Professional Poker Players Increasingly Worried About 2026 Tax
Without proper legalization and regulation, online poker sites operate without much oversight. Yes, online poker is legal in West Virginia, and has been since March 2019, regulated through the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. There is no online poker in Texas and the state has some of the strictest gambling laws in the country.
Financial institutions were then required to block such transactions pertaining to wagering on any “game subject to chance,” which was written to include online poker and casino games. Bally’s Corporation, which is based in Rhode Island, lobbied for a bill to legalize online gaming through its two land-based casinos – the only ones in the state. Connecticut’s legal framework grants the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots a monopoly over online casino games, including poker. Michigan lawmakers had worked to legalize online poker for several years. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board took much longer than expected to finalize its regulations and issue licenses for online casinos and poker sites. Its legislature passed a bill to legalize internet poker and casino games in January 2011, even before the DOJ’s Wire Act decision, but Governor Chris Christie vetoed it.
The people of New Jersey approved the building of casinos in Atlantic City in the 1970s as part of an urban redevelopment plan. Learn more about live poker and poker rooms in Florida here. Disagreements quickly arose among casino operators as to the participation of tribal and commercial entities in such an environment. Because of this, Delaware was one of only a few states that generated gambling income during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.
That said, most of the top poker rooms in the Chicago area are actually across the border over on the Indiana side. There are some major poker rooms in Tampa and Miami, the state’s two largest cities and two of the top tourist destinations in the US. That said, the Sunshine State has become a hotbed for tournament poker, with some of the biggest events ever taking place in this southern state.
Palms Bets on Smoke-Free Gaming Space as Las Vegas Player Demands Shift
Thirty-one people were indicted in October, accused of a conspiracy to rig sports bets and underground poker games. BetMGM Poker ambassador and four-time World Poker Tour (WPT) champion Darren Elias said that adding a large market like Pennsylvania “is a huge milestone in continued expansion and provides the opportunity to compete against more players and for larger prize pools.” After signing off on the agreement, Shapiro sat down with Poker Hall of Famer and PokerGO President Mori Eskandani for a conference call interview about the development to the online poker landscape. Pennsylvania officially became the sixth state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) on Wednesday as Governor Josh Shapiro gave his final approval on the online poker agreement. However, Nevada players have been joined in a mutual pool by those from New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania on WSOP.com. Buoyed by the 2011 DoJ opinion, Nevada arranged with Delaware and New Jersey to combine player pools.
The tax and spending policy package signed into law on July 4 by President Donald Trump reduced the amount of gambling losses an individual filer can deduct against their winnings from 100% to 90%. The special edition poker tournament will be free to play, but in order to win part of the $250 prizepool, you’ll need to get one PokerListings is one of the world’s oldest trusted poker sites. Meanwhile, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham – hardly the most pro-gambling state in the Union – has introduced the Internet Gambling Control Act of 2026, which proposes an outright ban on all forms of Internet gaming in America. There have been many attempts, of course – notably from Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) – to push through natonwide poker legislation – but so far, none have prevailed. Also high on that list is California, which has a history of solid land-based cardrooms and powerful from tribal casinos.
State Faces Major Funding Issues
While online poker receives extraordinarily little attention from state legislatures, sports betting continues to draw support from those very pols looking to raise revenues. Up to three sites per operator A bill has been filed in Virginia that would legalize poker, along with other forms of internet gaming, in the state. Instead, they must deal with each state individually, and only those states with applicable laws will allow online poker as part of their gaming offerings. As of 2026, six states have legalized and offer online poker – Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. Rising out of the ashes of poker’s Black Friday was the opportunity for state-regulated online poker sites. Along with PokerStars and PartyPoker, the four sites were generally accepted as the biggest and best places to play online poker.
Bet MGM then hopped on board less than two months later, and the state of Michigan is now pulling in massive online poker revenue. Poker players in the state get to compete on the WSOP.com platform, as part of the NV/NJ shared liquidity deal. This is the ability to share player pools for tournaments and cash games across state lines in other jurisdictions, which improves revenue opportunities greatly.
This site shares a player pool with other states such as New Jersey and Delaware. The gambling hub of the US, and perhaps the entire world, Nevada hosts more than 300 casinos. Years of online poker bill attempts led to a successful foray in 2019. Casino gambling, including live poker, has long been confined to riverboats and racetracks in Louisiana.
- For example, most states will grant a gaming license, which in turn will dictate what games can be offered.
- “There’s something beautiful and I consider very distinctly American about the concept of … you are your own business and at a poker table everyone is equal,” Seiver said.
- Later in 2011, the DOJ shifted its stance and opened the door for states to regulate online gambling individually.
- While live poker is permitted in the state of Wisconsin, online poker is not available.
- However, no poker operators have launched in Connecticut since then.
- First, the principle of deseutude means that laws like the one in Washington may now be impossible to enforce anyway.
Flutter Entertainment, which owns both companies, is planning a possible merger between FanDuel Poker and the biggest name in poker for the past 25 Xuan Liu officially signed with Ignition Casino as brand ambassador in April 2026, and the poker community noticed. The winner, Atlanta man Daniel Weinman immediately quit poker as a profession to run a poker and game themed restaurant. The past few years have provided poker fans with a range of options when it comes to watching The win launched Smith from relative obscurity into the spotlight of one of poker’s most watched events.
If it wasn’t clear before, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to US online poker at the moment. Both bills explicitly include online poker, making them some of the most straightforward proposals in recent years. Massachusetts is another state revisiting online poker in 2025, with two separate bills — HD 4084 in the House and SD 2240 in the Senate. If passed, Wyoming could become an interesting addition to the US online poker scene. Wyoming might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of US online poker, but a new bill—House Bill 162—aims to change that.
From preflop chart apps to solvers and ICM calculators, discover the best poker tools in 2026 that you will need in your arsenal. Although presented as a shift away from sweepstakes gaming, the model still uses two virtual tokens and maintains sweepstakes-style prize redemptions and free-entry methods. Formerly operating with Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins — a model similar to Global Poker — the site has transitioned into a poker training platform. ClubWPT Gold has preemptively restructured its platform as California’s ban on dual-currency sweepstakes games takes effect. California’s decision resets the US sweeps poker map and accelerates the migration away from dual-currency mechanics. That shift was tracked earlier this fall when the product realigned games and economics in response to legislative pressure and supplier exits.
Poker players who want to play online have no ‘legal’ option – and must play on one of the US-Friendly offshore poker sites. There is, perhaps, an alternate universe where online poker advocates attempted to piggyback on sports betting, instead of online casinos. With its population of over 13 million and over 150,000 online poker players, Pennsylvania brings much-anticipated shared liquidity to a player pool that includes players from New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan. Again we emphasize some of this is little better than guesswork, but we have incorporated as much information as possible, including state law regarding land-based gaming and gambling, as well as any recent history of legislation pertinent to online poker. While poker players and the fledgling state online poker sites were delighted by this development, nobody was particularly surprised given that the original wording of the Wire Act seemed perfectly transparent on the matter. Addabbo introduced legislation in 2024 to legalize online poker and casinos, but the measure faltered.
New York lawmakers are again considering legislation to legalize online poker, but the effort hit a wall this week as Governor Kathy Hochul excluded projected iGaming revenues from the Empire State’s 2024 budget. This marks the third consecutive year he has sought to legalize online poker and casino games in New York. The event crippled online poker in the US, sending players to shady platforms or forcing them to quit altogether. Because poker has become such a significant part of the gaming environment, they all offer extensive resources on how to play legal online poker in the U.S.
With no live poker industry to speak of, online poker seems to be the only option for residents of the Cornhusker State. Section 16 of Bill H4926 has become known as “the poison pill” due to its assumptions regarding Federal Law changes and the potential future competitive differences between the Tribes and commercial casinos, for online gaming and poker. And while the state has no licensed poker sites, players in the state do play at a number of offshore US-Facing sites.
Home to www.pokernewsdaily.com Atlantic City, New Jersey had its first casino open up in 1978. Casinos and casino-style betting are not allowed in New Hampshire. It’s also the only Nevada-based site to allow you to compete in online bracelet events for a chance at a coveted gold bracelet. Casino gambling has a bit of a foothold in Missouri, but in general, the state doesn’t appear to have a particularly favorable outlook on gambling. Mississippi has had a bit of a hot-and-cold relationship with gambling over the years.
More work will need to be done in addition to the passing of this legislation before Maine players can join forces with other states. Maine has officially joined the ranks of U.S. states offering legal online poker, becoming the ninth state in the nation to authorize online poker. The state’s four upstate casinos could also receive licenses along with three planned downstate casinos, in addition to more than a dozen tribal gaming operators. Legalizing online poker alone would produce much smaller numbers than iGaming has produced in other legalized states, however, with 20 million people, adding the Empire State would be a major addition to U.S. legalized online poker.
In an effort to create jobs, the plan also mandates that any online live dealer games derive from studios in the state. Caesars Entertainment, Rush Street Gaming, Hard Rock International, Boyd Gaming, and the Cordish Companies would also be able to offer online poker. “I think last time his biggest opposition was that he really hadn’t heard from his members, and the Senate hadn’t heard from constituents that they wanted online gambling.” Every state surrounding Minnesota has legalized sports betting, and legislators continue considering the issue.
Signing imminent Online gambling is about to become illegal in India. “Long-term economic growth” After trying and failing just a few months ago, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is giving the legalization of poker in the District another go. Online poker is currently on hiatus in Delaware after the state awarded its exclusive iGaming contract to Rush Street Interactive in August 2023. Among other things, visitors will find a daily dose of articles with the latest poker news, live reporting from tournaments, exclusive videos, podcasts, reviews and bonuses and so much more.
The National Law Review is a free-to-use, no-log-in database of legal and business articles. Below is an update on the legislation and regulatory schemes for Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and Vermont. The first of the five episodes, called Pilgrimage, has landed on 888poker’s YouTube channel, bringing a fun and unique perspective on the 2026 WSOP Main Event experience. Season 3 of Galfond’s intense Beyond the Game poker training program brings some big improvements and more flexible membership options.
Polk’s voice has been one of the loudest to speak on the potentially devastating effects for both live and online poker players. This authorized people in the state to play real money poker and casino games online and engage in sports betting online. Exploring best online casino sites for real money will become increasingly important as players navigate these new legal waters, ensuring they choose platforms that offer security and fair play. With Wyoming and Indiana joining the list of states considering iGaming legislation, online casino players may soon see a surge in regulated platforms. Last year, Democratic lawmakers put forward bills that would classify online poker as a game of skill and expand live poker beyond land-based casinos.
State and tribes amended their compacts It appears that online casino and sports betting are closer to becoming a reality in Connecticut. In 2013, three states rapidly passed online poker into law. The ability of states to pass regulations regarding online gaming, especially online poker, have been in existence since 2011.
But one thing that has not kept up is legalizing the live action of a poker game. We have been able to get sports betting legalized in almost 80% of the country. Introduced by Northern Virginia Democrat Marcus Simon on Tuesday, HB161 would place online gambling under the regulatory authority of the Virginia Lottery Board. Banned in Tennessee Three states – Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Iowa – have recently taken legislative action against sweepstakes casino sites as pressure for the sites to comply with state laws ramps up. PokerStars has indicated it may consider launching real money online poker in the state to further strengthen its US network. The House Judiciary Committee in North Carolina has given the green light to a bill that would legalize private poker home games in the state.
While Washington has embraced many forms of gambling, online gaming is not one of them. Despite not offering online poker, Vermont spoke out against the US government’s interpretation of the Wire Act and was critical in getting that opinion clarified. As one of the most conservative states in the country, Utah does not offer online or live poker and don’t hold your breath for that to change any time soon. Texas does not have legal sports betting and has not addressed the subject since the 2018 US Supreme Court ruling. There is no online or live poker in Tennessee and it seems unlikely that either will be reaching the state any time soon. In 2020, South Dakota voters approved sports betting and the first legal sportsbooks reached the state in 2021.
Online lottery has a bill under review now, but poker, daily fantasy sports and casino could happen fast here if an omnibus approach is taken to the legislation. No Legal Online Pokerwith such a low population (of less than 740,000) – a locally-based online gambling industry would struggle to survive. No Legal Online PokerAs one of the most conservative states, it’s highly unlikely that Alabama legislators will ever introduce a bill on gambling in general, much less online poker.
(This is not an issue for online sports betting and other games.) Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Connecticut have yet to sign the agreement. West Virginia and Connecticut did legalize poker online since then, but no operators have applied for licenses yet. With that said, each individual state has the right to determine the legality of online gambling.
On Tuesday, the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), an advocacy group formed by the country’s major sportsbooks, sued the city over a new licensing and taxation structure that is supposed to take effect on Thursday,… Read more » It took off in 1984, when the General Assembly ordered the Attorney General to regulate the state’s cardrooms, and was further regulated in… Read more » Since 1854, when the California Grand Casino opened in Pacheco, poker has been established in the state. We respect our trusted industry peers and scan this site with the latest security standards. It looks like the shared liquidity program has benefited Delaware more than it has New Jersey.
No one ever said, \”well, you can’t interview players because you have to be hot to do that,\” but no one was really clamoring for me to interview players on camera. There were a few players like Kathy Liebert, JJ Liu, and Jennifer Harman that weren’t sexualized all the time, but the default for players and media personalities alike was to frame them in a sexy way. How did that affect the opportunities you received, the way players treated you, and how hard you had to work before people assumed you knew what you were talking about? The first two weeks of December may not have enough players for two giant festivals at the same time, but there’s still plenty of interest to go around if they all learn to share. Nothing has been announced yet, but players have been locking in a seat with victories in WPT championships throughout the year, so it’s going to happen. So, while you can’t play poker online in the Sunshine State, you can play at licensed real-life poker rooms.
