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Is Online Poker Legal in the United States?
Contrary to what many think, there is actually no federal law in the United States that strictly prohibits US players playing for real money online or making accounts to do so. However, for individual states where online poker is legal, that’s when things are slightly more complicated.
And that’s not the most confusing part: Some states have laws regarding gambling that are either outdated or don’t actually target US poker sites and on top of that, there’s the controversial UIGEA act that—in short—prohibits US states from processing transactions related to unlawful online gambling.
But here’s the good news…
Even though laws around online gambling can be confusing at the best of times—especially for real money online poker—our team of experienced industry veterans at Online Poker America compiles this data and maintains an up to date list of legal US online poker states so you have all the information you need to play safely, securely and most importantly within your legal freedom.
Gambling States for Online Poker
For your convenience we’ve assorted every US state on our map into three categories so you can see if poker is legal in your state and learn more about its progression.
Every update that our editors learn of comes through this list first.
Remember, if online poker isn’t fully legal in your state, you may still be able to play while staying on the right side of the law and if it’s still illegal you may still be able to participate in alternative forms of gambling such as horse racing, state lotteries or online poker using fake money so check out the list below and stay abreast any updates our editors we give you instantly through this list; 24/7, all year around.
Fully Regulated Poker States
Poker States Being Regulated
Unregulated Poker States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Online Gambling Revenue Across the US
With the constant rise of online poker players and iGamers in general, it’s no surprise that the online gambling industry collectively generates billions of revenue in the USA alone. In 2017 the online gambling market hit $47.11 billion in revenue. Experts predict that the number will increase to at least $81.71 billion by 2022 in the States and it’s expected to reach an enormous global revenue of $1 trillion. Check out the infographic for some interesting facts!
Legal Gambling Age to Play Poker
After you’ve checked the US states where online poker is legal, it’s also important to make sure you’re old enough to play because the age requirement changes depending on where you play. The majority of states require you to be 21 and over, however there are a handful where it’s legal to play as long as the individual is at least 18 years old. Refer to the tables below for more information on the legal gambling age for online poker and land-based poker.
Legal Online Poker Age by State
| State | Age |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 21 |
| Alaska | 21 |
| Arizona | 21 |
| Arkansas | 21 |
| California | 21 |
| Colorado | 21 |
| Connecticut | 21 |
| Delaware | 21 |
| Florida | 21 |
| Georgia | 21 |
| Hawaii | 21 |
| Idaho | 18 |
| Illinois | 21 |
| Indiana | 21 |
| Iowa | 21 |
| Kansas | 21 |
| Kentucky | 21 |
| Louisiana | 21 |
| Maine | 21 |
| Maryland | 21 |
| Massachusetts | 21 |
| Michigan | 18 |
| Minnesota | 18 |
| Mississippi | 21 |
| Missouri | 21 |
| Montana | 18 |
| Nebraska | 21 |
| Nevada | 21 |
| New Hampshire | 21 |
| New Jersey | 21 |
| New Mexico | 21 |
| New York | 21 |
| North Carolina | 21 |
| North Dakota | 21 |
| Ohio | 21 |
| Oklahoma | 18 |
| Oregon | 21 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 |
| Rhode Island | 18 |
| South Carolina | 21 |
| South Dakota | 21 |
| Tennessee | 21 |
| Texas | 21 |
| Utah | 21 |
| Vermont | 21 |
| Virginia | 21 |
| Washington | 18 |
| West Virginia | 21 |
| Wisconsin | 18 |
| Wyoming | 18 |
Legal Land-Based Poker Age by State
| State | Age |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 21 |
| Alaska | Unavailable |
| Arizona | 21 |
| Arkansas | Unavailable |
| California | 18 |
| Colorado | 21 |
| Connecticut | 21 |
| Delaware | 21 |
| Florida | 18 |
| Georgia | Unavailable |
| Hawaii | Unavailable |
| Idaho | Unavailable |
| Illinois | 21 |
| Indiana | 21 |
| Iowa | 21 |
| Kansas | 21 |
| Kentucky | Unavailable |
| Louisiana | 21 |
| Maine | 21 |
| Maryland | Unavailable |
| Massachusetts | 21 |
| Michigan | 18-21 |
| Minnesota | 18-21 |
| Mississippi | 21 |
| Missouri | 21 |
| Montana | 18 |
| Nebraska | 21 |
| Nevada | 21 |
| New Hampshire | 21 |
| New Jersey | 21 |
| New Mexico | 21 |
| New York | 21 |
| North Carolina | 21 |
| North Dakota | 21 |
| Ohio | 18-21 |
| Oklahoma | 18 |
| Oregon | 18 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 |
| Rhode Island | 18 |
| South Carolina | Unavailable |
| South Dakota | 21 |
| Tennessee | Unavailable |
| Texas | 21 |
| Utah | Unavailable |
| Vermont | 21 |
| Virginia | 18 |
| Washington | 18 |
| West Virginia | 21 |
| Wisconsin | 18 |
| Wyoming | 18 |
