Online Gaming Bill Could Be Revived In New York Poker News
Ohio does not authorize or legislate for state-governed online poker yet. The North Dakota Attorney General’s Office enforces state gambling laws, which permit only charitable and tribal gaming. Recent legislation, House Bill 347 (2023), focused on sports wagering, excluding poker. Meanwhile, many turn to offshore providers, including poker sites catering to New Yorkers, which offer a wide variety of tournaments and cash games. More recently, Senate Bill 2614 was put forward for online casinos. Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. continues to sponsor bills like Senate Bill 9226 (2024) to authorize Internet poker and casino gaming.
This can be extremely difficult if online providers are required to have a bricks-and-mortar casino presence in all the licensing states. The recent ruling confirming that the Wire Act only applies to sports bets hopefully takes this potential speedbump out of the road to both intrastate and interstate poker. It’s perfectly possible for a player in Nevada to “transmit” their intention to raise to $3.50 and have that transmission wander into California before getting to the WSOP.com servers back in Nevada.
The bill covers a wide range of gambling topics, including online poker and casino games. Every other state, through lotteries, DFS, online sports betting, or full-on casinos (online or live), has established regulatory… Read more » Ideally, numerous states would pass online poker legislation and then enter into an interstate compact allowing them to join their player pools, much like the lottery system in the USA.
In other words, operators would need to clear $66 million in gross gaming revenue for the first five years (about $13 million per year). Online poker would be taxed at a 15% rate, but operators would have to pay a whopping $10 million one-time fee for licensing. If a repeal isn’t in the works, it could spell trouble for the entire poker industry.
Still, it could be a significant market if it’s allowed to share player pools with other states. It wasn’t until 2021 that WSOP/888poker and BetMGM/partypoker launched poker sites in Pennsylvania. Ultimate Gaming and Betfair were two of the original sites that failed to prosper enough to continue doing business, but 888poker and WSOP merged their sites to compete with Borgata/PartyPoker. Rush Street’s acquisition of Run It Once Poker provides the poker base for Delaware’s new poker product, but there was no indication as to a launch date. The end of the year saw a deal with Rush Street Interactive, which relaunched casino games in early 2024.
Online gambling is not covered directly by state gambling law. While igaming could be a median solution, most in the legislature are unwilling to even discuss it. Law is clear regarding poker but less so when it comes to the online version of the game.
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.
Coordination with commercial and tribal operators would be needed for any expansion on this. Live gambling is restricted to a few racinos, bingo halls, and a state lottery. Poker and other forms of iGaming have occasionally been the subject of legislative attempts to legalize. Given Hawaii’s historical opposition, legalization is extremely unlikely in the near future. Lawmakers consistently cite social and economic concerns about introducing gambling. Occasional proposals, such as House Bill 2422, have sought to establish a gaming commission, but have failed.
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In 2016, a bill that would’ve allowed the New York State Gaming Commission to grant up to 11 online poker licenses and expanded poker licenses beyond land-based casinos in New York made it through the New York Senate before the Assembly shot it down. Live poker has been legal at land-based casinos in New York since lawmakers passed Upstate NY Economic Development Gaming Act in 2013. “These games are considered to be complex forms of poker which involve player strategy and decision-making and which pit the skill levels of the players against each other,” states the bill. If Illinois and Connecticut end up joining the interstate online poker compact, all MSIGA member states would total more than 42 million, providing a much larger player pool.
While Poker Stars had the best of two worlds, leveraging their American player pool to attract European and global players, European plcs had a very frustrating time competing, while also positioning for the early stages of regulation. Besides the cash grab, US authorities were able to claim admission of illegal gambling, bank fraud, wire fraud… but the reality is these were non-consequential pleas designed to give the impression underlying laws were successfully enforced. For most of the early years of online poker it seemed a U.S. federal bill was introduced, only to die each year as sessions adjourned. It was on November 20, 2002 the Federal Wire Act as it relates to poker (and casino) was finally tested in a significant U.S. court and it was positive news for the industry.
Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach), a leading advocate for regulated real money igaming in the state, introduced SB 2614 on Tuesday, January 21. The commission would oversee all aspects of the gambling industry, which is currently regulated by three different agencies. “Moneys in the fund shall be used solely for the purposes of distributing equal monthly payments to casino gaming operators licensed to operate a casino gaming establishment in the eligible host cities,” the bill notes. Under the plan, operators would be licensed in partnership with brick-and-mortar casinos.
Unfortunately, with so little clarity in many cases, this is essentially equivalent to the prediction that more than half these states will have regulated online poker within that time frame; precisely which states is fuzzier. The “probable” category includes all states where we anticipate a better than 50% chance these states will pass legislation to regulate intrastate online poker within 3-5 years. U.S.-facing online poker sites report that they have customers from all fifty states. Even in states like Washington where simply having online poker software on your computer is a class C felony, nobody has even been charged with violating the law. Below we list the states offering online poker, and give our best guess as to how likely each remaining state is to pass legislation regulating online poker. However, if one’s goal is to see federal regulation of online poker, many have pinned their hopes on legalization in individual states producing the required pressure for such action to take place.
- She has included poker and blackjack in some physical venues as part of her 2026 budget proposal, just like she did last year.
- Addabbo had hoped the original bill, which legalized online casino, poker, and lottery sales, would help offset some of that.
- This is not the first time New York lawmakers have attempted to bring online poker to their state.
- Against this background of chicanery and chaos, we also have state legislation (or a complete absence thereof) concerning online poker.
The online gaming sites launched in November 2013, and a brief testing period led to open sites for all people within the borders of New Jersey. New Jersey was the first state of the initial three to consider online gambling. South Point then launched its site, Real Gaming, in February 2014 but never gained any traction or enough players to be a viable competitor. More states continue to debate the issue and examine bill proposals each year, but only Rhode Island has authorized state-licensed online poker since then. The future of online gambling in the state is constantly in flux. Virginia has yet to commit to a specific legislative approach to online gambling.
The U.S. poker legislation landscape continues to shift as more states explore regulation and shared player pools. All other states either have legislation against online gambling or don’t yet have a regulatory framework. West Virginia legalized online casino gaming in 2019 through the Interactive Wagering Act (HB 2934).
One of only a few states in America to legalize and regulate online gambling, including online poker. This guide breaks down online poker laws by state, so you can quickly see where you can play and what the rules look like where you live (or travel). Supporters also believe legalization will move players from unregulated sites to a more protected environment. Although these sites have never been able to command the sort of traffic that was witnessed prior to Black Friday, they still provide a viable – and legal – alternative to not playing online poker at all!
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.
Its lack of clarity and jeopardization of many states’ revenue streams required legal action. The New Hampshire Lottery Commission and its online platform provider, NeoPollard, sued the US Justice Department and then-US Attorney General William Barr in 2019 to overturn the latest Wire Act memo. In 2011, the US Department of Justice rendered a legal opinion changing the scope of the Wire Act. And eventually, a request by New York and Illinois put the Wire Act up for reconsideration, as the states wanted to use the internet to sell lottery tickets via out-of-state transaction processors. Scheinberg and the US authorities came to an agreement in 2020 for him to plead guilty to one violation of the Illegal Gambling Business Act (IGBA), pay fines, and move on.
Nevada was first to the party, followed by New Jersey and Delaware. First, the principle of deseutude means that laws like the one in Washington may now be impossible to enforce anyway. In Nevada, for example, a licensed dispensary can sell marijuana and the purchaser can legally possess it, despite both aspects of this transaction being a federal crime. The situation is paralleled by the ongoing question of marijuana legislation.
No internet licenses pertaining to poker have been authorized by the Indiana Gaming Commission, which regulates gambling activities. In 2014, a tribal casino opened a live poker room, only for the state to eventually shut it down, effectively ending live poker in Idaho. The legal foundation required to permit or regulate online gaming is absent from the state.
“I think it could affect gambling big time, in all gambling. If approved, the plan would go into effect immediately as an emergency law. Another bill, SD 2428, filed in the state senate by Sen. Jacob Oliveira (D) would also ban wagering on elections.
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Unfortunately, they have to travel up north to Michigan if they want to play on a regulated site. According to state law, the game is deemed illegal and that isn’t going to change any time soon. Hawaii, along with Utah, is one of two states that has no form of legalized gambling.
The state already allows for brick-and-mortar casinos and sports betting, and Davis believes online casinos in Wyoming aren’t a major departure from those activities. Since President Trump signed the federal statute into law on July 4, several poker players stepped forward. Still, New Jersey is a great state for online poker, given that many online poker rooms are available in the state, thanks to the presence and profile of Atlantic City casinos.
As with West Virginia, online poker sites appear to be waiting for Connecticut to enter the multi-state agreement. After Connecticut lawmakers approved a bill to legalize online gaming, Gov. Ned Lamont signed it into state law in May 2021. Operators will need to partner with a land-based casino and apply for licenses to allow people to play poker in the state under the new law. Due to COVID-19, lawmakers in the Wolverine State were too focused on health safety guidelines and the economy to worry about the online poker bill they passed late in 2019. Another two years passed before Michigan became the fifth state in 2019 to legalize online poker.
Many states struggle with various issues related to online poker sites, such as defining whether it is a game of skill or chance and if collecting rake is illegal. The poker industry in live settings, such as cardrooms and brick-and-mortar casinos, is thriving in the United States. Since the US Supreme Court ruling, dozens of states legalized sports betting in some form – live, mobile, online, or a combination.
Montana adheres to its history as a wild West state when it comes to gambling law, holding a unique position as the only state allowing casino-style gambling outside of casinos. At this point, the state sports 30 state-regulated casinos, mostly located on the Gulf Coast and along the river. “Michigan and New Jersey joining forces is great news for our players in these two states, and poker, more generally,” said PokerStars US Managing Director, Severin Rasset, at the time. Despite what was previously a strict stance by Louisiana against online gaming, discussions concerning iGaming regulation began in 2014 when the state kicked off the year by considering an online gambling bill. In 2023, for the fifth consecutive year, legislation was introduced for the regulation of online poker. As an example, a gambling expansion bill introduced in 2014 sought to establish a new casino but also contained an amendment that banned online gambling and classified it as a misdemeanor.
Out of all the work that I did in poker, getting asked to be part of Poker Road Radio was always the work I remember most fondly. I’ve done a couple of one-off gigs with Mori’s (Eslkandni) production team when I still lived in Vegas, and I can imagine a world where I offer my services as a spotter for production for the Main. If they want only the fun and sanitized poker stories, that is what you write.
What we mean by that is poker is a legal game, Indiana residents just can’t legally play it on the internet. Illinois isn’t an anti-gambling state, they just haven’t caught on with the online poker. Even worse, poker players in Idaho don’t have any nearby places to travel outside of Eastern Washington and Northern Nevada (Reno/Tahoe), but those are a bit of a hike.
However, poker operators haven’t launched a site in either Delaware or West Virginia. Under the current Connecticut landscape, the www.pokernewsdaily.com state’s two tribal nations were given exclusivity over online gambling. However, there isn’t an online poker room operating in the jurisdiction.
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One of the least populated states in the country, there are no casinos or racetracks in operation and residents must travel to outside states like Connecticut if they wish to gamble. Some of the best live poker rooms in Texas include the 52 Social Club, Texas Card House, and The Lodge Card Club. The legality of these poker rooms remains under some dispute. Four decades later, Rhode Island also legalized pull-tab lottery games and bingo. Additionally, Pennsylvania has offered legal daily fantasy sports since 2018 and the state also allows horse racing and lotteries, while esports wagering is currently prohibited.
Efforts to legalize online casino gaming in New York have changed with a bill now limited to just poker. Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) lets states pool players, and it’s the only reason the games feel alive. \”The bill uses the same framework in place for mobile sports betting, allowing consumers to safely play in a legal and regulated market while generating a projected $1 billion annually for New York, above and beyond what the state already receives from mobile sports betting.\” New York State Senator and online-gaming proponent Joseph Addabbo has reintroduced legislation that would authorize and regulate several forms of iGaming, including online poker, in the Empire State. Cracking down on sweeps operators may play a role in convincing legislators to get on board allowing legal online gaming into the state.