Latest Poker News & Tournament Results

Workers fear job losses New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo has been trying to get online casino gambling legalized in the Empire State years, having once again introduced a bill in January. The constitutional amendment authorized a state lottery, up to seven new casinos, and sports betting.… Read more » Blanket ban In an effort to curb both rising credit card debt and problem gambling, Pennsylvania State Senator Wayne Fontana has said he plans to introduce a bill which would prohibit the use of credit cards on online gambling sites. Last Friday, Gov. Bill Lee signed Senate Bill 2136 into law, banning online sweepstakes casinos… Read more »

Should the market launch, major operators like BetMGM, PokerStars, WSOP, and BetRivers are expected to enter the fray. The absence of such language is especially surprising given that similar bills introduced by other state lawmakers this year include provisions for joining interstate compacts. Each interactive gaming licensee would be limited to offering a single branded skin, consistent with previous proposals. In related news, the House is considering a bill to create a gaming commission. Along with this bill, the Senate also approved three other gambling-related measures.

Casino.org is the world’s leading independent online gaming authority, providing trusted online casino news, guides, reviews and information since 1995. Taxing people on money they don’t have will stifle the tourism industry in states like Nevada, push poker tournaments offshore, and drive betting into underground, unregulated markets. This led to the emergence of Americas Cardroom and Black Chip Poker as major players in the US market – and, more recently, Bovada and Ignition Poker. PokerStars went on to buy out Full Tilt Poker two years later, and made a settlement with the Department of Justice that included the repayment of former US Full Tilt Poker players. What the passage of UIGEA did achieve was the withdrawal of several major poker sites from the US – including the industry leader at the time, PartyPoker. The passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) made it illegal for US banks and other US-based payment processors to transfer funds to or from an Internet poker site.

The legislature passed a comprehensive gambling expansion package in October, including the legalization of online poker and casino games. To achieve legal status in the US, online poker sites navigate a complex landscape, with no federal regulatory system for internet gaming. After expanding land-based gambling, West Virginia lawmakers included online poker and casino games in its regulatory scheme in 2019. Lawmakers finally began to examine the possibility of casinos in recent years, along with sports betting, but online poker remains out of the question.

What Poker Players Look for in Secure and Reliable Online Payment Systems

Online Pennsylvania poker players will be able to participate in the multi-state games beginning on April 28, 2025 will include BetMGM and PA Borgata Online with others expected to join soon. Perhaps she’s more receptive to expanded online gambling now that the retail casinos have been cleared from the political docket. Cruz, an avid poker player, crossed the aisle to team up with three Nevada Democratic congresswomen on a bipartisan effort to remove the gambling law from the final OBBA draft. The gambling tax policy, which goes into effect in 2026, will no longer permit professional gamblers — poker players included — to deduct all of their losses come tax time. SB 2614 is nearly identical to Addabbo’s bill last year (S4856) which would have legalized online poker and casino.

VIRGINIA

Although there is a growing list of states where online poker is legal, playing poker on the Internet remains unregulated or illegal in the majority of them, depending on state law. There are now seven players in the state-by-state online poker industry in the States of America. Efforts to legalize online gaming and poker have already been introduced in both the house and the senate and allow the state’s casinos to be licensees (listed as Category 1 license holders for two skins as well as separate branding for online poker).

The industry trade group favored regulating the industry in the state. However, some non-gaming tribes opposed the ban, arguing that partnerships with the platforms could benefit their citizens. The California Nations Indian Gaming Association backed the legislation. Several other states have introduced bill targeting the industry as well. Another casino is expected to open in Petersburg in 2027.

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.

Still, it could be a significant market if it’s allowed to share player pools with other states. It wasn’t until 2021 that WSOP/888poker and BetMGM/partypoker launched poker sites in Pennsylvania. Ultimate Gaming and Betfair were two of the original sites that failed to prosper enough to continue doing business, but 888poker and WSOP merged their sites to compete with Borgata/PartyPoker. Rush Street’s acquisition of Run It Once Poker provides the poker base for Delaware’s new poker product, but there was no indication as to a launch date. The end of the year saw a deal with Rush Street Interactive, which relaunched casino games in early 2024.

Twitch and YouTube fueled a second poker boom as people rediscovered the thrill of the game. The COVID-19 pandemic brought poker back into the spotlight. What’s missing is a cohesive federal strategy or a larger coalition of states joining interstate poker compacts. While few of these efforts make it to law, the consistency of the push reflects growing interest among constituents and political stakeholders. His efforts echo the need for a new wave of regulated platforms that are secure, accessible, and community-driven.

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.

New Jersey finally got in on the interstate liquidity in October 2017 when Governors Chris Christie of New Jersey, Brian Sandoval of Nevada, and John Carney of Delaware signed an agreement. States like Washington and Texas struggle with those issues and whether established cardrooms should be legal. Poker was always a big part of gambling lore but took on a lie of its own in the late 1990s and early 2000s. After that, lotteries were prevalent among early settlers, and New Orleans became the gambling center of the country in the mid-1800s.

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.

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

Thankfully, Wicked Chops Poker created this position for me on their weekly poker show where I popped in and gave them the major headlines from the industry for five minutes. You entered a poker industry that was overwhelmingly male, both at the tables and in the media. It was simply that I knew which online screennames belonged to which real-life poker tournament participants.

That makes sense since he was vice president during the Obama Administration, whose DOJ released the initial opinion that allowed online gambling legislation to begin in earnest in the U.S. Fortunately for poker players in the U.S., the judges weren’t having it. The content of the opinion didn’t wasn’t a shock considering Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson had long pushed for legislation banning online poker. The way may be clear for online poker legislation in the U.S. going forward.

• However, due to Covid regulations, poker is limited to a single table with plexiglass dividers.
• Without warning, the government had come for online poker on a day that would henceforth be known as Black Friday.
• Poker was always a big part of gambling lore but took on a lie of its own in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
• In related news, another bill was also recently introduced to create the Virginia Gaming Commission to oversee all aspects of the gambling industry in the state.

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.

No internet licenses pertaining to poker have been authorized by the Indiana Gaming Commission, which regulates gambling activities. In 2014, a tribal casino opened a live poker room, only for the state to eventually shut it down, effectively ending live poker in Idaho. The legal foundation required to permit or regulate online gaming is absent from the state.

State and tribes amended their compacts It appears that online casino and sports betting are closer to becoming a reality in Connecticut. In 2013, three states rapidly passed online poker into law. The ability of states to pass regulations regarding online gaming, especially online poker, have been in existence since 2011.

All operators listed by PokerListings are licensed and safe to play at. However, the bill will likely face resistance from New Jersey’s existing gambling industry at some point. The bill has already gained support from the Social and Promotional Games Association (SPGA), a group representing sweepstakes poker operators. While traditional casino operators aren’t thrilled about the competition, Calabrese argues that regulation is the best approach.

Law is unclear both on the issue of internet gambling in general and internet poker precisely. No serious online gambling bills have been proposed in the last couple of years, but the state remains a strong possibility in the coming years. The Hoosier State has been a surprise contender for regulated igaming, having seriously examined several bills in the last few years.

Under the direction of the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, the state permitted the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to run virtual poker and casino platforms. It’s unlikely that gaming will be legalized in California in the short term. As of January 2026, no laws are in effect, despite some industry stakeholders still advocating for regulation. Tribal sovereignty disputes and the conflicting interests of cardrooms and tribal casinos have repeatedly slowed progress. Currently, there are no state-regulated platforms that allow people to play for real money. Without a clear regulatory path, any progress would require a major rewrite of the state’s gaming laws.

Now with sports betting as well, NJ is as much a gambling state as it can be. To date, some past rumblings regarding online poker regulation have amounted to nothing in www.pokernewsdaily.com the way of tangible action. Law is quite clear on poker as a form of gambling; poker is included in the statutory definition of the term in Mississippi law.

However, poker operators haven’t launched a site in either Delaware or West Virginia. Under the current Connecticut landscape, the state’s two tribal nations were given exclusivity over online gambling. However, there isn’t an online poker room operating in the jurisdiction.

Other states like Wisconsin, California, and Florida, just to name a few, are allowed to offer poker via compacts between state and tribal gaming interests. Online poker is also legal in Connecticut, Maine and Rhode Island, but as of 2026 no operator has decided to launch there. With a population of 19.8 million, New York could bring huge liquidity if it entered a multi-state gaming compact with states like New Jersey, Michigan and Nevada. „Regulatory oversight is intended to safeguard the integrity of the games and participants and to ensure accountability and the public trust.“ Rush Street Interactive also launched a poker product in Pennsylvania in 2024 and plans to expand. Pennsylvania (13 million) is also expected to join the MSIGA soon and Connecticut (3.7 million) is considering legislation to join.

Live poker players in Indiana have the choice of playing in tribal casinos or in properties like riverboats. It showed that Delaware saw the future of the gambling industry, as it authorized online lottery ticket sales and online poker before most other states even considered it. However, online poker is not available on those sites, given the small player population in the state.

If you’ve been scammed by an online gambling site or had your rights violated, our consumer protection attorneys can help. ✅ Addiction lawsuits – Some platforms face legal scrutiny for failing to prevent problem gambling. 🔹 Security breaches – Cybercriminals target online casinos due to high financial transactions. 🔹 Lack player protections, such as responsible gaming tools.

“Pennsylvania represents the largest state to join the shared player pool and turbocharges our poker platform,“ BetMGM Vice President of Gaming Angus Nisbet, said in a press release. „This expanded player pool will allow us to deliver more games and bigger tournaments to our players. Most of these states either have existing land-based casinos, and/or have shown interest at the legislative level for the potential tax revenue online poker and other gaming might bring. As noted above, the pooling of players from these states held the promise of an ever-growing multi-state network, with the ultimate prospect of returning U.S. online poker to something approaching pre-2010 levels. For example, the broadest possible interpretation of UIGEA would hold that federally, the current state-based regulated online poker sites are in breach of the law when they accept deposits. The Act specifically excludes certain fantasy sports and, of great interest to poker players, “skill games”.

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.

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.