In the largest state in the US, online gambling is as popular as it is anywhere else in the country, even though they are many miles apart. Although a strong interest in the hobby persists throughout the state, there are many questions concerning the technical details of the law. This page is here to help Alaska residents navigate the rugged terrain of gambling law as it relates to all the most popular forms of online gambling, casinos, poker, and sports betting.
Using this page as a resource, players in Alaska should be able to walk away with a clear understanding if their rights and responsibilities when they want to start gambling online. Whether a resident is most interested in casino games, poker, or betting on sports, we hope to provide all the necessary information here in one convenient package.
When consulting the federal law with regard to legal online casinos that accept Alaska players, there is really only one law worth taking a long look at: the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) that passed in 2006 as a last second addition to the Safe Port Act. Although this law slid through at the last minute as part of an unrelated national security bill, it caused a lot of havoc for online casinos. This law made it impossible for any online casinos to establish themselves or operate within the United States or to use Electronic Fund Transfers (EFTs) to retrieve payouts from casino accounts.
What this law does NOT do is punish players for taking part in online gambling. Although any Alaska resident who attempts to set up their own website for playing casino games at a profit to themselves will face steep legal penalties when they are caught, this law does nothing to even attempt to stop a player from playing blackjack or spinning a slot machine from the comfort of their own home. Thanks to the magic of the internet, anyone can access a fully functioning casino just so long as it operates overseas and safely outside of US jurisdiction.
Much like the federal laws that declare it’s illegal to maintain a casino operation but lawful to play in one, the state of Alaska comes down on illicit operations heavily while leaving the player well enough alone. The only difference in the state of Alaska when compared to the federal policy on online gambling is that the state constitution reserves the right to punish residents who use illicit casinos, whether land based or online. Just so long as a player sticks to the legal Alaska online casinos that we recommend, they should be safe from all prosecution.
Of all the aspects of online gambling, sports betting has drawn the most high profile policy. This is due in no small part to the stranglehold that organized crime once held over sports betting, which forced US Congress into action early and often. Still, despite the high profile nature of these laws, we must keep in mind that none of them mean to target players, only the facilitators of sports betting, both online and on land.
It started in 1961, before the internet was even within the scope of anyone’s wildest imagination. This is when the Federal Wire Act passed, which prohibited bookmakers from using “wire communications” (later ruled to include the internet) to transmit information related to sports betting. If that made bookmaking a tough job, the PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) passed in 1992 at the strong urging of then-NBA commissioner David Stern made it practically impossible. This law banned the practice of bookmaking all together in all but four exempt states, Montana, Delaware, Oregon and Nevada. For this reason, Alaska residents will find it impossible to bet on sports on land, but may still bet using offshore, legal online sportsbooks that accept Alaska bettors.
Since the federal government takes such a strong policy towards sports betting, the state of Alaska doesn’t need to add much. The only way a player in the great white north can take part in sports betting is through the utilization of legal sports betting sites for Alaska players.
When it comes to the most popular form of online gambling in the country and the king of all card games, the law appears, from a distance at least, to come down quite hard. After all, you don’t need to remind any avid poker players what happened on what the internet now calls “Black Friday.” On this day, several US based online poker rooms shut down at the behest of the federal government thanks to the UIGEA.
We already know that the UIGEA does nothing to punish players, whether you read as much in the casino section of this very webpage or you or someone you know was a member of one of the sites shut down on Black Friday. We also know that this law comes down hard on any illicit facilitators of online poker. How then can players hope to access legal online poker rooms that accept Alaska residents while simultaneously quenching their thirst for intense poker action? By simply signing up with any of the legal poker sites listed on this page, Alaska residents can guarantee tons of legal poker action today, tomorrow, and many days to come.
Some states provide loopholes within their state constitution to allow for sanctioned poker rooms even if there are not any sanctioned casinos. Unfortunately, Alaska is not one such state, and poker rooms are in the same boat as casinos when it comes to their legal situation. This is not all bad news, though. Although the state will reign down just as harsh punishments as the federal government will when it comes to the facilitation of online poker, it’s still legal to play it. This means that any legal online poker rooms for Alaska players are fair game for any interested parties.
It’s a good thing that the legal gamblong options for Alaska residents are so numerous and high quality, because they’re the only ones. While gambling with an offshore entity could make some Alaska residents nervous, the benefits of playing with a legal enterprise far outweigh the risks of playing with a foreign site. Firstly, the fact that the federal government will not shut these sites down is a huge benefit that should not be overlooked. Secondly, both the laws of the native countries these sites operate in and the reputable gaming commissions that certify them guarantee a high level of security for your hard-earned money, as well as fair play in all games.
Legal gambling sites for Alaska players often force you to choose between a highly functioning poker room, a comprehensive and complete sportsbook, or a casino that offers many fantastic options. Luckily, when they sign up with Bovada, you don’t have to choose, you’ll get all three. In fact, Bovada hold a special place in the heart of many Alaska players as they are located closer to them geographically than even a US based site could be. Operating out of Quebec, Bovada has provided top tier service to Alaska players for over two decades.
When we say top tier service, we mean a site that has evolved constantly with technology. When you join Bovada, you’ll not only have access to one of the best gambling sites gracing the planet right now, but one of the best mobile sites as well. Bovada’s sportsbook, casino, even their poker room all travel with you in your front pocket. Leaps in technology like this are just what Bovada residents are used to, and it’s a safe bet you’ll enjoy the adjustment yourself if you decide to sign up.