Pennsylvania Officially Joins MSIGA; Gov. Josh Shaprio Sits Down w/ Mori Eskandani

Connecticut Looks to Join MSIGA w Online Poker Bill; Public Hearing Held

But most states, more than 10 years following “Black Friday,” still don’t have any legal poker sites in operation. The push to legalize iGaming is not just about expanding gaming options but also about fostering a safer gambling environment. For you, as an avid participant in online gambling, these legislative shifts carry several implications. These states’ interest in regulating online gambling illustrates a growing acknowledgment of its potential economic benefits.

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.

That was a frustrating time for the poker community, because it was starting to seem like it could be many years before any other states stepped up to the plate. Poker liquidity is the reason poker is so profitable in the global market. Those states are Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Connecticut. Navigating these complexities requires nuanced approaches from policymakers who must weigh economic gains against ethical considerations inherent in expanding gambling access. These include measures against problem gambling and initiatives promoting awareness about safe betting practices – elements that contribute to a healthier gambling ecosystem overall. With proper regulation, you can expect enhanced consumer protection measures designed to prevent fraud and promote responsible gambling practices.

Putting it in layman terms, Addabbo’s proposal includes online casino games, lottery sales, and a regulated framework for both new and existing gambling operators. Elsewhere, Montana still has in place a 2005 law outlawing online poker, but with a history of lottery and tribal casinos, the Treasure State could surprise some. So, in 2026 we have arrived at a stage where some states have legalized and regulated online poker, others have outlawed it entirely, and some continue sitting on a rather large fence waiting to see how the dust settles.

As of January 2026, there are no active bills that propose a method for licensing poker sites. In these jurisdictions, it’s often possible to access offshore poker sites, although it’s up to you to do the necessary research and due diligence before taking to the tables. Six of these states operate under the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), allowing for shared liquidity and larger player pools. Players must be physically located within one of these states to play on licensed sites. Since there is no unified federal law authorizing or prohibiting poker platforms, every state determines for itself whether real-money poker may be offered within its borders.

Physical and online sports betting have also been available in the state since 2019, with the first legal bet taken in 2020. Georgia’s constitution forbids most forms of gambling, including online poker. Delaware remains a model for early-state adoption of regulated internet poker. The Delaware Lottery oversees all iGaming operations, including poker, casino games, and slots. Rare discussions on gambling legislation in Arkansas focus on lotteries or casinos.

Companies or individuals violating the law could face fines of up to $100,000. Senate approval of the bill comes after legislators began considering banning sweepstakes operators in December. The lower chamber passed the legislation by an margin this month. The choice of a lawyer or other professional is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Under certain state laws, the following statements may be required on this website and we have included them in order to be in full compliance with these rules. NLR does not answer legal questions nor will we refer you to an attorney or other professional if you request such information from us.

• Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina are talking about taxes and player safety.
• Legislators in the Cowboy State recently introduced a bill to legalize iGaming, including online poker.
• Meanwhile, states like Nevada and Delaware are already buddying up to form interstate Internet player pool agreements.
• Like its twin to the south, North Carolina takes a dim view of nearly all forms of gambling.

On the one hand, New York has finally wrapped up its Downstate casino licensing process. Thus far, Addabbo Jr. and his Assembly counterparts have found themselves unable to make serious progress on getting a bill passed into law. Addabbo Jr.’s bill also limits credit card deposits to $2,500 per year, among other responsible gambling measures. BetMGM will hit that mark in Michigan, for example, when final numbers roll in, but smaller operators may not be able to make the math work.

On that day, the United States Government seized the domain names of several big online poker sites. These state-regulated sites have separate player pools from the main player pool that can be accessed from most countries in the world but not the US. This made it possible for NJ poker players to test their poker skills in the 2018 World Series of Poker Online bracelet events. By this agreement, the player pools of 888Poker of Delaware and WSOP of Nevada were merged in a single poker network.

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).

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.

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.

Pennsylvania Officially Joins MSIGA; Gov. Josh Shaprio Sits Down w/ Mori Eskandani

The DOJ also engaged in a far reaching fishing expedition which was widely panned in Europe considering that US authorities were well out of their jurisdiction and ultimately had no authority to enforce their laws across the Atlantic. In addition, it clarified that betting takes place where the user is located and not on the remote server (an argument sometimes made by operators). The language of the Act focused on payments, essentially placing liability on financial institutions and banks and forcing them to proactively restrict all transactions that could be gambling related. It was an amendment to an unrelated legislation (the Port SAFE Act) pushed through the senate floor on the last day before the session closed for the summer. This all changed in September 14, 2006 when the senate passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in a hurriedly fashion and without any traditional discussion or vote.

The bill would allow the state’s casinos and their online partners to apply for licenses and would tax the industry at 15% of gross gaming revenue. Maryland and Virginia have both seen online gaming bills filed and other stats are considering casino expansion and adding sports betting. Senate Bill 1464, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Tony Scott, would allow Gov. Ned Lamont “to enter into agreements for the purpose of authorizing online gaming operators to conduct multijurisdictional Internet gaming for peer-to-peer casino games.” Collectively known as the Wabanaki Nations, these tribes have been granted exclusive rights to operate online poker and casino gaming in the state. Under SB S2614, all nine sports betting operators already in the state would be allowed to offer online gaming. Those in the industry believe the Empire State could be the largest online gaming market in the country, potentially adding population of 19.6 million to the country’s online poker shared liquidity agreement.

There has also been one significant event (“Black Friday”) that sculpted the current landscape for online poker in the United States. The month-end tournament, which comes with a free prize pool of $250, saw 20 players make www.pokernewsdaily.com the money, with the top prize A total of 20 players made the money places, with Fatai beating Stephen to the title after an exciting final

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.

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.

What is the minimum age to play legal online poker in the U.S.?

While the companies mentioned in the section above stayed in the U.S., they started doing illegal dealings with a Utah-based bank. The bill passed with port security as an essential issue, and President George W. Bush signed it into law. It was attached to a must-pass piece of legislation in 2006, the SAFE Port Act, by Republican Representatives Jim Leach and Robert Goodlatte, who previously authored a similar bill. 5 Several years before the DOJ decision, the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, also known as UIGEA.

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?

“Grassroots” PAC Against Gaming Amendments in Florida Actual Front Group for Seminole Tribe

Many people believe that the Wire Act of 1961 or the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) made it illegal to play poker online in the US, but that is inaccurate. As part of his push for iGaming regulation, Addabbo has constantly emphasized the need to address sweepstakes casinos, which he argues are predatory and unregulated alternatives to legal gambling platforms. It also introduces a three-year timeout period for unregulated operators, a move targeting offshore and sweepstakes casinos that operate in legal gray areas. In essence, this agreement would enable player pooling across state lines, boosting online poker traffic and prize pools in the process. State Senator Gary Pretlow is leading the charge this year with Senate Bill 2614, a proposal to legalize casino-style iGaming, including online poker.

They would remain the leader in the online poker industry until 2006 when the UIGEA inspired them to voluntarily exit the US market. Not long after, Paradise Poker debuted and for a time those two online operators were the only games on the internet. The first online poker site to offer real money games was Planet Poker in 1998; in fact, the very first hand was dealt on January 1! As a member of the MSIGA, West Virginia players can play multi-state with BetRivers players in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Delaware.

After legalizing igaming and sports betting in 2017, igaming didn’t launch until 2019. Unclear whether poker players are included under the scope of the law. Existing laws aimed at cracking down on sports betting may apply to wagering over the internet, but that is one of many conclusions you might reach after reviewing the law regarding gambling in Oklahoma. In 2023 and 2024, State Senator Addabbo encouraged full igaming instead of just online poker, but both bills appear to have failed again. No surprise that the nation’s gambling capital was the first to offer regulated online poker. Gambling-friendly state started seriously considering online poker and casino games in 2017, opening its first land-based casino in 2018.

Even so, loopholes in current laws have allows poker rooms to sprout up around the state and become hubs for live poker. PokerStars opened its online poker site in PA in late 2019 and remained the only operator for more than a year. The last few years have produced unexpected discussions of igaming regulation, though this has yet to take the form of votes for legislation.

“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.

This presents both risks — in terms of illegal operations and lack of safeguards — and opportunities, should governments begin to consider structured regulatory pathways. Official markets are locked down tight, but underground play is thriving. This journey the U.S. poker market finds itself on is not unfolding in a vacuum.

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.

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.

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.

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.