The US online gambling sphere is a mystery to many, especially when it comes to poker. We say this because in the 2000s, card gambling saw its peak, and its most prestigious tournaments attracted millions of TV viewers. Technically, at this time, online poker was not legalized in the United States. Its residents used offshore sites and platforms whose servers were in a foreign country but made no bones about accepting US-based users. That worked until 2011 when the event known as Black Friday happened when the US government started to enforce the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which Congress passed in 2006. That law prohibits financial institutions from processing transactions related to online gambling. The top brands in this sphere were shut down since this was what the most established poker websites provided.
It was not until 2013 that a US state legalized online poker, with Nevada being the first to do so in April of that year, with the Nevada Gaming Control Board overseeing this activity in the home of Las Vegas. Five months after the Battle Born State allowed this hobby to its residents, Delaware also made it legal, followed by New Jersey a month later. Pennsylvania did this in 2017, and West Virginia and Michigan did so in 2019.
So far, these are the only six US regions that permit those within their borders to enjoy this pastime, and four of these territories, Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, and Michigan, are now part of MSIGA. That agreement allows them to share their player pools, helping their platforms boost liquidity.
Below, we explore what other US states will likely authorize online poker shortly.
New York
For much of recent history, New York officials have firmly held a predominately anti-gambling stance. In 2013, NY passed a bill that made sports betting legal at land-based venues. However, the first such establishment did not open its doors until six years later. In 2022, due to budget shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state also allowed mobile wagering on sports to rake in more money in taxes.
In January 2024, Democratic Senator Joseph Addabbo reintroduced Senate Bill 4856, an attempt to get iGaming legalized in the Empire State through licensed sportsbooks and gaming tribes, who would pay a one-time $2 million license fee to offer this services and would get taxed at 30.5%. In the 2023-24 legislative season, Addabbo also introduced Senate Bill S8185, which proposes the authorization of interactive and lottery gaming. It got amended in February 2024, adding that union workers must get hired for live games, and like the previously mentioned bill, this one still has not progressed to a full Senate vote. Per its wording, it would make slots, casino table games, and poker tournaments legal in New York. So, it is a wait-and-see process of how things play out in the fourth-most populous territory in the United States.
Maryland
The birthplace of the first US railroads and dental schools has a long history with thoroughbred racing and legal Pari-mutuel wagering on such races at several tracks throughout the state. Maryland also has a state-run lottery, permits in-person and online betting, and has several land-based casinos. Its current regime is now considering allowing internet gaming, including Internet card rooms.
There was such an attempt in early 2024 via Senate Bill SB565, which some have called the casino and online poker bill. It looked to permit the State Lottery and Gaming Control Commission to issue licenses to parties willing to offer such services to residents, with the tax proceeds generated from them going to public education funds. Yet, it did not pass the committee stage and is now inactive.
Around the same time, Senate Bill SB603, which sought to give qualified applicants the power to conduct Internet gaming operations in Maryland, also died in committee. Nonetheless, this did not discourage pro-gambling politicians in the state, as at the start of the new legislative season, House Bill 17 was introduced, hoping to accomplish the same thing its two predecessors failed to do: bring Internet gaming (poker included) to Maryland.
Maine
The largest state in New England allows betting on sports at tribal locales and online partners of these organizations. It permits pari-mutuel wagering, has an active lottery, and has two brick-and-mortar casinos on its soil. Yet, there is no Internet gaming. That almost happened in April 2024, when a vote to legalize online gaming shot down a bill that would have made this possible by only three votes. The final result was seventy-four to seventy-one. Said bill did not reference poker, but it did mention games of skill and their allowances, which many understand as a reference to the world’s most famous card game.
The narrowly defeated signals that it is only a question of time before online casinos and poker sites become available to Mainers, ending the state’s tumultuous legislative journey to get this done. So, residents should expect a new bill on this issue to be filled again soon.
