Established in 2001, Americas Cardroom is one of the biggest offshore poker operators catering to US players. The room has made quite a name for itself over the years, presenting itself as one of a few legit options for Americans. And, while they do some things pretty well, the fact remains they’re an unlicensed and unregulated site.
ACR has many features that players from the States are looking for, including solid traffic and some nice tournaments. However, there are many downsides and risks connected to playing here from the US as you have absolutely no protection if things happen to go sideways.
- So far no license in the USA
- No safe gaming is possible
- Playing is not recommended
Is Americas Cardroom legal to play at?
One of the biggest concerns for American poker players has to do with the legality of their play with offshore operators. While some users are willing to take a chance with money, most don’t want to risk getting into problems with the law just for the sake of playing some online poker. So, is Americas Cardroom legal from the player’s point of view?
Current US laws are quite specific when it comes to online gambling, including online poker. The main document actually dealing with the topic is the infamous UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) of 2006. While many people have heard of UIGEA, not that many know what it actually contains.
UIGEA actually deals with the financial side of things, preventing financial institutions such as banks from knowingly and willingly facilitating transactions that involve online gambling. So, it doesn’t really address the matter of playing poker at an online room. It just prevents the flow of money between banks and operators.
So, in short, players don’t have to worry too much about facing serious legal consequences for just playing with an offshore operator such as ACR. However, we must caution you that certain states have their own laws on this topic, and in a few of them you could face criminal charges although this hasn’t happened anywhere yet.
Is Americas Cardroom legit? This is why you shouldn’t play here
Looking at things from a purely technical point of view, a case could probably be made for ACR and other offshore operators. However, as a player, you need to be aware that these operators are threading very dangerous waters and even if some don’t consider Americas Cardroom illegal in the strictest sense of the word, there is still plenty of reason to steer clear.
Lacking the proper regulation, ACR has been through a number of scandals, many of which have hurt players directly. The case of Americas Cardroom bots has been going on for a long time now and there doesn’t seem to be any real solution to the problem. Something like this could never stand on a regulated US poker site.
- Play games with a licensed operator
- Secure deposits and withdrawals
- Great fun and awesome winnings
Some of the other reasons that should put you off the idea of playing here include the fact that your money isn’t really safe here and there is no guarantee that your data will be protected. Existing on very shaky foundations, this operator could go under at any time, at which point you’d have no recourse to get any of your money back and no control over what’s going to happen with the personal information that the site owns.
The list of reasons why you should avoid this and other new and existing offshore operators doesn’t stop here, either. There are many other points, such as:
- You could have your bank account closed for receiving gambling transactions
- There is a chance of getting in trouble with tax authorities
- There is really no guarantee of fair play whatsoever
- You could have your Americas Cardroom account suspended with no explanation
So, when all things are considered, there are simply too many risks and unknowns involved with the process of playing poker with offshore sites. It’s just not worth the bother, especially with the growing number of legitimate US poker rooms opening left, right, and center, where your cash is always safe and you can deposit and withdraw with ease. So, the answer to the question is Americas Cardroom is legit is clearly, not quite.
Americas Cardroom scam or not? Operator in check
While we don’t recommend players from the States to play here, in the interest of completeness of this Americas Cardroom review, we’ve looked into what this poker room has to offer. We’ve checked some of the most important areas of the operator to see how they stack up and what it is that they offer.
Game types & tournaments
ACR features a decent selection of gaming options across various stakes for games such as Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and even some new variations such as 6+ Hold’em. The room has been trying to get things going with some big tournaments as well but with limited results. While the turnout was decent, they had to deal with many technical difficulties, creating than enjoyable experience.
Bonus & VIP program
New players can get a solid welcome bonus at AmericasCardroom and give their bankrolls a big boost. The problem, however, is that when it comes to actually cash out your winnings, you might face serious issues and even end up not getting your money at all. With that possibility being quite real, the size of the bonus doesn’t really matter all that much.
Payment methods
Focusing on the US market, ACR has been coming up with ideas on how to make it easier for poker players to deposit and withdraw their funds from the site. They now support bitcoin and a range of other cryptocurrencies alongside other traditional methods. While bitcoin may seem like a good idea for US players wanting to deposit, keep in mind that all of these are ways to go around the regulation. Americas Cardroom bitcoin transactions aren’t nearly as anonymous or safe as some would like you to believe and bitcoin itself is subject to big fluctuations in terms of cash value.
Software/usability
The Americas Cardroom download software is decent at best. While it does what it says on the tin, it is definitely not close to being as good as the software offered by regulated US operators or other big-name sites operating within their legal jurisdictions. It feels quite outdated and this is probably because the room simply doesn’t have enough funds to keep things going on all fronts. When it comes to Americas Cardroom mobile, there is no mobile app but only a web-based solution that isn’t quite up to the standards.
Player pool & poker network
Americas Cardroom is a part of the Winning Poker Network (WPN). There are some other rooms within Winning Poker Network and they all share liquidity, especially across their big tournaments. This does create a decent pool of players during some major events but the traffic is far from being really good.
What’s in the future for offshore poker sites?
Things in the US are definitely changing for the better in terms of regulation. There are more and more regulated poker operators offering their legal and fully verified services to players in different states. These operators provide everything players want, from bonuses, and a good selection of games, to fast and convenient withdrawals.
With these things happening, the future of offshore poker operators doesn’t look all that good. Given an opportunity, most players will choose to play at a regulated site where they know their money and sensitive information is safe and the gaming environment is completely safe and free from bots and cheaters.
However, with the regulation still happening on a state-by-state basis, these offshore online poker sites still have some breathing room and will definitely try to cash in on this vacuum while they still can. Many of these sites have spent years building their market in the US and they won’t give up on it easily unless they’re forced to.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how lawmakers approach this issue and what kind of measures are implemented to prevent offshore sites from working in the newly emerging regulated market. They certainly won’t go down without a fight but once the country really decides to put an end to it, it seems like there won’t be much they could do, despite bitcoin deposits, VPNs, and such.
FAQ
Is Americas Cardroom illegal: Frequently asked questions?
Is Americas Cardroom legit?
Who can play on Americas Cardroom?
How is Americas Cardroom legal?
Is Americas Cardroom rigged?
Does Americas Cardroom use bots?
Conclusion
Pick the right legit operator & get cracking!
Instead of playing at illegal offshore sites such as ACR, stick to the poker rooms that have proper licenses to offer their services in the States. We have a very comprehensive online poker comparison where you can find all the different sites on the market. You’ll easily find what sites are available in your particular state and can then make your pick based on which one offers the best bonus, where you have the best selection of tournaments, etc. So, if you feel like playing some online poker, go right ahead and see what option you like best!
