Professional Poker Players Increasingly Worried About 2026 Tax

When it comes to live poker, however, that is legal in the Land of Lincoln at all land-based casinos. That put an end to an end to any live poker in Idaho outside of the illegal, unregulated underground games. Poker is legal in Delaware and it’s one of the most lenient states when it comes to online poker. Unfortunately, for those who live outside the continental United States, there isn’t much optimism that online poker or live poker will become legal in the near future. You can play legal online poker on the WSOP Poker App in your region, which still offers all the excitement of the tables but just in a friendly, play-money environment. Poker is not legal in Alabama and there are no licensed and regulated poker sites or live poker rooms available in the state.

Recently, online betting was covered by the Senate Bill 1046 (2024), but poker was left out. Legislative efforts have mostly focused on sports betting in Missouri, but even that has failed. The change significantly improved tournament variety and player traffic.

And, due to the stringent gambling laws, there are also no land-based card rooms across the state, although you might find some underground games that aren’t regulated. Gambling in general is not a priority of the hardcore Christian conservative movement, which is active in Georgia, As such, poker is not legal in any form in Georgia, and is considered a misdemeanor to engage in unregulated gambling. Poker is legal in Florida when it comes to land-based casinos, but it isn’t legal online and you shouldn’t expect that to change any time soon. Sadly, there are no nearby states for Coloradans to travel to for legal online poker. Since 2012, lawmakers have at least considered a pro-online poker bill but one has never seriously advanced or come close to passing. In more than a decade since there hasn’t been any serious movement toward bringing legal online poker to the state.

✅ New federal discussions – Lawmakers are considering a nationwide standard for online gambling protections. ✅ Stricter state regulations – Some states are limiting online casino licenses and enforcing stricter age verification laws. After extensive debate, Germany is looking to increase the taxes on internet gaming, in particular slots and poker. For several months in 2020 and 2021, casinos were shuttered around the world and poker rooms have been the ones that have suffered the most.

There’s almost zero risks from law enforcement to individual US players who decide to play on an online poker site. Many operators are applying for online poker licenses in states that have passed legislation allowing online gambling. States like California and New York are very attractive markets to internet gambling operators like poker sites and sports betting companies. Most of the US jurisdictions don’t have a state law that would explicitly make it illegal to play on online poker sites. Canada’s poker room selection is great since Canadian players have access to most major online poker sites. They have a shared poker player pool with Nevada and all three state casinos have their real money online games on a shared 888 Poker network.

Certain conditions were required, including the fact the state constitution required all websites to be physically located in Atlantic City. Many, however, have effectively received ‘wrist slaps’ and have agreed to charges focusing on the Illegal Gambling Business Act, UIEGA, and bank fraud. Payments were an issue, but these companies miscoded the required 7995 credit card code and claimed poker deposits were jewelry and golf ball purchases. For example, key founders Ruth and Russ Parasol never considered any admission of guilt and certainly not to wire charges which was the foundation of their legal opinion since day one. It is widely believed that Mr. Dikshit caved in to intense pressure, and was highly criticised by industry veterans.

Fox believes the issue has bipartisan opposition, especially in states like Nevada, where gambling is a critical part of the economy. Fox remained cautious, estimating only a 25% chance that the law would be reversed in 2025. “Vegas was built on the dream,” he said, warning that this dream could be diminished if the law is allowed to stand. “No one in the industry likes this,” Fox wrote in a X thread posted on July 3.

The seizure of the poker sites´ domain names resulted in their closure – PokerStars later going back online in the US so that players could withdraw their funds. The good news for players in the US is that many experts are predicting a domino effect when states that are currently sitting on the fence realize the tax revenues that can be generated from online poker. There is no federal law that prohibits players from playing poker for real money online in the US.

Player Eligibility and Legal Alternatives

For those out of the loop, these platforms use a dual-currency system to operate in a legal gray area and have become more and more popular across the US. That’s a big miss, considering how much it would boost the state’s poker scene. Now, it’s up to operators like WSOP.com, PokerStars, and BetMGM Poker to complete technical testing and regulatory requirements to make it happen. From Pennsylvania finally joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) to New York and Massachusetts making fresh moves toward legalization, there’s a lot to unpack.

Live poker is only permitted at the state’s two racinos in table-game form, not as traditional live poker cash games or tournaments. Here’s a state-by-state look at the current state of online poker across the United States. Some will likely never offer online poker, while others may very well may launch operations in the years to come.

The Delaware Lottery allowed its contract with 888 to expire and opened bidding for a new platform provider for poker and casino games online. WSOP launched its online poker site in September 2013 with Caesar’s casinos. As the first state to legalize online poker, Nevada continued its tradition as a trailblazer in gambling. Poker players can legally play real-money poker in various ways. Now, the state is one of the biggest poker markets – both live and online – but has yet to sign the interstate agreement to share online poker sites.

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 www.pokernewsdaily.com gaming tools.

Contact a consumer protection lawyer to explore your options. ✅ Research online reviews – Look for complaints about unpaid winnings or deceptive practices. Pulled together for a “special session” to consider the new compact signed by Governor Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe leader Marcellus Osceola regarding gaming in the state.

Where Is Online Poker Legal in the US: Can I Play in My State?

The key point is that regulated poker sites accessible to US players are licensed in-state, utilize geolocation, and adhere to consumer protection rules that offshore rooms don’t. As of 2026, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Delaware, and West Virginia have legalized and regulated online poker. Online gambling is growing at an unprecedented rate, with states legalizing sports betting, casino apps, and poker platforms.

The North Carolina State Lottery Commission supervises gambling operations limited to sports betting and lottery games. Since 2014, several proposals have been made to legalize online poker, but none have passed. The New York State Gaming Commission currently regulates land-based casinos and mobile sports betting. All New Jersey poker servers must be physically located within Atlantic City casinos, as regulated by the state. New Jersey demonstrates how state-regulated poker sites can generate revenue by establishing strong responsible gaming standards. No bill currently addresses online gaming, and legalization remains unlikely without a broader rewrite of state gaming law.

When operators know they can share player pools across state lines for better liquidity, they will likely submit applications. However, there are no licensed poker rooms online in West Virginia yet, because no sites have applied for those licenses. After a great deal of lobbying, the West Virginia legislature legalized online gaming in March 2019. WSOP is the latest of the online poker rooms to open in Michigan, launching on March 28, 2022.

As with West Virginia, online poker sites appear to be waiting for Connecticut to enter the multi-state agreement. After Connecticut lawmakers approved a bill to legalize online gaming, Gov. Ned Lamont signed it into state law in May 2021. Operators will need to partner with a land-based casino and apply for licenses to allow people to play poker in the state under the new law. Due to COVID-19, lawmakers in the Wolverine State were too focused on health safety guidelines and the economy to worry about the online poker bill they passed late in 2019. Another two years passed before Michigan became the fifth state in 2019 to legalize online poker.

All that was needed was for casinos to launch their games, but with one major problem. It seems unlikely the courts will side with DOJ, and it is highly unlikely that regulated states will bow down to this desperate attempt to reverse their own previous legal interpretation of a poorly written outdated federal law. More importantly, online poker had finally broken free of the Wire Act millstone, and this opinion was exactly what New Jersey needed in order to move forward with their online licensing plans.

Online poker and casinos could enhance the state’s gaming landscape; it’s been six years since the state legalized casinos and sports betting. Professional poker players, sports bettors, and other gamblers who rely on casinos for their income are becoming increasingly worried that a fix to a tax change in the Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” isn’t coming. This has made it increasingly difficult for online poker players to deposit funds into their accounts, but it definitely has not made playing Internet poker for real money in the US illegal. Originally designed to outlaw the taking of bets across state lines by bookmakers by wire (think of it as the precursor to online gambling), the Wire Act is key to understanding how the US has changed its stance on the legality of playing poker online. It must be noted that while Washington has made it a felony to play online poker within its state borders, the authorities have never actually arrested any online poker players, and players in the state continue to play on offshore poker sites which service Americans. The language and the laws are archaic and confusing and we struggle to see how any of them could be used to target online poker players.

The laws are almost always in a state of flux, and as of 2026, only a handful of states have fully legalized online poker. Use this US legal poker tracker to quickly check whether your state allows regulated online poker, prohibits it, or sits in a gray area. To date, there are no recorded cases of U.S. players prosecuted solely for using offshore poker sites. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) primarily applies to operators and payment processors, rather than players. These sites are not regulated by U.S. authorities but often continue to accept American players, depending on state restrictions. Some U.S. players access poker through offshore online platforms licensed in jurisdictions such as Curaçao, Malta, or the Isle of Man.

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.

Hidden Fees & Deceptive Odds: How Some Gambling Platforms Mislead Players

One figure who could prove key to the future of legalized online poker in the US is casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Elsewhere, Pennsylvania – with a history of solid live poker establishments – could well go online, too, but as always, anti-gaming lawmakers are lurking in the shadows at every turn. In a recent report by GamblingCompliance.com, up to 10 US states are poised to push ahead with regulated online poker – or expand existing legislation if they already have it. Interestingly, in New Jersey, regulated poker and gaming sites are alliances between existing gaming websites – specifically ones that LEFT the US post-UIGEA – and land-based casino chains.

Despite its connections to the game, Texas has yet to legalize poker in any form. It’s illegal to operate an online betting website or similar business in South Dakota. Laws are written in such a way as to potentially render playing any game of any sort an illegal act, even if no wagering is involved. Often employed as a poster child of sorts for the outdated – some would say old-fashioned – approach of state law toward gambling.

• The history of online poker in the United States goes back decades.
• Despite what was previously a strict stance by Louisiana against online gaming, discussions concerning iGaming regulation began in 2014 when the state kicked off the year by considering an online gambling bill.
• The bill allows for tribal and commercial operators to run online poker in the state and sets a date of July 1 to go into effect.
• But most states, more than 10 years following “Black Friday,” still don’t have any legal poker sites in operation.

In addition to allowing Connecticut to enter an online poker compact like the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), SB 1464 would make a number of revisions to sports betting and online gambling in the Constitution State. Such an omission and later reconsideration of player pooling would likely add two to three years to a timeline for when New York’s online poker players could fully and legally compete against players from other states. New York will again consider online gambling during 2025, as legislation authorizing casino-style iGaming, including online poker, has again been submitted to the state’s Senate. The online gambling world has witnessed significant transformations over the past decade, particularly in how casinos streamline player onboarding.

Under the bill, licensed operators would be authorized to offer table games, slot games, peer-to-peer poker, and live dealer games. The bill’s chances of passing this year remain uncertain, but it represents one of many efforts over the past decade by the state to legalize online poker in particular. New York online poker is once again being considered by lawmakers in the state. “Expanding online casino gambling in Virginia is a bad policy that would put casino-style betting on every phone and smart device 24/7, increasing the risks of addiction and financial harm,” NAAiG spokesman Oliver Barie said. The Virginia Senate narrowly passed a bill legalizing online gaming and poker on Monday. Legalizing online poker across the US is about giving millions of Americans the freedom to play a game of skill in a safe, secure, and transparent environment.

Some players are even working back channels to try to effect change in Washington. Scott Seiver, last year’s World Series of Poker player of the year, told NPR it would be “devastating to most, if not all, of American poker.” “This is just a completely illogical bill. You’re taxing people who lose money,” said Daniel Negreanu, a well-known poker player, who spoke to NPR while playing at the WSOP. Card players there said they want to royally flush one of its tax provisions down the drain.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was next to formally legalize Internet gaming in the Garden State, and the home of Atlantic City’s land gaming casinos opened up legit online gambling sites in the Fall of 2013. While the West Virginia legal code contains laws relating to video gaming terminals, table games, and other forms of state-authorized gambling, there’s no mention of online poker. What’s frustrating to online poker players and the online poker industry is that none of this implicates legal online poker at all.