First Real Money Online Poker Based in US Open for Business

It's official, UltimatePoker.com has finally gone live and US players based in Nevada can place bets with real money. After everything that has gone down in the US over the last ten years, this is a big welcoming step for the online gaming industry and it's a long time coming. The online poker site officially launched on Tuesday, April 30th and that means the software can be downloaded, players can open an account and make a real money deposit. And this can all be done legally in America.

One of the requirements is that the players must be located in Nevada and personal information must be submitted, including a social security number. One other thing is that players must physically go to a Station Casino to make a cash deposit. They can also make other deposits including electronic checks, bank wires and checks by mail.

Ever since that infamous day "Black Friday" back in April 2011, when the Department of Justice shut down some of the biggest online gaming sites in the industry, players in the US had nowhere else to go and play. There were still lots of sites to play at offshore, but that would be illegal for them and they could get into trouble. There was the other option of travelling to a land-based casino and playing in one of those smoky poker rooms like they had to back in the wild-west days. This day will surely go down in history as to when the first few legal hands where played legally online in the US.

It really has become a reality and players are protected and won't have to worry if their money is secure, as the regulation was built to make sure players could play in a safe environment online. "There was black Friday, and now we're going to have 'trusting Tuesday,'" said Ultimate Gaming CEO Tobin Prior. "Players won't have to worry if their money is safe. They are going to be able to play with people they can trust and know the highest regulatory standards have been applied."

As players will notice when they begin the sign up process, some things are different from the traditional offshore online poker sites they are used too. At Ultimate Gaming it is more involved than just confirming you are older than 18. Players must be over 21, provide detailed information about them and provide additional information like social security numbers and cell phone numbers. UltimatePoker.com is out to prove that players can play in a regulated online poker site and enjoy all the benefits of doing it right at home. You can be sure that politicians and regulations are keeping an eye on the first online poker site to see if this really can work. "It's an opportunity to show the world how to properly run online poker," Ultimate Gaming chairman Tom Breitling said. The actual site is professionally designed and looks like they've taken a chapter right out of the offshore online gaming design book. Players will see a bold, crisp layout with the logo at the top and on the far right is the red download button. On the navigation tabs along the top is the How to Play, Promotions, Tournaments, About us and customer service buttons. Right in the middle of the site is the "Win a Free Trip to Vegas" graphic announcing the big promotion that ties in nicely with the online brand. Some of the other promotions include the $1,000 Nightly and the Daily $100 Free Roll. Along the bottom of the site are the Responsible Gaming, Nevada Gaming Commission, License Agreement, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use navigation buttons. There are even ways for new players to learn to play poker with Online 101 and Poker 101 at the Poker University.

Even the politicians in the state of Nevada are chiming in to announce how they are proud to bring legal online gaming to US and are looking forward to expanding it in the state; "Nevada is now the first state to accept legal, regulated interactive wagers," A.G. Burnett, the chair of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, said. "It's a big day and I'm proud of the state."

Nevada may be the first state, but it surely won't be the last. New Jersey has recently signed online gaming regulation into law and they are allowing all forms of gaming like casino and poker. It's just a matter of time before more states come online and enjoy all the revenue benefits that come with it.