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Is it legal to play poker online in the US?

There are currently 4 US states that offer legal online–Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

With the official launch of poker online in Pennsylvania, there remains one state that has legalized poker games. West Virginia legalized poker in 2019 but wasn’t really expected to go live until 2020.

The Mountain State, however, has a smaller population, and launching a poker room with a bigger number of players might be difficult without a shared liquidity pool with other USA states.

legal poker online

What is or is not legal in the US?

Playing poker online is not strictly against any US state laws. Therefore, several offshore websites continue to find creative ways around the payment issues created by UIGEA and continue to accept players in the US.

In the years following the 2011 accusations, four states also passed bills legalizing and regulating the activity in locked markets inside state lines. Three of those American states have also signed an agreement to share the player pools.

In the meantime, Global Poker, which only began accepting US players in December 2016, uses sweepstakes and the virtual-currency poker model. As a result, it is not considered gambling, leaving it outside the horizon of the UIGEA.

Where can I play poker online in the US?

Outside of state-licensed poker online websites in Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and also New Jersey, there’s really one legal online poker site for US customers.

Where can I play poker live in the US?

Poker is America’s best casino game. As a result, most states have tribal sites, commercial sites, or card rooms where you can be able to play live poker.

In fact, it’s easier to list the states where you can’t play live poker legally.

  • Utah
  • Hawaii
  • Texas
  • Tennessee
  • New Hampshire
  • Alaska
  • Georgia


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