Multiple States Push for Gambling Expansion and Online Poker Legislation
Large states like California, New York, and Florida — all with huge potential player bases — have failed to pass meaningful poker legislation, despite years of debate. Three more states (West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) created a legal framework for online poker, but have no operations yet. The question is no longer whether online poker should be regulated. Just as importantly, it proved that regulated online poker can scale across state lines when the right conditions are in place. An earlier generalized online-gambling bill, since shelved, was among those listed, but the poker-only SB 9226 was missing from a short list that also touched on self-euthanasia, mass transit, and legalized prostitution measures.
He has called the issue “worthy of consideration.” Some legislators have already expressed support for adding online gaming. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has lent his support to adding online gaming in the state, which could bring in an additional $1 billion per year. Could new tax code end the gambling industry as we know it? You saw poker media evolve from blogs, written updates, and experimental podcasts into official livestreams, social video, and organization-owned content. With only a handful of exceptions, I don’t think any player really struck me as wildly different from how they were on television. Honestly, if Chops hadn’t outlined the vision for others, I don’t think I would have ended up doing as much multimedia as I did because the industry was so stuck in the paradigm of girl in poker video equals ‘hot girl.’
In addition, it gave every state the right to choose how to regulate and legalize online gambling, except for sports betting, should they so choose. In 2006, the first piece of federal legislation related to legal online poker appeared, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Despite developing all of the necessary regulations and issuing licenses to online operators for online casino games, West Virginia saw no operator apply for an online poker license. In late March of 2019, West Virginia officially passed a law to legalize and regulate online gaming, including online poker. As a result, several online casino sites went live in mid-2019, but poker operators remained silent until November neared.
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.
- 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.
- BetMGM Poker ambassador and four-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion Darren Elias said that adding a large market like Pennsylvania “is a huge milestone in continued expansion and provides the opportunity to compete against more players and for larger prize pools.”
- Michigan had the chance to launch state-regulated online poker already in 2018.
- Pennsylvania legalized online poker nearly two years before Michigan, but it has yet to join MSIGA to allow for online poker liquidity.
If it wasn’t clear before, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to US online poker at the moment. Both bills explicitly include online poker, making them some of the most straightforward proposals in recent years. Massachusetts is another state revisiting online poker in 2025, with two separate bills — HD 4084 in the House and SD 2240 in the Senate. If passed, Wyoming could become an interesting addition to the US online poker scene. Wyoming might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of US online www.pokernewsdaily.com poker, but a new bill—House Bill 162—aims to change that.
In the same year Yahoo Games launched Texas Hold’em games for play money which was a very popular portal and instrumental in introducing this new poker variant to the mass market. Connecticut, for instance, still doesn’t have any online poker, largely because it hasn’t yet joined the Multistate Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). To bring online poker to a state with fewer than five million residents requires shared liquidity, for one thing. Online poker for the cardrooms and sports betting for the tribes is a deal that would make sense on paper. That state’s gaming tribes are coming around on the issue of sports betting, but cardrooms wouldn’t support any gaming expansion that doesn’t have anything in it for them.
Proponents argue that allowing authorized virtual poker rooms would increase revenue without necessitating the expansion of physical casinos. There have been several attempts to add poker to the state’s list of iGaming options, including an Act relative to internet gaming (House Bill 4431). HB 17, a significant proposal, aims to permit all forms of online gaming under state supervision, including poker.
Most U.S. states either prohibit poker sites or have yet to address them in law. Nevada and New Jersey led by extending casino industries online, while Utah and Hawaii still ban gambling entirely. Smaller states often struggle to sustain a strong variety of games or prize pools, so MSIGA allows approved states to share player pools while maintaining independent regulation. Poker depends on liquidity, which refers to the number of active players. The state takes an active stance against online gambling, so don’t expect any changes anytime soon.
From preflop chart apps to solvers and ICM calculators, discover the best poker tools in 2026 that you will need in your arsenal. Although presented as a shift away from sweepstakes gaming, the model still uses two virtual tokens and maintains sweepstakes-style prize redemptions and free-entry methods. Formerly operating with Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins — a model similar to Global Poker — the site has transitioned into a poker training platform. ClubWPT Gold has preemptively restructured its platform as California’s ban on dual-currency sweepstakes games takes effect. California’s decision resets the US sweeps poker map and accelerates the migration away from dual-currency mechanics. That shift was tracked earlier this fall when the product realigned games and economics in response to legislative pressure and supplier exits.
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.
In 2024, New York set a record by collecting more than $1 billion in sports betting tax revenue. Addabbo chairs the state’s Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee, and was a backer of mobile sports betting in the state. Together, these examples show that when it’s done right, regulation can move beyond legality to legitimacy, cementing poker’s place as mainstream digital entertainment.
“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.
But one thing that has not kept up is legalizing the live action of a poker game. We have been able to get sports betting legalized in almost 80% of the country. Introduced by Northern Virginia Democrat Marcus Simon on Tuesday, HB161 would place online gambling under the regulatory authority of the Virginia Lottery Board. Banned in Tennessee Three states – Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Iowa – have recently taken legislative action against sweepstakes casino sites as pressure for the sites to comply with state laws ramps up. PokerStars has indicated it may consider launching real money online poker in the state to further strengthen its US network. The House Judiciary Committee in North Carolina has given the green light to a bill that would legalize private poker home games in the state.
Nevada
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.
Because of the ease and speed of deposits, some jurisdictions place legal limits on how much one can deposit on an online gambling site in a day, week, or month. Not totally privatized, actually The long road to legal, privatized online gambling in Ontario is about to end. State gaming regulators argue that sweeps operators are engaged in illegal gambling. But unlike other states, the sweepstakes ban wouldn’t affect poker options for players in the Hoosier State. 2023 follows the trend of expansion within the U.S. gaming industry with a continued focus on sports betting, iGaming, and eSports. When the law takes effect, Sweeps Coins or similar prizes will not be redeemable for cash by California players.
On the other end, the UK’s Gambling Commission (UKGC) sets the gold standard with unified, player-first rules. Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are talking about taxes and player safety. A fragmented player base leads to empty lobbies, longer wait times, and declining engagement. In short, while regulation has moved forward, the U.S. poker map in 2025 is still uneven, and the pressure is on lawmakers to create greater consistency.
In other sweeps gaming news, bills prohibiting the industry also recently advanced in Mississippi and Illinois also ordered operators to cease offering games in the state. Additionally, gaming regulators would publish annual studies on the impact of cannibalization at live casinos. The proposal allows brick-and-mortar casino operators and online sportsbook operators to obtain a five-year license for $1 million. This year, Watson introduced SB885 to legalize online casino games. Lawmakers in Maryland are set to consider online gaming and poker legislation for the third straight eligible legislative session.
Yet the consistent push for legalization highlights growing public demand and a shifting political climate. AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 4 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE STATE LOTTERY (Legis Delaware) Always conduct your own research to ensure legality from your location before placing a wager.
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.
Offshore providers continue to attract the state’s players, offering poker sites to West Virginians that provide access to larger player pools and global competition. As a poker player, understanding online poker regulations in the state will help prevent any confusion over the game’s legitimacy. Utah enforces a constitutional ban on all gambling, making online poker entirely illegal.
Tackling the Sweepstakes Casino Issue
There is also a Bill, S242, for legalizing Poker in land-based casinos on the agenda In fact, the current laws don’t even mention real-money online gaming at all. The New Hampshire Revised Statutes are anything but clear when it comes to the topic of online gambling. Bill SB322 on agenda that could introduce online gambling – but only by way of a voter referendum. With Pence gone, IN becomes a likelier candidate for allowing the existing casino industry to innovate and move business online to prop up flagging revenues. Although Iowa does have a pretty good bricks and mortar betting industry, there are laws in place concerning gambling, and some quite strict punishments for unlawful gambling.
Gov. Gavin Newsom Signs California Sweepstakes Casino Ban Into Law
The online poker bill, which was introduced this week, mentions both Texas Hold’em and Omaha and cites case law that has determined poker to be a game of skill rather than a game of chance. Meanwhile, fellow Democrat David Weprin’s AB 1580 would allow “any person who holds a license to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on premises to allow players to engage in certain recreational contests,” including contests involving poker. Assembly Bill 1380, sponsored by Democratic State Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, would allow “certain interactive poker games (to) be considered games of skill rather than games of luck,” a crucial distinction that would clear the way for New York entering the online poker market. Supporters of the bill noted that many in the state are already gambling using unregulated sites and giving them a legal option. Finding any real sustainable numbers for online poker would mean joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which includes Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Delaware.
Hochul’s signature makes New York officially the sixth state to enact some sort of prohibition on sweepstakes casinos this year. Just a week before the bill’s passage, the state’s Attorney General announced that enforcement actions had led to 26 sweepstakes casinos shutting down in the state. It arrives months after most platforms had already exited the state or halted Sweeps Coin promotional play in anticipation of the law and mounting enforcement pressure. “I don’t know how to play them well,\” Engel admits, \”but in 2021 I was playing a big bet mixed game at the Wynn where it was only carnival games – so at least I have some sense of them.
One figure who could prove key to the future of legalized online poker in the US is casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Elsewhere, Pennsylvania – with a history of solid live poker establishments – could well go online, too, but as always, anti-gaming lawmakers are lurking in the shadows at every turn. In a recent report by GamblingCompliance.com, up to 10 US states are poised to push ahead with regulated online poker – or expand existing legislation if they already have it. Interestingly, in New Jersey, regulated poker and gaming sites are alliances between existing gaming websites – specifically ones that LEFT the US post-UIGEA – and land-based casino chains.
Some players are even working back channels to try to effect change in Washington. Scott Seiver, last year’s World Series of Poker player of the year, told NPR it would be “devastating to most, if not all, of American poker.” “This is just a completely illogical bill. You’re taxing people who lose money,” said Daniel Negreanu, a well-known poker player, who spoke to NPR while playing at the WSOP. Card players there said they want to royally flush one of its tax provisions down the drain.
In Massachusetts, these poker rooms have remained in a state of limbo, but that could change… Read more » DeSantis and others felt, however, that gaming would be allowed to continue unabated. Peer into the future When we fantasize about having poker superpowers, one that is usually at the top of people’s lists is the ability to see what cards are coming next.
While live poker is permitted in the state of Minnesota, there is no legislation that permits online poker. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the internet gaming and sports betting bill into law in December 2019, thanks to bipartisan lawmakers who carefully walked it over the finish line. Maryland does not permit online poker, although live poker is legal. While live poker is legal, Maine does not permit online poker.
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