Nevada lawmakers signed AB 114 into law on Feb. 25, 2013. The law legalized online poker and authorized the issuance of online poker operator licenses in Nevada.
Nevada was the second state to legalize online poker, behind Delaware. In May 2013, Ultimate Poker was the first poker site to offer regulated real-money poker games online.
Delaware online poker. Delaware is the smallest US state with legal online poker, though a liquidity-sharing agreement with Nevada does help the numbers. Thee state’s three casinos all operate their own branded skins on a shared 888 Poker network.
Legal New Jersey Online Poker. After a 2011 bill was vetoed by then New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, State Senator Raymond Lesniak submitted a bill that would allow Atlantic City casinos the ability to offer regulated online gambling. After a few changes, Christie accepted the bill and in February 2013, the bill was signed into law. Things that are commonplace in New Jersey, like live dealer games, are now available in Pennsylvania and a number of online casinos offer them. The online gambling industry in PA is now chugging along at full steam, despite lagging behind the offerings of neighboring New Jersey. Why the slow start in PA? The short answer is the Wire Act. New Jersey sports betting set the standard for the US legal sports betting market. The Garden State led the nation in overall betting handle in every month of last year at its retail and online. To start, this includes New Jersey and Pennsylvania – two states that have been “online” for some time now and devoted considerable effort to developing appropriate oversight and regulations to ensure that legal operators protect personal and financial information and guarantee fair odds across their online casino offerings.
Currently, online casino games are not legal in Nevada. Only online poker sites are licensed to operate in Nevada.
It’s highly likely Nevada online casino games will eventually join online poker sites in providing gambling entertainment to the residents of the Silver State.
In fact, the law that legalized and regulated online poker in the state also allows for casino gambling. It only requires authorization for Nevada lawmakers.
The Nevada Gaming Policy Committee has addressed the original concerns that online casino games might cannibalize existing land-based casino revenues. They reference the successful New Jersey casino market as an example.
The successful launch of online poker in the state complete with efficient and accurate geolocation software and stringent age verification processes ensures compliance with all state gaming laws.
Some opposition to online casino games in Nevada remains, but support is growing. Even so, several operators are waiting for the green light.
Yes. There are several online sports betting apps in Nevada available. Of course, bettors must be within state lines to bet at a Nevada sportsbook.
Sports betting apps currently operating in Nevada include:
The closure of Ultimate Poker in November 2014, left two online poker rooms in Nevada.
WSOP.com, the home of the World Series of Poker, is the only active online poker room in Nevada.
Real Gaming Online Poker, South Point Hotel‘s online poker room, exists but is currently not active.
Yes. Online poker players at WSOP.com can connect their online Action Club loyalty program memberships with their accounts at Caesars Entertainment’s Caesars Rewards program, allowing them to earn comps at Caesars properties through online play.
Yes. Players have been able to play for a WSOP gold bracelet through online events since 2017.
Since then, online bracelet events have grown in number every year. The 2020 WSOP had plans for 14 bracelet events before it was canceled. Fortunately, the WSOP did squeeze in the Main Event toward the tail end of the year. A hybrid format, combining online and in-person play, whittled down domestic and international fields until just one champion from each pool emerged. Those two players then competed in a heads-up showdown at the Rio.
In 2018, New Jersey joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) with Nevada and Delaware, making players from that state eligible to compete for in gold bracelet events at WSOP.com
The 2021 schedule for the WSOP Online Circuit Series was announced in January. Players can compete to become eligible for the $250,000 WSOP Online Circuit Championship in December 2021. The championship will cap at 256 entrants.
Series | Dates | Ring Events |
---|---|---|
Winter Online Super Circuit | Jan. 14-31 | 18 |
Planet Hollywood Circuit | Feb. 17-28 | 12 |
Silver Legacy Circuit | Mar. 19-30 | 12 |
Spring Online Super Circuit | Apr. 10-27 | 18 |
Caesars Atlantic City Super Circuit | May 8-25 | 12 |
Summer Online Super Circuit | Jun. 10-27 | 18 |
Bally's Online Circuit | Jul. 16-27 | 12 |
Rio Online Circuit | Aug. 20-31 | 12 |
Caesars Las Vegas Online Circuit | Sep. 15-26 | 12 |
Fall Online Super Circuit | Oct. 9-26 | 18 |
Paris Las Vegas Online Circuit | Nov. 10-21 | 12 |
Harrah's Las Vegas Online Circuit | Dec. 8-19 | 12 |
$250,000 Year End Championship Event | Dec. 28 | bracelet event |
No. The Nevada government allows the state to enter into agreements with other states offering legal and regulated online gambling to share player pools.
In fact, MSIGA is one such agreement. Nevada and Delaware signed the agreement in 2015. New Jersey signed the agreement in 2018. That means players in Nevada can sit down at a virtual poker table and be playing with players from any of those three states.
Things are changing fast for online poker.
There are four states that have regulated games — Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania – plus legal, sweepstakespoker games in other areas. While the boom of 10 years ago is over, online poker for real money in the US is on the rise again.
This is a detailed guide to legal poker sites in the United States. We’ll provide you with information on the current legislative landscape, the best sites to play online poker and the different types of poker bonuses.
As soon as real money is at stake, the game of poker transforms.
Play money poker involves seeing a flop, hitting hands and never folding when there is even a shot at winning the pot. With no incentive to fold or think strategically, it provides light entertainment at best.
Once real cash is involved, poker changes into a mental battle. Playing every hand and trying to hit, will quickly become a losing strategy.
Conversely, playing too few hands becomes predictable and easy to exploit. You’ll need to play a position, work out what your opponents’ bets mean and understand math concepts like odds and equity.
You can play online poker games for real money or for free. I can assure you that once you try for real money, free games will quickly lose its appeal. The beauty of real money poker is that you’ll never stop learning.
Even the biggest stars of the game are working on their strategy; poker takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.
Poker has a long tradition in the US, from boom to bust. There is a new era in real money USA poker games as individual states license and regulate the games.
So far, there are four legal states for real money online poker: Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania (where PokerStars launched in 2020 and PartyPoker is expected to follow) and New Jersey. These states require that a brick-and-mortar casino licenses the poker sites.