State Law = Law that only affects the state that issues it
Federal Law = All States are affected by this law.
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poker is legal.
Gambling is not.
Online poker, for money, is illegal(ish) for the
poker sites and the bank under federal law.
Online Poker, for players, is a gray area but I don't think its illegal. Under Federal Law.
However because of the good 10th amendment, States can have any law that does not conflict with the Federal government (I'm am really simplifying this down) so a state can choose to make poker illegal in that state. Which is the case in my state, Washington State, where online poker, for money, is a Class C felony.
However, if I were to visit Oregon State, I could play poker with no legal repercussions.
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its been a long time since I've studied this stuff so feel free to correct any mistakes.