Georgia Online Poker Laws

Georgia Online Poker Law

The name “Georgia” may flow off the lips like a swirl of sweet sugar cane syrup in a glass of tea, but the official stance toward gambling in Georgia is as rigid as a Georgia pine. Inflexible, conservative, and harsh are three words that can also be used to describe elected officials’ attitudes toward any type of gambling expansion in Georgia.

Online poker is simply not on anyone’s lips of those who have an office and a desk at the state capitol building in Atlanta. Heck, legislators recently moved to strengthen and clarify its laws against video poker and slot machines that often can be found in any number of gas stations and bars across the country.

In fact, Georgia seems to be one of the only states still arresting poker players, as well as the more commonly charged operators of the game. People must remember, despite being home to one of the premiere metropolitan areas in the country — Atlanta — it is a southern state with an extremely heavy religious yoke.

The only “legal” poker in Georgia is offered by the Emerald Princess, a multi-ton yacht that sails a few miles out to sea from Brunswick almost every day, where it drops anchor in international waters, just outside the invisible border that is Georgia and its draconian rules toward online poker.

Officials in the country are trying to pass a law that would ban advertising for gambling.

Will I Be Able to Play Online Poker in Georgia?

As far as the eagle can see into the future, online poker will remain nothing but a dream to the thousands of poker players in Georgia who used to play online before the federal government nuked the entire industry on Black Friday.

Where is the Nearest Place Can I Play Online Poker in Georgia

The Bahamas are only a short flight out of Atlanta. Mississippi should have online poker offerings by 2016, but Florida is a long shot, as is North Carolina, and Alabama is completely out of the question.

Famous Poker Players from Georgia

Georgia’s most recognizable poker pro is Phil Gordon, who attended Georgia Tech when he was 15 years old, while still in high school. Known more as a poker announcer than a top-notch pro, he nevertheless has more than $2 million in live tournament winnings and, for a few years, was one of the faces of televised poker.