New Online Gaming Bill Filed In Wyoming, Includes Poker Poker News
The seizure of the poker sites´ domain names resulted in their closure – PokerStars later going back online in the US so that players could withdraw their funds. The good news for players in the US is that many experts are predicting a domino effect when states that are currently sitting on the fence realize the tax revenues that can be generated from online poker. There is no federal law that prohibits players from playing poker for real money online in the US.
The laws are almost always in a state of flux, and as of 2026, only a handful of states have fully legalized online poker. Use this US legal poker tracker to quickly check whether your state allows regulated online poker, prohibits it, or sits in a gray area. To date, there are no recorded cases of U.S. players prosecuted solely for using offshore poker sites. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) primarily applies to operators and payment processors, rather than players. These sites are not regulated by U.S. authorities but often continue to accept American players, depending on state restrictions. Some U.S. players access poker through offshore online platforms licensed in jurisdictions such as Curaçao, Malta, or the Isle of Man.
The Current Landscape of iGaming Legislation
House Bill 106 (2023), a recent legislative effort that attempted to add Kentucky to the list of states with legal poker, was unsuccessful. Without legislative momentum, Idaho will likely remain closed to poker sites for the foreseeable future. Legislative efforts to legalize or regulate poker have been nonexistent in recent years. Hawaii maintains a total prohibition on gambling, both online and offline.
At first sight, intrastate poker would appear to be immune from such provisions, until one recognizes that the internet doesn’t work like that. District Court Judge Paul Barbadoro issued a summary judgment that the Wire Act “is limited to sports gambling.” In the final full verdict, The New Hampshire State Lottery Commission won the case. …prohibits gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet and that is unlawful under any federal or state law. The Sports Betting Alliance announced the results of a survey of New Yorkers in January about their views on online gaming, online lottery sales, and the state’s expected 2024 budget deficit. Casino unions have expressed opposition to online gaming in the state.
They became the third state to legalize online poker and remain one of the largest online poker markets in the United States. In 2019, New Hampshire lawmakers approved a bill legalizing sports betting in the state. This means that the state has set forth some rules regarding who can and cannot play online poker, as well as how it will be controlled and monitored. As one of the most gambling-averse states, there are very few states further away from legalizing online gambling than Nebraska.
- Seidel isn’t only concerned with his ability to continue making a living by playing cards.
- Most of Massachusetts’ gaming sphere might be new, but it’s showing rapid progression with its land-based casinos and sports betting.
- As with many less populous states, involvement in a multi-state compact would likely be required in order for any future regulated online poker sites in Maine to draw sufficient player numbers.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was next to formally legalize Internet gaming in the Garden State, and the home of Atlantic City’s land gaming casinos opened up legit online gambling sites in the Fall of 2013. While the West Virginia legal code contains laws relating to video gaming terminals, table games, and other forms of state-authorized gambling, there’s no mention of online poker. What’s frustrating to online poker players and the online poker industry is that none of this implicates legal online poker at all.
Illinois’s well-established gaming industry and generally liberal gambling laws make it a potential candidate for legalization, but the timing is still up in the air. The Idaho State Lottery oversees limited gaming, but no statute authorizes peer-to-peer card play, and playing poker for real money is explicitly illegal under state law. As a result, players who choose to use offshore poker sites do so without state protection or formal avenues for recourse if issues arise. The legalization of online poker is unlikely until lawmakers reach a consensus on a framework that aligns with tribal interests.
PokerNews.com is the world’s leading poker website. He really likes this casino The Nevada Gaming Control Board is a mulling a change to its policies in light of siding with a serial trespasser when a casino would not pay him a jackpot he won. According to ABC 8 News, Petersburg officials have submitted a request to the state General Assembly to hold a casino referendum in 2025. But now, employees at Resorts World casino in Queens are expressing their anger about it, signing a letter to the politician to let… Read more » On Tuesday, Ramos issued a statement saying that she will not introduce legislation to allow for the rezoning of parkland to make… Read more » New York State Senator Jessica Ramos has effectively blocked a proposal from New York Mets owner Steven Cohen to build a casino to build a casino next to the Mets’ stadium, Citi Field.
“The success of the spring championship reaffirmed what makes The Venetian Resort a premier destination for tournament poker,” said Tommy LaRosa, director of poker operations at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. That being said, there are other sites available in different parts of the United States, including America’s Cardroom. It’s unclear to the poker media whether West Virginia has reached out to other states in the multi-state association to request approval from current member states. Operators will be able to link their sites across state lines as soon as Michigan signs the agreement. In April 2022, the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association announced that New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware approved Michigan’s entry. The platform will offer official online Texas hold’em and Omaha WSOP bracelet events in the summer of 2022.
Online casinos are legal in some of the states that border Ohio (for example Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan) so Ohioans can legally play online poker by crossing into any of those states. New Jersey lawmakers legalized online poker and other forms of internet gaming in 2013. As a result, poker players in Michigan have a choice of various live and online poker options, and the state’s involvement in a multi-state compact allows it to share players with various other states. As with many less populous states, involvement in a multi-state compact would likely be required in order for any future regulated online poker sites in Maine to draw sufficient player numbers. The state’s lawmakers knew that these offerings would combine well with legal live poker at the racetrack casinos (racinos) in the state, which also offered table games and video lottery terminals.
Engel says that while even he’s not necessarily comfortable playing these games in their rare big-bet form, who really is? Triple draw games like deuce-to-seven, ace-to-five and badugi, also traditionally played fixed-limit, get the big-bet treatment too. While stud games are almost exclusively played with fixed limits, no-limit versions are available here. The Thai player, who entered the day with just over $22K in Hendon Mob-reported earnings, opened to five big blinds from a 14-big-blind stack with ac,td. For some reason, neither was inducted in the first year in a long time when there was an opportunity to induct more than one player. Legal live poker is available at properties including the Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln and the Tiverton Casino Hotel in Tiverton.
We’ve got five states (NJ, Nevada, Delaware, Michigan, PA) running regulated poker, each with their own hoops, and everywhere else either no option or offshore rooms with zero safety nets. Now, nearly twenty years later, U.S. online poker still looks like a mismatched fabric. The bill also notes that seven states in total have already legalized online gaming, with most of those states in close proximity to New York. New York quickly became the US’s largest online sports-betting state after authorizing it in 2021, with the first live wagering occurring in January 2022.
Is poker legal in Utah?
2020 saw the casino industry worldwide suffer at the hands of the COVID pandemic. This power could be extremely useful in other forms of casino gambling, as well, and guess what? On Friday, iGaming Ontario (iGO) announced the launch date for operators to start offering games is April 4. Beginning Monday, the online gaming world will be set to change in the Canadian province of Ontario.
The legality of online poker in the United States is a question that continues to stir debate, confusion, and legislative action. The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement enables member states to share poker player pools, facilitating cross-state games and larger tournaments. Online poker is live and regulated in Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Many states have also legalised online sports betting in recent years, paving the way for online iGaming markets.
In many U.S. states, online poker falls into a legal gray area. In early 2026, Maine became the ninth state to legalize online poker. Connecticut and Rhode Island have legal frameworks in place, but don’t yet have regulated sites available to play on. Understanding how this system developed is essential for players who hope to participate safely and legally. It does not constitute legal/financial advice or a recommendation to engage in online gambling.
When people remember the boom-era WSOP, they tend to focus on famous players and televised hands. Watching these vloggers and podcasters embrace media as a way to personalize the game has been fantastic to watch, as it gives the players themselves the ability to own the narrative in a way they never really could before. Towards the tail end of my career, as Black Friday’s immediate effects had worn off and people realized the new status quo was never going to be the boom again, players became very wary of the media. So, I liked in my interviews to try and bring players opportunities to express themselves without worrying if it was going to give away crucial information about how they thought about the game. What did interviewing them face-to-face reveal that the public version of those players concealed? I can promise you, more often than not, the voice in the meetings speaking up for the players was Seth’s.
That leaves the state of online poker in the other 44 states up in the air. Before long, states all across the country were offering both live and online sports-betting options. For example, sports betting was banned by law in most states for decades, but a change in the interpretation of the Wire Act ultimately changed the landscape.
Will they back iGaming legislation or fight it, as Encore has done in neighboring Massachusetts? More gambling is a difficult sell right now, and most pundits expect little movement on iGaming from U.S. states in 2026. The current political climate, however, doesn’t seem favorable to near-term gambling expansion.
This site shares a player pool with other states such as New Jersey and Delaware. The gambling hub of the US, and perhaps the entire world, Nevada hosts more than 300 casinos. Years of online poker bill attempts led to a successful foray in 2019. Casino gambling, including live poker, has long been confined to riverboats and racetracks in Louisiana.
Considering these complications, online poker is not likely to find consensus anytime soon. There have been serious conversations in the past about regulating online poker, though a 2021 compact negotiation almost immediately dropped online poker. Should Connecticut join an intra-state compact and share players with other states, such as that in operation across states like Michigan and New Jersey, things could change.
Some senators expressed an interest in regulating sweepstakes casinos rather than banning them, a move favored by the industry. HB 1052 would prohibit sweeps platforms from offering slots, video poker, table games, lottery, bingo, or sports wagering. Several states implemented new initiatives, including releasing regulations, launching sports betting operations, considering new legislation, and shifting regulatory authority. Regulated real-money california online poker remains a distant prospect. California’s legislature framed dual-currency sweepstakes as illegal gambling dressed as social play. When WPT’s sweeps room left two states this fall, it gave players between two weeks and one month to cash out.
The poker legend is also concerned that the new gambling tax policy will put poker pros in a tough situation come tax time. “I love the game of poker. I don’t want to stop playing. And so it is a bit frustrating to be forced to not play these events. And there are some really cool events coming up that I just won’t be able to play. And obviously many, many people are in the same position that I am,” Seidel explained. Seidel has made a living out of playing poker for decades, and he’d like to keep it that way.
With neighboring states benefiting from the games, NH may consider bills in the future. Online poker grew as well, with the governor even signing the interstate agreement to allow partnerships with other states for poker liquidity. The general attitude toward gambling is restrictive, and chances of expansion seem pretty low.
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West Virginia joined in November and is expected to see an operator go live in the state this year. The agreement already includes New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, and Delaware. Addabbo’s bill would allow as many as 10 poker licenses. The original bill called for a 30% tax on the industry.
The most remarkable poker platforms include WSOP/888 Poker Network, Borgata Poker Network, and PokerStars NJ. Launched in 2013, WSOP Nevada shares liquidity with the 888 Poker network in New Jersey & 888 Delaware. Whether these bills gain traction remains to be seen, but having legislation on the table is at least a step in the right direction. But given the state’s recent history, lawmakers may still be hesitant. With fewer than 600,000 residents, Wyoming would struggle to sustain a poker market on its own, so linking up with other states is essential. After all, if passed, this bill would mark the first real attempt to bring sweepstakes gaming under state regulation — a move that could set a precedent for other states.
Although there is a growing list of states where online poker is legal, playing poker on the Internet remains unregulated or illegal in the majority of them, depending on state law. There are now seven players in the state-by-state online poker industry in the States of America. Efforts to legalize online gaming www.pokernewsdaily.com and poker have already been introduced in both the house and the senate and allow the state’s casinos to be licensees (listed as Category 1 license holders for two skins as well as separate branding for online poker).
Addabbo had a brief window in which to add his online-poker bill to the list of bills being considered during the standing committee’s last meeting, on May 14, for the current legislation session. New York, then, could follow the lead of states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania, which both went through periods as standalone states for online poker before later opting to join MSIGA. Ever wonder who is the best poker player in the world?
Residents can only legally play poker in person at licensed casinos, which typically offer poker as a table game, rather than cash games or tournaments. The Arkansas Racing Commission is in charge of land-based casinos and sportsbooks, but all forms of online gambling are explicitly banned. Over the years, Alaska legislators have occasionally discussed gaming revenue opportunities, but bills to legalize poker or online casinos have consistently died in committee.
Since Addabbo introduced SB 9226 as a standalone online-poker measure with other forms of online gambling removed from earlier measures, neither he nor his office have issued any statement specific to the bill. Though vital in the long run for the success of online poker in New York, online poker still only represents a tiny percent of the revenue available from an expansion into casino-style iGaming. Check out our Poker Player of the Year race, as well as years of data of poker player results and casino poker tournament pay-outs. CardPlayer.com is the world’s oldest and most well-respected poker magazine and online gambling guide.