The legality of online poker in America has been a thorny issue and a continuous source of pain for fans of the game. For years, the players have had to make life-altering decisions, moving to new states just to be able to play the game they love. Yet, there might be a silver lining as the landscape for legal online poker in the US is finally beginning to shape, painting a broader, more accessible online ecosystem for everyone.

Presently, there are six states that allow you to play poker online, including Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. Now, Michigan and West Virginia have yet to launch their operations, so put a pin in that.

However, online poker traffic notched up a 200% increase in March, 2020 and quite a few states already pushing for launching their own online poker card rooms, including, California, Virginia, and even Hawaii.

Online Poker Will Be Huge in 2021

The temporary lockdown in the first half of 2020 of all land-based casinos and sportsbooks didn’t quite hurt poker the way many feared it would. On the contrary, players found their way to online card rooms and the stay-at-home measures spiked bigger traffic.

States That Will Eventually Offer Legal Online Poker West Virginia and Michigan West Virginia became the fifth US state to legalize online poker in March 2019. The launch of the state’s online poker platforms could happen by 2021.

So much that established cardrooms with online activities not only didn’t suffer too much from the fallout, but even saw an uptick in new registration and players coming back to dust old accounts and join in online poker tournaments.

While the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down legislative proceedings, it has illuminated the huge potential of online poker with as many as 10 states that are now pushing to have Internet poker fully legalized. Meanwhile, Michigan, is closer than ever to see its industry set up, with the launch expected for early 2021. West Virginia still hasn’t got any companies trying to set their shops up there.

• Online poker in New York is still awaiting legalization. Although there have been some positive movements in the Senate in 2016, it seems that interest in the Assembly is quite lacking. New York is one of the most interesting potential states for legalized online gambling simply because of the size and influence it holds.
• The legality of online poker is a thorny issue that’s perplexed players, politicians and even operators from the earliest days of online poker. These days the laws are much clearer than they used to be and for the most part it’s easy to enjoy poke.

Admittedly, 2020 may not quite bring the expected results, but fast forward to 2021, and we will most likely see a tremendous spike in the states that offer regulated poker. But for now, you can still find the best legal options from Online Poker America, the people’s choice for USA poker rooms.

Passing Laws in Some States Will Slow Down

While a nation-wide lockdown has served as the basis to show an alternative way of participating in poker games, it has also done damage to the legislative potential in some states.

For example, in New York State, lawmakers will not take up the issue of legalizing online poker for probably another two years. The reason is that the state was the most heavily affected by the recent healthy crisis that has spread across the United States.

Such drawbacks are to be expected and the Empire State may need to wait a little, but others surely won’t. With the traffic jumping to a whopping 200% increase in March globally, in the United States alone.

Traffic Picks Up, Can the Industry Make a Comeback?

Meanwhile, 888 Holdings, the operator of 888poker, said that they saw a 60% jump in online traffic in April alone. The uptake in daily poker activity has been attributed to the current state of affairs which has seen many people cooped up in their homes and turning to the hobby.

Similar numbers were reported for both the sports betting and casino arms of the company. The question that now lies ahead of the industry is whether it can restore itself back to its former glory. Online poker was first attacked in 2006 with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIEGA) which led to Black Friday on April 15, 2011.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in the United States v. Scheinberg case, deciding that the owners of the three largest online poker giants, to name PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Cereus had violated UIEGA, suspending online poker indefinitely.

However, some states, including Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada were quick to adapt again. Interestingly, PokerStars has made a big return in the US with its co-founder, Isai Scheinberg recently pleading guilty to have knowingly run a multimillion-dollar unlawful internet gambling business.

Bigger Fish to Fry

While online poker in America is really picking up by the looks of it, there are still some challenges to address. For example, even according to the most optimistic forecasts, some 10 states are going to have legalized Internet poker in the next two or three years.

In other words, there will be some 40-odd states out there which will most likely see their players continue to turn to offshore cardrooms. While those cardrooms have been scurrying to establish a better name and reputation for themselves, there are no guarantees they can provide the same level of authority and security as can state-based and regulated ones.

So, the real question hat poker in America has ahead of it is how to bring every on board. One could take an example from sports betting, which has become quite popular throughout as many as 20 states now, and for a good reason, too.

Everyone loves sports and while sports betting is more a “game of chance,” than it is a “game of skill,” poker still seems to attract a more negative connotation when the game is mentioned.

Online Tournaments Will Get Bigger

As much of the community joins online, card rooms will have the funds to host massive multi-million tournaments similar to WSOP and its $300 million cash prize. Only this time, people would be able to participate from their homes and do so legally.

Reaching the multi-million tournaments online is already a reality. PokerStars and partypoker are hosting all sorts of huge events you can play in legally, providing you are based in a state where the activity is recognized by the state’s legislation and regulators.

It’s not going to be easy, but the next decade will cement the status of online poker in America like never before.

If you live in the US or you are traveling to the US and you want to play online poker, you might be a bit intimidated by the legal implications. The legal system in the US is complex and the laws differ from one state to another.

If you don’t know where to begin, this is your survival guide. By the end of this article, you will have learned everything you need to know about where you can and cannot play, how to play on offshore sites, what to expect in the future, and a lot more.

Is Online Poker Legal in the US?

This is the most frequently asked question on the Internet about online poker legality in the US. Unfortunately, due to the complexity of the US legislative system, there is no simple answer to it.

On the federal level, online poker is completely legal, no matter what some other guides out there state. However, the situation is a bit different on the state level. Individual states have the right to decide whether they want to explicitly legalize online poker or prohibit it.

In the majority of states, online poker is still not officially regulated. However, there are some exceptions. For example, Washington, Utah, and Louisiana explicitly prohibit their residents from playing online poker. If you decide to do it, you will be committing a felony.

However, so far, there have been zero online poker arrests. Absolutely no one has been prosecuted for playing poker online. Therefore, it is safe to say that you can play online poker if you live in one of these states without any major issues.

On the other hand, five states so far have legalized online poker:

• Nevada
• New Jersey
• Delaware
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia

Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware were the first three states to give their residents full freedom of engaging in online poker games. Thanks to the latest 3-state online poker pooling, players from these three states can now compete against each other online.

Which States May Soon Legalize Online Poker?

As you can see, right now, the majority of the states still haven’t legalized online poker. However, in the near future, things are bound to change for the better.

Right now, four more states are considering making online poker legal: California, New York, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

The state of New York has already introduced legislation to change the categorization of poker from a game of chance to a game of skill. This will basically make the game legal in the state.

Most people are keeping an eye on California, as it’s the biggest state with almost 40 million inhabitants. California has introduced many gambling and poker bills during the last couple of years, but all of them stranded, because of differences between stakeholders as the Indian tribes. As the tribes are not willing to compromise, legislation of online poker in California is not going to happen this year.

How to Check if a Poker Website Is Legal?

If you live in one of the five states where online poker is explicitly legal, you should pay attention to the websites where you choose to play. Unlike in Europe where there are numerous iGaming regulatory bodies that can issue licenses to gambling websites, that’s not the case in the US.

There is usually just one regulatory body per state that is allowed to issue licenses. Therefore, before registering and playing on a website, you should check what the name of that regulatory body is and whether your preferred site is licensed by it.

If you want to expand your choice of online poker websites you can play on, there’s another option — offshore sites.

Can US Players Visit Offshore Online Poker Sites?

In case you live in a state that has still not officially legalized online gambling, you can explore your options of playing online poker on offshore websites.

Many believe that playing poker on websites that operate outside of the US is illegal. However, that’s not the case. This belief is based on the UIGEA act passed in 2006 that prohibits offshore websites from offering their services to US residents.

Will Online Poker Be Legal In Us

However, this law does not prohibit US residents from playing on such websites. The legality of playing online as an individual is simply unregulated.

However, there are still some concerns you should be aware of. When playing poker on offshore websites, make sure that you do it on reputable, reliable, and licensed sites. In case you fall victim to fraud, you will not be able to seek protection from your local government.

Also, you should keep in mind that it might be more difficult to find deposit and withdrawal options in such cases. This is because a lot of banks do not allow gambling-related transactions using their credit and debit cards as they could face punishment from the government.

Is Online Poker Legal In Usa Now

What Are the Most Popular Games Played Online?

Is Online Poker Legal In Us

Online poker sites in the US have a pretty decent selection of poker games. The most popular one, of course, is No-Limit Texas Hold’em. This is the preferred poker variation of US residents, which is why it is offered by every poker website in the country. Other popular poker variations include Pot-Limit Omaha and No-Limit Omaha. Omaha Hi-Lo and Limit Hold’em are not that popular but can still be found.

However, if you decide to play on offshore websites, you will gain access to an even larger selection of games. All websites will offer the variations listed above, but you can also expect to find Raz, 5-card draw, H.O.R.S.E., 7-Card Stud, and so on.

Will Online Poker Be Legal In Usa Online

Final Thoughts

Will Online Poker Be Legal In Usa Now

To sum up, the legality of online poker in the US is not a simple topic. Hopefully, after reading this article, things are much clearer to you. You should now have a clear idea of what is allowed and what’s not.

Generally, you should not have any reservations toward playing online poker on offshore websites, in case your state has still not legalized it. Just make sure to be cautious about your safety when doing so to avoid potential problems.