In Which US States Can I Play Online Poker in 2024?

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Is online poker fully legal across the entire United States?
No. Each state in the US gets to make their own laws about online gambling and poker. Only six states have passed laws to formally legalize and regulate online poker.

In most other states, the legal status of playing online poker is unclear. That doesn’t mean it’s illegal – but it does operate in a legal gray area in many places.

This confusion comes from the fact that federal laws prohibit processing payments for online gambling…but they don’t explicitly ban actually playing online.

So in some states, you can probably play online poker, but you do so at your own risk as the laws are vague. I don’t recommend playing on unregulated sites.

Pro Tip: Take advantage of free resources and poker tools we have on Beasts of Poker. These can include tutorial videos, strategy articles, and even free-to-play tables where you can practice without risking real money.

And here’s a table that gives you a quick overview of the legality of online poker in the USA:

State	Online Poker Legal Since	Where to Play?
Nevada	2013	WSOP.com
Delaware	2013	888 Poker, WSOP.com
New Jersey	2013	PokerStars NJ, 888 Poker NJ, partypoker NJ, BetMGM Poker NJ, WSOP.com NJ
Pennsylvania	2019	PokerStars PA
West Virginia	2020	BetMGM Poker WV
Michigan	2021	PokerStars MI
Any other state	–	Free Poker Sites (see below) or Offshore Online Casinos

What states allow legal, regulated online poker?​

Here’s an overview of the six states where online poker is expressly legal, regulated and available to play on licensed sites:

1. Nevada​

• Legal since: 2013
• Regulator: Nevada Gaming Commission
• Sites available: WSOP.com

Nevada was the first state to legalize online poker. As the home of Las Vegas, Nevada has a long history of gambling so this move made sense.

Playing on WSOP.com you can compete with players from other states thanks to interstate player pooling. This makes games more exciting!

2. Delaware​

• Legal since: 2013
• Regulator: Delaware Lottery
• Sites available: 888 Poker, WSOP.com

Delaware legalized online poker and casino games around the same time as Nevada and New Jersey.

As a tiny state, player pools are small but Delaware links up with some neighbors to share poker traffic.

3. New Jersey​

• Legal since: 2013
• Regulator: New Jersey DGE
• Sites available: PokerStars, partypoker, 888 Poker, BetMGM Poker, WSOP.com

New Jersey is arguably the biggest state for legal online poker. Its regulator has issued licenses to lots of big international online poker sites.

This means NJ poker players can choose from the largest selection of American real money poker sites and games. Player pools are large too.

4. Pennsylvania​

• Legal since: 2019
• Regulator: PGCB
• Sites available: PokerStars PA

Pennsylvania legalized online poker more recently but as a populous state it immediately became an important market.

PokerStars dominates the PA online poker market. The state is expected to join interstate player pooling agreements soon which will boost liquidity.

5. West Virginia​

• Legal Since: 2020
• Regulator: West Virginia Lottery
• Sites Available: BetMGM Poker

West Virginia surprised many by quietly launching online poker and casinos in 2020.

As a rural state, the WV market is still developing. BetMGM runs the sole online poker room available to Mountaineer State residents.

6. Michigan​

• Legal Since: 2021
• Regulator: MGCB
• Sites Available: PokerStars MI

Michigan is the newest state to legalize and regulate online poker. It launched in early 2021.

PokerStars MI is currently the only online poker option but more competition may enter the market soon. Liquidity could also improve if Michigan joins interstate player sharing.

What about other states like California and Texas?​

For years there has been talk of poker powerhouse states like California, Texas, Florida and others legalizing online poker.

But despite multiple attempts, bills have failed to pass in these states so far. The good news is many states continue to consider online poker and casino regulation bills.

In 2024 and 2025 we may see 1-3 more US states, potentially including California or Texas, legalize and regulate online poker.

I’ll be sure to update this article if any new poker-friendly states arrive on the scene, but for now, you can enjoy free poker apps or offshore sites.

Can I play online poker on offshore sites from the US?​

Outside of the six regulated states above, your options for playing real money online poker expand if you consider international offshore sites.

While they don’t hold US licenses, many quality offshore online poker sites do accept players from most American states. Some popular examples include Ignition Poker, BetOnline Poker, and Americas Cardroom.

These established offshore sites offer world-class poker gaming in a convenient online format you can access anywhere.