New Online Gaming Bill Filed In Wyoming, Includes Poker Poker News
When people remember the boom-era WSOP, they tend to focus on famous players and televised hands. Watching these vloggers and podcasters embrace media as a way to personalize the game has been fantastic to watch, as it gives the players themselves the ability to own the narrative in a way they never really could before. Towards the tail end of my career, as Black Friday’s immediate effects had worn off and people realized the new status quo was never going to be the boom again, players became very wary of the media. So, I liked in my interviews to try and bring players opportunities to express themselves without worrying if it was going to give away crucial information about how they thought about the game. What did interviewing them face-to-face reveal that the public version of those players concealed? I can promise you, more often than not, the voice in the meetings speaking up for the players was Seth’s.
Washington State made online poker a Class C felony, so it’s unlikely that the Evergreen State will pass any legislation in the foreseeable future. Some say the Golden State will pass some form of regulated online poker soon, and California has two online bills on the table in 2026. Nevada and Delaware have since formed the first interstate gambling compact, allowing each www.pokernewsdaily.com state to share player pools from the other. Later in the same year of the Black Friday raids, the DoJ relaxed their stance on the outdated Wire Act and decided that the law DIDN’T apply to online poker afterall. Players‘ funds were seized, and while some were paid back fairly quickly, others had their funds held back for years, and only now are some of those American online players beginning to receive their cash at long last.
- All of this will broaden the network and show more of the potential that online poker has to offer via revenue and jobs.
- No Legal Online Pokerwith such a low population (of less than 740,000) – a locally-based online gambling industry would struggle to survive.
- Besides the cash grab, US authorities were able to claim admission of illegal gambling, bank fraud, wire fraud… but the reality is these were non-consequential pleas designed to give the impression underlying laws were successfully enforced.
- As for online poker, it’s even worse for poker players as internet gambling is illegal in any form.
- No internet licenses pertaining to poker have been authorized by the Indiana Gaming Commission, which regulates gambling activities.
- Sweeps poker will leave California well before the effective date, based on recent exit patterns in other states.
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.
Addabbo, a long-time proponent of generating revenue for New York through the issuance of online-gambling licenses, had signaled that he would not push the bill in an energetic way should the topic be omitted from Governor Hochul’s outline for New York’s 2025 fiscal-year planning. For any politicians hesitant to find New York answerable in any way to other iGaming states, simply removing player-pooling provisions ends that negative argument. Longtime iGaming backer State Senator Gary Pretlow is again at the helm of the 2025 effort, with his just-filed Senate Bill 2614 likely to become the leading Senate vehicle for New York’s latest gambling legislation efforts. In previous efforts, Watson has said some legislators had little knowledge of the industry and he worked to alleviate fears of casino job losses. And Churchill Downs, were outspoke against online gaming.
Whether limited interstate pools survive and even expand is currently complicated by the specific provisions of state law, such as whether an operator must be licensed by every state in such a pool individually. The new opinion concluded that the provisions of the Wire Act are “not uniformly limited to gambling on sporting events or contests.” We’ll return to the current status of the Wire Act shortly, but before doing so we need to describe a piece of equally controversial legislation. Open raising 2.5x from the button in an online 25c/50c game is not, according to this interpretation, a violation of the Act. The counter arguments are varied, but include the observation that the Wire Act cannot (or should not) be applied to a technology invented decades after its passage into law. You don’t need to be a legal scholar to recognize immediately that something is problematic here.
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.
Over nearly three years, $114.5 million was paid to 45,180 former Full Tilt players, and that process concluded at the end of 2016. Poker players who got up early were logging onto PokerStars, Full Tilt, and Absolute Poker like they had for the last few years. They attached anti-online gambling language to the SAFE Port Act, and fellow Senators Bill Frist and Jon Kyl pushed the bill through the Senate. With the new legislation, some poker sites like PartyPoker pulled out of the United States. It experienced meteoric growth in a legal vacuum, mainly because the internet was so new that legislators were playing catch up. Most of the products were available online in early 2024, though there has yet to be a mention of online poker.
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 three horse racing tracks offer online poker, connected via a multi-state online poker network with Nevada and New Jersey. Many parties made arguments that made online poker appear possible, but a stalemate over a lousy actor clause relating to PokerStars ended all talks. State gambling law does not directly handle gambling conducted online. Playing online poker should always be fun. Today, we continue that tradition with fresh daily updates, breaking news, tournament coverage, player stories, and expert insights that keep you connected to the fast-moving poker world. A bipartisan effort to legalize online gaming is underway in Virginia.
The bill calls for a 33.5% tax on gross gaming revenue, which is lower than the 51% tax on mobile sports betting. Over the last few years, he’s also attempted to bring iGaming and online gaming to New York, but has yet to get the legislation over the hump. As several other states consider online gaming legalization, New York Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D) has once again introduced a bill in New York. Adding New York to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) would be a major boost to the country’s online poker pools.
Meanwhile, state legislators are fighting a battle on multiple fronts against gambling-like products that attempt to skirt their laws. Online poker has been relatively scandal-free, but lawmakers don’t always split hairs as finely as the rest of us. „I used to call Pennsylvania home, and it played an important part in my early poker career. I can’t wait to log in and get in the mix,“ Elias said. Also on Wednesday, BetMGM Poker PA announced that it would join the BetMGM Poker shared player pool with New Jersey and Michigan on Monday, April 28 at 9 a.m. „I hope so. And not because I’m trying to encourage people to go out and gamble or play poker or do something else. It’s up to you. But if you want to do that, I think it’s important to make it easy.“ In his seven-minute interview with Eskandani, who played a pivotal role in increasing the popularity of poker during the Poker Boom, the Democratic governor described joining MSIGA after a years-long fight as „common sense.“
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.
Traffic is often high, player pools are diverse, and major sites match global standards in software and gameplay quality. In practice, many offshore poker rooms mirror state-regulated U.S. platforms, offering active cash games, multi-table tournaments, and a range of stakes around the clock. Offshore operators typically block play from jurisdictions with explicit prohibitions on gaming. There’s no legislation to regulate the industry, but there are also no laws specifically banning it. In some states, such as Alabama and Utah, online poker is explicitly banned. Online poker in the U.S. occupies one of the most complex and continually evolving legal spaces in modern gaming.
However, the committee eventually passed the bill by a 9-6 margin after lawmakers added additional responsible gaming measures. An online gaming bill has advanced out of two key Virginia House committees this week, and a companion bill has also moved through a key subcommittee in the Senate. The Texas state legislature meets every two years, and it looks like sports betting may be put forward again. Under the proposed legislation, casino revenue would be taxed at 21% and properties would be required to charge $3 for each person admitted.
Live poker legislation
Other members in the agreement include Pennsylvania (13 million), Michigan (10.1 million), New Jersey (9.5 million), Nevada (3.2 million), Delaware (1 million), and West Virginia (1.8 million). The Virginia Lottery would regulate the industry. Virginia legislators began considering legalization in January. “Go to (casino parking lots in) Louisiana and Oklahoma and a lot of the license plates are from Texas,” Alvarado said recently.
Where can I play poker in 2026 – State-by-State Guide?
New York lawmakers are once again considering legislation that would legalize online poker and are also looking at a bill that would expand live poker beyond land-based casinos. The bill would legalize online casinos, set the industry tax rate at 25% and include language allowing the state to enter into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement for shared online poker player and prize pools. Even with the legal introduction of casino resorts – where live poker may be played – and state approval of gambling expansion, online gaming and online poker remain illegal. As a result, online poker players can access games across all three state lines, and online casinos will be able to share slot jackpots on progressive games. What’s less clear is how poker players merely engage in online poker games fare under South Dakota’s gambling law.
The seized sites included Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars, and Absolute Poker. Instead, you can play on PokerStars NJ or PokerStars Pennsylvania. In March 2015, Delaware and Nevada were the first two states to agree on MSIGA. The branded skins include Delaware Park, Dover Down, and Harrington Raceway.
Live poker is permitted in the state of Missouri, but there is no legislation that considers online poker. The Iowa Gaming Association was one of several entities that pushed for state-regulated online poker in the past decade. Indiana does not permit online poker, though the topic has been previously discussed by lawmakers. Illinois does not permit online poker, although discussions around legislation have taken place. So while online poker is legal, it is not readily available.
Truly sustainable poker needs both robust compliance frameworks and cutting-edge tech. EvenBet Gaming platforms have 99.9% uptime, real-time fraud detection, and modular integration options, ensuring operators can scale without sacrificing stability. With U.S. states enforcing strict KYC rules, platforms rely on advanced verification providers to prevent underage play and comply with AML directives. A 2025 report from SiGMA highlights that operators face constant pressure from account hacks, bonus abuse, and data theft. Without shared liquidity, even well-regulated states risk stagnation.
The Current Landscape of iGaming Legislation
“By an 11-point margin (51%-40%), voters support approving iGaming in New York that will allow adults to place wagers online,” the survey notes. „The government’s reading of the statute, however, would most certainly create an odd and unharmonious piece of criminal legislation,“ he wrote. New Hampshire won its second consecutive court victory against the U.S. government, reported Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer in the case. Adding New York would be a major boost to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which currently includes Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Online gaming could provide the needed revenue to close the gap.
But after legalizing sports betting in 2022, New York could be one of the next states to legalize online poker. Maryland lawmakers have talked about online gambling for several years, but the discussion has mostly centered upon legalizing of online lottery ticket sales while poker has taken a back seat. While the law is now in place, no regulated online poker sites are operating in Maine yet. Maine also permits live casino gambling, with Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Bangor and Oxford Casino operating in the state, while sports betting has been legal since March 2022. What we mean by that is online poker isn’t legal in any form and there aren’t any licensed or regulated poker sites within the Hawkeye State.
“Three of our neighbors are already part of this agreement – and with this action today, we’re making sure Pennsylvania remains competitive in a rapidly growing online market. Bally’s also won a license and operates Bally Bet casino in neighboring states New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Hard Rock, one of the retail casino licensees, figures to be very interested in iGaming.
Below, you’ll find summaries of state gambling statutes and active bills, plus how federal decisions (like the Wire Act) interact with state authority. Gov. Janet Mills must decide whether to sign the measure into law by the end of this week. Other members in the agreement include Pennsylvania (13 million), Michigan (10.1 million), New Jersey (9.5 million), Nevada (3.2 million), Delaware (1 million), and West Virginia (1.8 million). The poker pool across a handful of states increases competition and prize amounts. Player protections like self-exclusion and other safeguards are also outlined in the legislation.
Engel says that while even he’s not necessarily comfortable playing these games in their rare big-bet form, who really is? Triple draw games like deuce-to-seven, ace-to-five and badugi, also traditionally played fixed-limit, get the big-bet treatment too. While stud games are almost exclusively played with fixed limits, no-limit versions are available here. The Thai player, who entered the day with just over $22K in Hendon Mob-reported earnings, opened to five big blinds from a 14-big-blind stack with ac,td. For some reason, neither was inducted in the first year in a long time when there was an opportunity to induct more than one player. Legal live poker is available at properties including the Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln and the Tiverton Casino Hotel in Tiverton.
