Is online poker legal in the US?
There is no nationwide real-money poker site. Five states are live in our state table. Three more are legal on paper but not live. Physical presence still matters.
Answer first
90s| Question people search | US reality | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Is online poker legal? | Only in licensed states, in-state | Poker status in state-status |
| How many states are live? | Five: DE · MI · NJ · NV · PA | Checked 2026-10-13 |
| Legal but not live? | CT · ME · WV in our state table | legal, not launched status |
| Nevada online casino too? | No — NV poker lane is not iCasino | Reg 5A vs online casino status |
| Any legal.com from anywhere? | No — geofence + state licence | Regulator operator list |
| Unlicensed rooms? | Not a US poker licence | State C&D / empty roster |
In short
Key takeaways
- Real-money online poker is legal in only a handful of states.
- You must be physically inside a licensed state to play.
- A legal site appears on that state regulator’s list.
- Some states share player pools through a multi-state poker agreement.
Progress
Poker is its own format status
- 1
Casino status
Internet slots/tables — different statute
- 2
Poker status
Internet poker only where that status is live
- 3
In the state
Geolocation; not a nationwide pool by default
- 4
Shared pools
Some states compact for liquidity — still licensed play
A site that is “legal online poker” in one state is not a permit for the other forty-nine.
Sequence
How to verify a poker-legal claim
Step 01
Confirm you are in a live poker state
If the online poker status is not legal, a.com room is not a US licence for you.
Step 02
Open that regulator’s list
NJ DGE, PGCB, MGCB, Nevada GCB, Delaware Lottery — match the name there.
Step 03
Do not mix casino and poker statuses
Nevada poker-live is not “legal online casino.” Read both statuses.
States with live online poker
| State | Status | Min age | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Live | 21 | Arizona Department of Gaming |
| Arkansas | Live | — | Arkansas Racing Commission / DFA sports-wagering office |
| Colorado | Live | 21 | Colorado Division of Gaming |
| Connecticut | Live | 21 | DCP Gaming Division |
| Delaware | Live | 21 | Delaware Lottery |
| District of Columbia | Live | 21 | Office of Lottery and Gaming |
| Florida | Live | 21 | Florida Gaming Control Commission; compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida |
| Illinois | Live | 21 | Illinois Gaming Board |
| Indiana | Live | 21 | Indiana Gaming Commission |
| Iowa | Live | 21 | Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission |
| Kansas | Live | 21 | Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission and Kansas Lottery |
| Kentucky | Live | 21 | Kentucky Horse Racing Commission |
| Louisiana | Live | 21 | Louisiana Gaming Control Board |
| Maine | Live | 21 | Gambling Control Unit |
| Maryland | Live | 21 | MLGCC; SWARC awards mobile licences |
| Massachusetts | Live | 21 | Massachusetts Gaming Commission |
States with live online poker (cont.)
| State | Status | Min age | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | Live | 21 | MGCB |
| Missouri | Live | — | Missouri Gaming Commission |
| Nevada | Live | 21 | NGCB / Nevada Gaming Commission |
| New Hampshire | Live | 18 | New Hampshire Lottery |
| New Jersey | Live | 21 | NJ DGE |
| New York | Live | 21 | NYS Gaming Commission |
| North Carolina | Live | 21 | North Carolina State Lottery Commission |
| Ohio | Live | 21 | Ohio Casino Control Commission |
| Oregon | Live | 21 | Oregon Lottery |
| Pennsylvania | Live | 21 | PGCB |
| Rhode Island | Live | — | Rhode Island Lottery |
| Tennessee | Live | 21 | Tennessee Sports Wagering Council |
| Vermont | Live | 21 | Department of Liquor and Lottery |
| Virginia | Live | 21 | Virginia Lottery |
| West Virginia | Live | 21 | West Virginia Lottery |
| Wyoming | Live | 18 | Wyoming Gaming Commission |
Poker-status snapshot (Oct 13, 2026)
| Status | States | Read it as |
|---|---|---|
| live | DE · MI · NJ · NV · PA | Licensed internet poker operating |
| legal, not launched | CT · ME · WV | Authorized on paper; no live roster we store |
| not legal | 35 jurisdictions | No internet-poker licence in the state table |
Nevada’s online casino status stays not legal. Poker live there does not mean online slots. See the Nevada casino guide.
Poker allowed only in cardrooms or not launched
| State | Status | Min age | Regulator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Legal, not launched | 21 | DCP Gaming |
| Florida | Retail only | — | Florida Gaming Control Commission |
| Iowa | Retail only | 21 | Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission |
| Maine | Legal, not launched | 21 | Gambling Control Unit |
| Missouri | Retail only | 21 | Missouri Gaming Commission |
| Nebraska | Retail only | 21 | Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission |
| New Mexico | Retail only | — | New Mexico Gaming Control Board |
| North Dakota | Retail only | 21 | Attorney General, charitable gaming |
| South Dakota | Retail only | — | South Dakota Commission on Gaming |
| Virginia | On-site only | — | Virginia Lottery |
| West Virginia | Legal, not launched | 21 | West Virginia Lottery |
Floor rules
Words on the online poker status
Know before you sit
- live
- A state has authorized internet poker and we store it as operating. Players still must be in that state.
- legal, not launched
- A statute or compact exists; we do not treat it as an open market until a live roster is in the file.
- MSIGA / shared pool
- A multi-state agreement some poker states use for larger player pools. It is mechanics, not a shopping brand.
Seats
New Jersey, the largest online poker state, at a glance
Each ticket links the official page we checked on 2026-10-13.
Floor rules
How shared player pools work
Know before you sit
- MSIGA
- Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement: lets licensed poker sites pool players across member states.
- Nevada
- Intrastate online poker since 2013 under NGC Regulation 5A.
- Ring-fenced state
- A state that is live but not in a shared pool; you only meet players inside that state.
Online poker licences by state
| State | Active licences | Regulator | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 7 | PGCB | 2026-10-13 |
| New Jersey | 6 | NJ DGE | 2026-10-13 |
| Delaware | 3 | Delaware Lottery | 2026-10-13 |
| Michigan | 3 | MGCB | 2026-10-13 |
| Nevada | 2 | NGCB / Nevada Gaming Commission | 2026-10-13 |
Active licences copied from regulator lists. Not a ranking.
Keep reading
Related pages
- Is online casino legal in the US? →Is online casino legal in the US?
- How online poker works →How online poker works in licensed US states: geofence, account, table, rake. Shared pools are mechanics.
- How to verify a licensed online casino →How to verify a US-licensed online casino: regulator list, exact match, geofence. Complements NJ, PA, and MI how-tos.
- Is online casino legal in Nevada? →Is online casino legal in Nevada? 140). Land floors are a separate licence. Not advice.
- Are prediction markets legal in the US? →Are prediction markets legal? Event contracts sit in CFTC and state-court fights. Not a 50-state sportsbook map.
- Is online sports betting legal in the US? →Is online sports betting legal in the US? Not all 50.
- Is daily fantasy sports legal in the US? →Is daily fantasy sports legal? Only where a state licenses or registers it. California opinion 23-1001 says no.
- Is buying lottery tickets online legal in the US? →Is buying lottery tickets online legal? Only via that state’s lottery app or a regulated courier.
Go play
Where to play in Las Vegas
Tap a resort — each row opens that casino’s White Gambling page (hours, parking, loyalty, floor facts). Sorted by published table units when we have them — confirm on property.
Open a casino page
Real listings · not adsAfter the 90 seconds
Questions before and after you play
A 90-second guide cannot cover every table moment. Tap a group, then a question — answers are short paragraphs, not one-liners.
01National poker status
Is online poker legal in the United States?
Only in states that license internet poker, and only while you are physically in that state. Our poker state table (Oct 13, 2026) marks five live states — Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania — and three legal, not launched (Connecticut, Maine, West Virginia). There is no federal poker-room licence.
02Nevada and advice
Is online poker legal in Nevada?
The online poker status is live. The online casino status is not: Nevada Regulation 5A limits interactive gaming to poker and approved derivatives. Do not read “online poker in Nevada” as online slots or blackjack. See the Nevada online-casino guide.
Is this page legal advice?
No. It restates poker-format status from state-status.json and the linked regulator pages. Shared-pool and compact details belong in those texts. Ask counsel for a personal situation.
03More questions people ask
Which states have legal online poker?
As of our October 13, 2026 check, online poker is live in 5 jurisdictions: Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. Every other state either has no law, has a law that has not launched yet, or limits play to a physical venue. Check the state regulator before you deposit, because launches and repeals happen mid-year.
How old do you have to be for online poker?
It depends on the state, not on the app. Of the 5 states where online poker is live in our October 13, 2026 check, 5 set 21 as the minimum age and 0 allow 18 or 19 (none). The operator must verify age and identity before the first real-money wager, so a younger player is refused at sign-up, not at cash-out.
Can I play online poker against players in other states?
Only when both states belong to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement and the site has joined the shared pool. Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey started the compact; Michigan joined later. Check the regulator page, because a member state can still run a ring-fenced pool.
Who regulates online poker in Pennsylvania?
PGCB. The legal basis we recorded is: 4 Pa.C.S. Ch. 13 and Ch. 13B Status on October 13, 2026: live, minimum age 21. Use the regulator site, not an app store listing, to confirm.
Sources
- NJ DGE — Internet gaming sites · accessed Oct 13, 2026Example live poker/iGaming roster. NJ poker status live.
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board — licensed online operators · accessed Oct 13, 2026PA poker live. Verify from the Board, not a homepage seal.
- Nevada Gaming Control Board — Regulation 5A (interactive gaming) · accessed Oct 13, 2026NV poker live; casino games still not an online-casino market.
- New Jersey online poker — official regulator source. Peer-to-peer inside iGaming. MSIGA member. · accessed Oct 13, 2026New Jersey: live for online poker.
- Pennsylvania online poker — official regulator source. Live. Shared MSIGA play from 2025-04-28. Membership is not every skin in one · accessed Oct 13, 2026Pennsylvania: live for online poker.
- Michigan online poker — official regulator source. Commercial and tribal. MSIGA member. MGCB named three operator pairs for mul · accessed Oct 13, 2026Michigan: live for online poker.
- Delaware online poker — official regulator source. Live. No single PDF of authorized poker domains. MSIGA founding signatory. · accessed Oct 13, 2026Delaware: live for online poker.
- West Virginia Lottery — online poker (West Virginia) · accessed Oct 13, 2026West Virginia: legal, not launched for online poker.