in the same country. So essentially they are a closed poker network, such as is the case with PokerStars.it, even though many of these sites are operating in other markets.
Fortunately, European online poker players typically have a lot of options to choose from. This includes the three best European online poker sites: 888 Poker, Party Poker, and PokerStars.
888 Poker
One of the most popular online poker sites for European players is 888poker (formerly called Pacific Poker). This giant in the online casino and poker industry has released a cutting-edge poker software platform to immensely enhance their online poker games, which includes webcam tables.
As a result of all the casino players coming over to play poker, 888 Poker is up there with being among the softest poker rooms you will find on the internet. There are a lot of excellent freerolls offered at this site, as well as a fantastic poker deposit bonus.
The poker sites features a wide selection of poker games, including Texas Hold‘em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7-Card Stud, 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo, and Snap Poker, the new speed poker variant is now available. Players are able to find a game anytime, or perhaps even set up their own personal tourney and play friends on different platforms including the PC, Mac, or mobile device.
Party Poker
Party Poker offers all the popular online poker games that European players would expect to find accompanied by leading edge software and graphics. Their software platform is independently owned and this poker site stands out as the best place to go for online players in Europe and in other countries outside of the United States.
Party Poker provides you a range of multi table tournaments every month in their schedule with a great line up of good value tournaments on weekends with really big guarantees. The PartyPoker $200K Guaranteed Sunday tournament gives players the chance of play for the big bucks and there are satellites for this event.
PokerStars
The immense rise in popularity of PokerStars (<< full review here) makes it a fantastic place to play for Euros. With the huge volume of player traffic there is always plenty of action in both tournaments and cash games. PokerStars has gone out of their way to make sure that it offers the most of everything, most players, cash games, tournaments, and no other site really compares. Their support is really good and the software platform is functional and very reliable.
Possessing a lot of top professional poker players on their roster, a lot of popular poker tours around the globe, it is no wonder that PokerStars happens to be the most popular online poker site for Europeans. There is no other choice when you’re thinking of enjoying online poker.
Depositing Money into European Online Poker Sites
If you want to try online poker, you can’t go wrong choosing one of the above choices. Before you can start playing you will be required to make a deposit. This will allow you to take full advantage of the many amazing welcome bonuses on offer at the reputable European poker sites.
All three of our recommended online poker offerings for Europeans accept credit/debit card deposits. You’ll also be able to fund your online poker account using popular e-wallets like Neteller/Skrill/PayPal. It’s definitely easier to deposit for European citizens than it is for players living in the United States.
Some Final Thoughts
If you live in Europe but happen to live outside of the UK and wish to play poker for real money please check your local federal and state laws or consult legal counsel in the applicable jurisdiction if you have any doubts concerning the legality of online poker where you live or the minimum age to play.
By deciding to play at an online poker site that isn’t licensed, you are leaving yourself with almost no protection if something was to go wrong. Hence, the reason you need to use due diligence when selecting which Euro poker sites to play on.