Online poker has become one of the biggest gaming products in the United States. While it’s not legal to play online poker at the federal level, there are several state jurisdictions that have opted to permit the activity and regulate its players. Those sites can be found on the Internet and are used by players from all over the world. The industry has come a long way since the first flurry of interest in the game following Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 World Series of Poker win. It’s now a regulated market that is accessible by many people and is constantly growing. We’ll keep you up to date with the major news, legislative progress and general information on the online poker industry here in the United States.
Is online poker legal for me to play?
While the answer to this question varies depending on your location, it’s generally safe and secure for you to play real-money online poker in any state where the game is legal. However, there are still some jurisdictions that restrict the use of poker software or prohibit certain types of bets. While this makes playing poker online more challenging in some locations, it’s important to research your options and choose a site that complies with local laws.
The best online poker sites offer a wide variety of games, tournaments and betting limits. In addition, most of these websites are backed by major companies and have been around for years, making them well-established and reputable. This helps you avoid being ripped off or taken advantage of by unscrupulous operators. The security features offered by these sites are also impressive. These include digital device fingerprinting that recognizes new accounts created by players trying to circumvent account bans or restrictions. Some sites even have the ability to close a player’s account if they notice suspicious activity.
Currently, you can legally play online poker in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan and Delaware. These states have partnered with regulated land-based casinos to offer the game, bringing together resources and expertise from both sides of the business. This partnership has led to the largest online poker market in the United States. New Jersey, in particular, has an active market thanks to the large number of regulated operators and massive betting scene. It has even hosted an annual spring online poker championship with a guaranteed prize pool of $2 million.
California is another big online poker market, though it’s not yet legal to play in the state. It’ll require a constitutional amendment to do so, which would likely be considered in 2022 or 2024 at the earliest. Connecticut and West Virginia are two other states that have passed legislation to allow for iGaming, but no operators have gone live in either yet because their populations aren’t conducive to the liquidity demands of online poker. However, these two states do share a player pool with New Jersey and Delaware via the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA), which gives them the opportunity to launch eventually.