Online poker has seen tremendous growth ever since its beginning in 1998. This year gave it another push forward since gambling options were pretty limited. Naturally, the stakes became even higher. For instance, in March 2020, PokerStars’ prize pool of the 14th Anniversary of the Sunday Million reached a record $17 million! Of course, with so much money being involved, security becomes a top priority for players and casinos. VPNs for poker provide you with an additional security layer and let you unblock poker sites while traveling.
Best VPNs to unblock poker sites
If you are not willing to gamble with your financial security while playing poker online, check out our list of top VPNs for poker sites.
To choose these top-notch vendors for you, we considered many essential features, so if you plan to choose a provider by yourself, please consider those as well:
- Rock-solid encryption: There are multiple ways to encrypt information to ensure it isn’t available for prey eyes. Pick a vendor that provides the most unbreakable up-to-date 256-bit encryption.
- A strict no-log policy: This feature is valuable regardless of the reasons you’ve decided to use a VPN in the first place. No-logs policy helps you to make sure that your browsing data doesn’t get tracked by your provider.
- Unlimited bandwidth and high-speed connections: With all the perks that VPN provides, you don’t want it to slow down your connection and make your gaming experience less pleasant.
- Global network: You want your provider to have multiple servers in various locations to access your favorite websites regardless of your current location. Also, the closer servers to your physical location, the faster your speed is.
Why do you need a VPN to play poker online?
There are multiple reasons why it is a great idea to use a VPN, even if you have nothing to do with gambling. But, while you’re having a nice online poker session, your risks are doubled if not quadrupled.
Most of the users play poker with a VPN simply to bypass geographical restrictions, and that’s the easiest available option out there. A VPN for poker masks your actual IP-address and replacing it with the one with the appropriate location. However, VPN’s advantages are not limited to that.
The Internet can be a dangerous place. You might not suspect it, but it is full of ransomware, evil hackers, and software aimed to mistreat you in all kinds of ways. And while antiviruses address the majority of those issues, there is no guarantee that they will do the same for the gambling websites. The reason behind it is straightforward: Hackers commit DDoS attacks on gambling sites all the time because, well, it’s a place with a huge money turnover. The right VPN for poker can protect you from those and make sure that you won’t be thrown out of the tournament right before winning a hand.
Another great thing about a reliable poker VPN is encryption. With the right VPN for online gambling, you don’t have to worry about your sensitive data to be jeopardized. Cybercriminals feed on unencrypted financial data, credentials, and internet connections when you use a public WI-FI. As you can see, a VPN is a kind of magic pill that makes all those worries go away. Besides, ISP, government, and advertisers have no access to your data as well.
Can you be banned for using a VPN for online poker?
Many online poker grounds block users who utilize a VPN, especially when they can prove that you’re logging from overseas to access games at which you’re not supposed to participate. They mostly do that because it is a way to confiscate any wins. To put it in simple words, it comes in handy for them if it is evident that you’re using a VPN for poker.
To avoid that, you need to be aware of the terms and conditions of the particular website you are playing at. They may also vary from state to state. A poker VPN can be a great tool if used responsibly.
Benefits of paid VPN over free VPN for poker websites
We wouldn’t recommend you to use a free VPN. Free VPNs for poker usually don’t provide a decent security and encryption level, and it is way easier to detect that you’re using a VPN if it is a free one.
Maybe a free VPN will do if you use it for regular Internet browsing, but it is definitely not enough for online gambling. Free VPNs lack suitable encryption, and some of them are even selling their users’ data. I’m not going to get into details, but if you have decided to play poker with a VPN’s help, use one of our list options or do your research.
Is using a VPN for poker sites legal?
If online gambling is officially prohibited in your country, then playing it with a VPN is technically illegal as well. That’s is why you need to use a secure VPN in this case so that it’s next to impossible to track your physical location. It is important to remember, though, that if you’re entering a poker site in a country where it is illegal – you are doing it at your own risk. It is always good to check the current situation and regulations in a country before entering PokerStars.
Can using VPN cause payout issues?
If a poker site catches you entering from a banned location, it will be considered a violation, and they will have the right not to pay you your winnings and block your account. But if you’re using a good VPN with essential features like kill switch, DNS leak protection, and so on, you will ensure that your location is protected and safely get your winnings.