Nevada became the first state to legalize online poker in 2013, but other than esports, it has not expanded to other forms of gambling. This is because the state has a small population, and no interstate liquidity sharing is allowed. West Virginia’s legal framework allows for online poker, but there are currently no operators showing an interest. These are Idaho and Wisconsin.Ĭurrently, online poker can be played in Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. There are also two states out of the 48 that are not even interested in widening their legal framework to allow land-based or online gambling. Nebraska finally got the permission to convert racetracks to “racinos” after 25 years of trying.Įxcept for Utah and Hawaii, where gambling is banned entirely, it is legal to gamble in 48 states of the US in some form or the other. Virginia managed to get all three bills passed, allowing land-based casinos, sports betting, and online lottery sales.

Even though Massachusetts was set to allow online gambling, the sportsbook-regulated state failed to get the bill in the November elections. When the US Supreme Court overruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in 2018, the federal ban on sports betting was revoked.Ģ020 brought with it a few surprises to gambling expansions. Regulated online casino gambling first emerged in 2011 when the Department of Justice (DoJ) passed legislation allowing states to legislate online gambling. The law did not apply to the digital gambling market. This was a rather outdated law that lawmakers legislated to work together with anti-racketeering laws. The sector was overseen by the Wire Act of 1961 for many years. Understanding online gambling in the US can be quite confusing, and legislation is continuously changing. Gambling status of Various States in the US In the United States, the constitution allows each state to regulate commerce, and this power includes all forms of gambling, including poker, sports betting, lotteries, and casino games. States seek the expansion of online gambling for extra revenues.Online gambling may soon spread to more states.Michigan recently launched its online gambling market.

Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and West Virginia have legalized online gambling.

States it's legal to play online poker