8 States Where Online Poker Is Legal
Wed, Aug 14, 2024
by
CapperTek
Poker is an exhilarating experience, and thanks to online casinos, many players can play and win without ever leaving home. But, gambling remains strictly regulated in the US, with online poker banned in many states.
Fortunately, there are also several states where poker players can legally access online games, which will be discussed in this article.
First, let’s answer the question: Which states have legalized online poker?
As of 2024, there are eight states where online poker is legal:
Connecticut
Delaware
Michigan
Nevada
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
West Virginia
Politics, gaming laws, and the interest of citizens all impact the legality of online poker, and it is up to state governments to decide whether to legalize it or not.
With casinos being the main draw of Las Vegas, it is no surprise that Nevada online poker has been legalized. What may be surprising is that Nevada was not the first state to legalize online gambling - New Jersey claimed this title when certain forms of online gambling were legalized in November 2010. However, Nevada followed suit and also legalized these games in 2010. Nevada was the first state to legalize online sports betting, in 2010.
Online poker was also first legalized in Nevada and Delaware in 2013, followed by New Jersey in the same year. Pennsylvania only got on board in 2017, while West Virginia and Michigan legalized online poker in 2019. The latest states to legalize online poker are Connecticut (2021) and Rhode Island (2024).
Poker legislation remains a hot topic in the US, as more and more citizens are hoping for legalization. Interestingly, sports betting leads the way to lift the ban on other types of gambling. Once a state government starts to consider making online sports betting legal, the discussion of poker and other types of online gambling is sure to follow. That’s often due to sports betting operators pushing to also legalize other games.
The road to online poker legalization has not been a smooth one. On April 15, 2011, players woke up and attempted to log onto their favorite poker platforms, only to find that the United States Department of Justice had shut down all the sites. This day, known as Black Friday, occurred because of a lack of regulation and legalization of these sites. A lack of accountability and transparency meant that players were losing out.
Fortunately, out of the pain caused by Black Friday rose the regulation of online poker in the states mentioned above.
There is a workaround for residents of states where online poker remains banned: offshore casinos. These casino platforms are hosted outside of the US and are therefore not regulated by state laws. Players can access online poker and other casino games on offshore sites without worrying about local legislation.
There is hope for citizens in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Massachusetts too. These states have either expressed interest in lifting the ban on online poker (due to tax revenue) or they have existing physical casinos, meaning the leap to online gaming would not be too far-fetched.
