With the advancement of internet technology, the poker boom has ushered in an era of poker sites available to card game enthusiasts. However, in 2006, the US government launched an initiative to combat illegal online gambling. As one of the largest poker sites, Partypoker has been forced to suspend its services due to changes in legislation. However, PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker continued to be active, eventually becoming the three largest free online poker sites. In 2011, the so-called “Black Friday” for poker enthusiasts has arrived. From that moment on, legal online poker in the US ceased to exist. However, now there are all the prerequisites for a new era of poker. With more advanced mobile technologies, poker can once again return to the US market in its unrivaled form of gambling.
Is it Legal to Play Online Poker for US Gamblers?
Is poker legal in the USA? The answer depends on the state in which you are located. From July 2020, you can access legal poker sites from the following states:
- New Jersey with its largest online poker community that are now legalized, you can choose between a huge number of online casinos and sportsbooks including WSOP NJ, 888 Poker NJ, PokerStars NJ and Borgata Poker Network.
- Nevada with its WSOP Nevada which is available to players from this state.
- Delaware, which has legalized 888 Poker, the largest poker network with several promising platforms offering a wide variety of poker options.
- Pennsylvania with PokerStars PA, a legal online poker platform that is set aside for the US players from that state.
Keep in mind that PokerStars PA is not the same as PokerStars NJ. The good news for poker enthusiasts in West Virginia and Michigan – these states are also planning to legalize online poker in the near future.
Best Legal Online Poker Sites for US Players
There are several poker networks and sites that are legal in selected states. However, for example, the global 888 Poker is not legal even in the states where poker has been legalized. This means that the PokerStars pool is not connected to the PokerStars PA or PokerStars NJ player pool. Thus, the sites listed above, which are legalized in 4 states, are the best legal platforms currently available to US players.
However, there are several sites operating in the Gray Area that are popular with poker enthusiasts in the US and around the world:
- Ignition Casino, which was previously popular under the names of Bodog and Bovada, continues to operate in the US market even after Black Friday. This site has the largest player pool.
- WPN, which although not a legal online poker network in the US, was introduced in the early 2000s and is still the established the US poker platform for many gamblers.
- Global Poker, which entered the market in 2017, uses an improved business model allowing to accept deposits while avoid some of the restrictions set by the law.
We hope that US players will soon have access to a shared pool of players to make the USA the great place to play legal online poker.
