In the United States, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill in February 2005 to legalize and regulate online poker and online poker card room operators in the state. The legislation required that online poker operations would have to physically locate their entire operations in the state. No federal law specifically prohibits US players from creating online poker accounts and playing for real money online. State laws are more complicated. Most of them fail to directly address US poker sites at all. Only one – Washington State – explicitly designates online poker as a criminal activity.

1. Online Poker Us Laws
2. Legal Us Poker Sites
3. Is Online Poker Legal In Use

Is online poker legal in the USA today? The answer is depends on what state you live in.

State-regulated, real-money online poker is legally available in only a handful of states.

As of July 2020, players in New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Delaware enjoy access to legal online poker sites. Michigan and West Virginia have passed legislation to make online poker legal, but the launch of products is pending in those states.

The following is a brief overview of US states with legal online poker, as well as the specific poker sites that are available in those states.

Click to jump to a section:

The 4 USA States with Legal Online Poker

1. New Jersey

New Jersey hosts the largest legal online gambling industry of any US state.

Players in the Garden State can choose from an extensive selection of legal online casinos and sportsbooks. New Jersey is also one of four US states with online poker.

Online poker launched in New Jersey in November 2013. State-regulated online poker sites in New Jersey include:

WSOP/888 Poker Network

WSOP New Jersey and 888 Poker NJ operate as two different skins, but both contain the same player pool. This player pool also links to WSOP Nevada and the 888 Poker network of poker sites in Delaware.

World Series of Poker online bracelet events can be played through the WSOP/888 New Jersey network.

Borgata Poker Network

Four different poker platforms under the Borgata banner share the same player pool. Players on Borgata Poker, BetMGM Poker, partypoker NJ, and Pala Poker all compete against each other. This New Jersey-only network doesn’t link to any other player pools outside of the state.

The Borgata online poker network includes multiple skins in New Jersey

PokerStars NJ

PokerStars NJ functions as a standalone, New Jersey-only platform. The player pool doesn’t link to any other international or domestic poker client operated by PokerStars.

2. Nevada

WSOP Nevada launched in September 2013, and operates as Nevada’s only legal online poker site. The WSOP Nevada player pool shares liquidity with the WSOP/888 New Jersey network, as well as the 888 Poker network in Delaware.

Online bracelet events for the World Series of Poker are available to play on the WSOP Nevada platform.

3. Delaware

Delaware players enjoy access to one legal online poker platform, operated by 888 Poker. The network incorporates three skins, which include Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway.

Playing on any of the three skins links to the same network. The 888 Poker Delaware network also links to the WSOP Nevada and WSOP/888 New Jersey player pools.

While the player pools are linked, Delaware players cannot play World Series of Poker online bracelet events.

4. Pennsylvania

PokerStars PA launched in November 2019. The platform operates as a standalone site, and only accepts Pennsylvania players. PokerStars PA players are not in a player pool with PokeStars NJ players.

The PokerStars PA platform doesn’t link to any other PokerStars network. The launch adds Pennsylvania to the list of states with legal online poker.

Why Some States’ Players Can Play Together

Poker players in certain legal states get to play together, growing the site player pools, thanks to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.

Delaware and Nevada lawmakers agreed to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) in March 2015. The agreement merged player networks from the 888 Delaware network, and WSOP Nevada.

New Jersey agreed to join the MSIGA in October 2017. The three-state merged platform went live in April 2018, offering shared player liquidity among WSOP Nevada, WSOP New Jersey, and the 888 Poker Delaware network.

The merged network allowed New Jersey players to compete in World Series of Poker online bracelet events for the first time at the 2018 WSOP.

Matthew “Mendy” Mendez became the first player to win a WSOP bracelet while playing outside of Nevada in 2018.

States With Laws Against Online Poker

Indiana

Outside of states with online poker, most other US jurisdictions don’t have laws in place explicitly making online poker illegal.

Indiana is an exception, as online gambling in the Hoosier State is expressly outlawed. State-regulated online sports betting sites operate legally in Indiana, but any kind of online gambling outside of those legal sportsbooks is punishable by law.

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.

Michigan will eventually join the fray as the sixth state with legal online poker. Lawmakers in Michigan signed of on online poker legalization in December 2019, with the launch of products pending.

This win for Michigan players was hard fought. Just days after the initial online poker bill passed back in 2018, outgoing Michigan Governor Rick Snyder vetoed the bill as one of his last acts before his gubernatorial term ran out.

Legalization in Michigan, with its 10-million population, would be a huge victory for supporters of online poker. Snyder’s veto put things on hold in Michigan for a little while, but it’s back on track as of late 2019.

Former Michigan Senator @MikeKowall who led efforts to legalize internet poker/gaming in MI authored a great op-ed that lays out the case for the state legislature to pass a bill again and send to the new Gov (this time with NO VETO) https://t.co/zbHplaZkUR

— Poker Alliance (@ppapoker) January 10, 2019

When online poker is finally up and running in Michigan and West Virginia, operators in those states could eventually sign into the shared liquidity agreements with the other states offering legal poker.

If enough states legalize online poker, a merged player pool among the states could create a legal online poker network that somewhat resembles the pre-Black Friday online poker scene in the U.S.

Looking into the future, PokerStars (already operating in New Jersey and Pennsylvania) has entered into an agreement with US casino operator Eldorado Resorts, Inc., with intentions of operating online poker in 11 other states (Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio and West Virginia).

Of those 11 states, only Nevada and West Virginia have legalized online poker, so the other nine states would have to go through the process of legalization before a hypothetical PokerStars USA network could come to fruition.

Is It Legal To Play On Pokerstars from the U.S?

You cannot legally play on the main PokerStars platform from the U.S.

PokerStars New Jersey and PokerStars Pennsylvania are different, U.S.-regulated poker sites that are legal to play within the state borders of NJ/PA. Its player pool is not connected to the main PokerStars player pool, which operates in many countries and is the world’s largest online poker site.

It’s been nearly a decade since the shutdown of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet, and U.S. players are still waiting and hoping that the online game returns to the glory days of the 2000s at some point.

The “poker boom” of the early 2000s ushered in an era of unprecedented options for online poker within the U.S., but those glory days were numbered after the U.S. government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.

Partypoker, one of the world’s largest online poker operators, quickly shut off access for U.S. players after the UIGEA passed, while PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet continued operating in the country throughout the remainder of the 2000s and became the three largest U.S.-facing poker sites.

On April 15, 2011 (known as Black Friday in the poker community), the U.S. Government seized the domain names of PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker, and U.S. players have had significantly fewer options for online poker ever since.

PokerStars has still thrived in spite of not being able to allow accept U.S. players and is home to the largest online poker player pool in the world. If you live in the U.S., you have to physically relocate to a jurisdiction where PokerStars can legally allow you to play, in order to have access to the site.

Online Poker Sites Operating in a Grey Area

If you’re playing online poker in the U.S. in 2019, chances are you’ve played on the Winning Poker Network, Ignition Casino or Global Poker at some point.

These poker sites, and any other online poker site outside of the legal, regulated sites from Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware, are not technically legally able to offer online poker to U.S. players, but they exist nonetheless.

The Winning Poker Network is a collection of skins that include America’s Cardroom, Black Chip Poker, and True Poker, among others. WPN has been operating since the early 2000s and has continued to be available to U.S. players, even after the passage of the UIGEA and Black Friday shutdown of major U.S. sites in 2011.

Ignition Casino has operated under many names since its inception in 2004, most notably as Bodog and Bovada, before settling in on its current branding. This site offers the largest player pool available to U.S. players.

Global Poker arrived in 2017 with a business model that has players using “Gold Coins” (play money) and “Sweeps Cash” (real money). Players can purchase Gold Coins with real money, and also receive an equivalent amount of Sweeps Cash. It’s basically a loophole that allows them to take deposits.

Playing on any of these grey area sites is a risk. If you decide to do so, make sure you proceed with caution and don’t keep more money on the site than you’re comfortable losing.

Final Thoughts

U.S. poker players want options to play online, and we all would love to see the return of the glory days of the 2000s. It’s important to remember though – the “grey area” poker sites listed above can get shut down by the U.S. government at any time, just as PokerStars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker did on Black Friday.

Let’s hope that the recent DOJ reversal of opinion on the Wire Act is just a hiccup on the way to the rise of a new era for online poker in the U.S. If more states follow the lead of Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia we could one day have access to a shared player pool that makes the U.S. a great place to play online poker once again.

Enjoying online poker while residing in the U.S is not as difficult as one might think. Most online poker sites will turn down any registration from the United States, but there are still several leading poker sites that do indeed accept U.S registrations to this day.

And, contrary to widespread belief, most of them are also operating legally within a regulated and licensed environment. The purpose of this article is to offer you all the information you need to have a safe and secure online poker experience while playing from the U.S.

To start things off; you will need to find a legit online poker site that is both trustworthy and reliable.

Top American Poker Rooms for December 2020All Poker Rooms are Licensed , Mobile Friendly Advertiser Disclosure

Contents

• U.S Legislation and Online Poker
• Frequently Asked Questions

With so many online poker sites available on the World Wide Web, it can be quite a challenging task to separate the good from the bad by yourself. That’s exactly why we decided to publish this article at Top10pokerwebsites to assist you in making a more educated decision before registering with an online poker room.

We’ve tested each online poker room extensively, completed in-depth research into the numerous options available, and compared how each of them performed in a variety of key areas. Only the top performers have managed to make it onto our list, and these don’t just accept customers from the U.S, they generously welcome them with open arms.

Read our comprehensive online reviews surrounding the best U.S facing online poker rooms right here at Top10pokerwebsites. You will find everything from the history of the online poker room to its current reputation. We also go into great detail regarding the poker network, the software used on the site, and the overall graphics you can expect once your account has been registered.

Furthermore, we take an in-depth look at the current welcome package and the on-going promotions on offer and include the wagering requirements tied to each of the spectacular offers. We then dive into the list of deposit and withdrawal options available at each online poker establishment and provide the processing times on each payment method to assist you in choosing the right method for your deposit and withdrawal needs.

Lastly, we give you an honest and unbiased review surrounding the security measures in place at each online poker room and the level of customer service you can expect when dealing with a problem on your account.

U.S Legislation and Online Poker

Online poker in the United States has never been illegal and will probably never be either. While outsiders, and possibly some insiders, will declare that enjoying online poker in the United States is a crime, the reality is that it’s not. Even though it’s virtually impossible for online operators to provide online poker games to U.S players due to certain legal restrictions, online players were never breaking the law by playing at a virtual felt.

When you look at the U.S legislation, online poker encountered several problems when the U.S government decided to implement the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that formed part of the SAFE Port Act. Online poker was thriving before politicians decided to disrupt the online poker community by making it impossible for U.S poker players to deposit. Mainstream advertisements, generous giveaways, and big money tournaments ensured millions of online players enjoyed the virtual edition of poker. However, after the U.S online poker legislation transformed into a ‘grey area’, the total number of players and operators have dropped significantly in the United States.

Fortunately, that dark grey cloud is starting to disappear and things in the United States are beginning to look a lot brighter. To get a better understanding of U.S legislation and online poker, let’s look at the main factors, starting with the implementation of the UIGEA to the changes that are currently taking shape in the United States when it comes to poker regulation.

What is the UIGEA?

In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was passed, outlawing the processing of funds between U.S citizens and online poker establishments. This made it almost impossible for online poker players to play online. Although the bill excluded wagers between tribal gaming operators and fantasy sports betting, it essentially rendered the entire online poker economy of the U.S obsolete.

After this U.S legislation piece came into effect, the online poker community took a serious nosedive as most online poker operator’s in the North American market had to pull out. In fact, not only did the poker economy in the U.S suffer but the overall industry too. However, even though online operators were facing legal repercussions, there were no online poker players that were being prosecuted. Therefore, although the UIGEA made it impossible for poker sites to process gaming funds, players were not being arrested if they played online. This made it possible for a handful of operators to remain active in the United States.

Black Friday

Even though the online poker sites that remained active in the U.S were technically banned from hosting real money poker games due to the U.S poker legislation, the online operators continued to argue that they weren’t actually doing anything wrong. This defence managed to keep them safe from the DOJ’s firing line for a couple of years. However, in 2011, three major online poker sites, including Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars were shut down.

This momentous day in the history of online poker is now referred to as Black Friday which sent the online poker community into a downward spiral. With online players from the U.S facing lengthy delays before they could get their funds, the poker industry suffered its second significant slump. In fact, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars had to pay a hefty fine to the DOJ to remain operational, and have a chance at re-entering the U.S market in the future.

Absolute Poker, at the time, was, unfortunately, unable to meet the demands of the DOJ and went into liquation with Full Tilt Poker also struggling. Luckily, PokerStars managed to build an enormous fortune and not only paid the DOJ, but also managed to cover Full Tilt Poker’s fine as well. This gave the Rational Group, a parent company to PokerStars, take full control of Full Tilt Poker.

Online Poker in the U.S: Then and Now

Prior to the UIGEA and Black Friday dealing powerful blows to the online gaming industry, online poker was an impressive enterprise. Investors, operators, and players all enjoyed several years of prosperity. The most notable aspect, prior to the U.S legislation of online poker, was how easy the games were as poker is a mainstream game and considered a national pastime with casual players being common.

Unfortunately, the U.S legislation caused professional players to stay and the fish to swim away. This developed a significant rise in the way online poker is being played, and therefore made it much harder for inexperienced players to be profitable.

However, as time goes by, the U.S climate has gradually started to change for the better. Although you could play online poker at a couple of dark corners of the internet over the last few years, there seems to be some much-needed light at the end of the tunnel. Online poker is still far from being a regulated industry when it comes to the U.S legislation. However, things are starting to look a lot more positive when compared to how they once were.

Online poker in the U.S initially sat with regulation at a federal level, but it has recently been taking shape on a state-by-state basis, allowing U.S players to gain access to the virtual game once again. Despite this being a less effective route of regulating online poker, most online operators are quickly seizing the opportunity by forming partnerships with land-based casinos to re-enter the U.S market.

A New Era

Only three U.S states currently offer regulated online poker, including Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. However, as these markets grow, more governors are starting to exhibit an interest in regulating online poker. U.S states such as Iowa, California, and New York are all looking at the endless benefits of regulated online poker in 2017.

The main reason why U.S states are starting to regulate online poker is the power they enact with their own unique laws. Although the UIGEA is still in place, it will essentially be ruled out once a state passes a bill allowing online gambling in their respective state. For this reason, the likelihood of more states allowing regulated online poker looks promising, giving players access to online poker in the next few months.

In addition, the U.S legislation of online poker is moving towards online gaming at an intrastate level. This allows regulated states to essentially share their players that can link the entire country, and bring a rush of liquidity to the United States. Obviously, international connectivity is still years away. However, if regulators can assist in creating a stable online poker community across America, then a re-entry into the global market will undoubtedly follow.

How about US Online Casinos?

If you are from USA and looking for casino sites to play live dealer blackjack or any casino games have a look at CasinoUSA.com which we highly recommend.

Licensing Jurisdictions

When you do want to start playing poker online it will be dependent on just which US State you are living in or visiting in regards to just which licensing jurisdiction will be overseeing and regulating the poker sites you can legally play at.

Currently there are three US States that have embraced fully online gambling, and as such there are two different licensing jurisdictions that vet each poker site and then issue gaming license to poker sites based n three of those US States.

With that in mind please do pay carefully attention to the following section of this US online poker player guide, and always make sure you only ever play at poker rooms and poker sites that are displaying the logo and gambling licenses of the respective gaming commission or licensing authorities mentioned below depending on which US State you are in and wish to play online poker from.

Failing to follow our advice could see you playing at a poker site that has no safeguards in place in regards to you seeking help and assistance if you do every experience any problems playing at an online poker site.

New Jersey Casino Control Commission – If you live in new Jersey or the neighbouring US State of Delaware then you are going to find that you can legally play at any online poker site that has been granted a full gambling license.

Those sites will therefore be run and operated to the very highest of industry standards and you will be assured that every single poker game or online poker tournament you take part in is offering 100% fair and random games, and you will of course have no troubles getting pad your winnings speedily too.

Nevada Gaming Control Board – If you are living within the State boundaries of Nevada then you will be pleased to learn that there are now numerous online poker sites that have all applied for and have been granted a full online gambling license.

That is of course the very same gaming control board that licenses, regulates and oversees the running of all licensed gambling venues and casinos throughout Nevada and as such all sites that have obtained and have been granted one of their licenses is very highly regulated.

Costa Rica – If you live in any other US State other than the three mentioned above then you will be more than welcome to sign up to any online poker site that hold a Costa Rica license to operate.

There will be quite a number of different poker sites offering you all manner of poker games and poker tournaments licensed and regulated in Costa Rica and as such you will have no difficulties finding such a poker site online. However, do make sure you take a look at our range of approved poker sites licensed in Costa Rica as we have picked all of them out based on their track records.

Curaçao eGaming – One final online gambling licensing jurisdiction that has issued licenses to quite a number of online poker sites that are available to play in most US States is Curaçao, and those sites will allow you to fund your poker site accounts using US Dollars and will also allow you to play in any of their poker games or poker tournaments using US Dollars too.

You’ll be guided on how to access poker games in the United States, as well as the different game variants available. Whether you’re a Texas Hold ‘em fan or enjoy the challenge of H.O.R.S.E poker, there is a site out there for you.

Read on for to find the best US online poker room that checks all your boxes for the ultimate gaming site.

Frequently Asked Questions

This final part of our guide to licensed and legal US online poker site is dedicated to getting you the answers to a range of different questions that we do know many poker players will be seeking, if they have not yet experienced the delights of playing poker online.

All of the questions listed below are answered fully, and as such do have a good read through all of them as you are bound to find those answers of interest. Also do consider taking a look at our individual US poker site reviews as you will find a plethora of additional information in regards to what each of those sites has to offer you too.

You will find that when you sign up to any of our top rated US player friendly online poker sites then you will be able to play on both their online poker playing platforms and also on any mobile apps or mobile web compatible poker platforms those sites have on offer, if they do offer a mobile poker playing platform that is!

Your online or mobile log in details will work on both platforms and as such that does of course mean you will not have to register again to use the other type of platform!

We have spent a great deal of time picking out and selecting just which poker sites to showcase to all of our US based website visitors and with that in mind you should have no problems what so ever being able to play poker at our featured and approved poker sites!

One thing that we are aware of and one thing that you as a player may also be more than aware of is that when you sign up to some online poker sites that cater for US players you will not have the option of picking form a very large range of different depositing options, and as such you may be limited in regards to what banking options you can pick and choose from.

However, it has been found that by using a pre paid debit type card which you can buy form a lot of retail outlets you will have a much greater approval rate and success rate when using such a card to make a deposit, so please do consider using such a deposit option for a hassle free way of playing real money poker online!

We are pleased to let you know that every single one of our featured online poker sites are going to allow you to find your poker site account using a range of different banking options, and one of the main attractions of selecting one of our featured sites is that your deposit you make into your account will be done so in US Dollar.

Some online poker sites will force you to have to make deposits in a different currency other than USD and those sites should always be avoided as there will be lots of charges and extra fees you will have to pay when not only depositing into those poker sites but when you wish to make a withdrawal too!

Online Poker Us Laws

It will be dependent on just which method you have chosen o get paid your winnings by in regards to just how long you are going o have to wait to get pad out your winnings at any US player friendly online or mobile poker site, so always pick a method that will allow the poker site you have played at and have won at that will allow that site to pay you in the very fastest possible time frames!

US based online and mobile poker players do have a huge range of different poker tournaments that they can take part in and enter, both mobile and online US player friendly poker sites have plenty of tournaments up and running throughout the day and night.

If you are living in the US and want to find out just when any poker sites poker tournaments are up and running then visit the poker sites websites and take a good look through the poker tournament schedule as that will enlighten you on how every poker tournament has been structured and designed and when it will be going live too.

Competition is of course very strong between online poker site that offer US players a range of different poker games and poker tournaments and a such you are going to find there are some very high valued sign up bonuses and ongoing bonuses that you are going to be able to claim when you sign up to any poker site online.

However, as part of our selection process for picking out US player friendly poker sites we have made sure that every single poker room and poker site we present to you have its own unique poker rewards scheme in place. As such based on the level of real money poker playing action you give any of our featured US player friendly poker site you will be earning additional comps and bonus credits too.

The licensing commissions and gaming authorities insist that both free play poker games and the real money version of those game much play and pay in the exact same way except when playing for free you will be winning demo mode credits, unless you play in a freeroll poker tournament!

Legal Us Poker Sites

There are not that many brand new poker game variants being launched online or at any mobile poker sites and as such you may not find a large number of brand new poker game variants being offered to you.

However, all of our featured and top rated online poker sites will of course give you access to every type of poker game you can think off and you may occasionally find some brand new types of poker games available to you at some of our selected and approved US player friendly online poker sites!

One final thing worth knowing is that even if you are living in the US you are going to get access to just as many very high valued poker site bonuses players based in any other country of the world, and all of our featured and approved US player friendly poker sites will be giving you access to both huge and generous new player welcome sign up bonuses and also a range of ongoing bonuses too..

Is Online Poker Legal In Use

So look around and do make use of those generous poker bonus offers as soon as you possible can do as they are all there for the taking and you can claim them all with no delays too!