The District of Columbia defines gambling as any game of chance played for money or property, but only specifies penalties for those who set up, keep or promote such games. Anyone of legal age (21+) and physically located within the state of Delaware can participate. The state licenses three such websites, all belonging to Delaware’s triad of land-based gambling establishments, Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway, all of which launched their online gambling services on October 31, 2013. The state of Delaware acted quickly to legalize online poker and casino games. Any online version would be considered illegal by default and punishable (class B misdemeanor). Poker itself is defined as an illegal activity in the state of Connecticut if not authorized. Only operators and professional gamblers (those who profit from an operation, not as a player) are punishable. The state’s Division of Gaming website clearly states’, “ Internet gambling is illegal under state and federal laws,” but there is no penalty for committing the crime. Therefore it’s not explicitly legal or illegal, and there is no penalty imposed for playing online poker in California.Ĭolorado’s laws fall into a ‘grey area’. Since California is home to numerous licensed card rooms, poker doesn’t fall under the “not specifically authorized by law” guidelines of most states.

That would certainly encompass online poker, and is punishable by law (violation incurs fine of $50-$100). The laws of Alabama loosely define online poker as illegal by default and punishable by law (class C misdemeanor).Īlaska’s laws are very old, but poker falls into the illegal category, thus online poker, by default, is also illegal and punishable by law (class B misdemeanor).Īrizona is another state where the ambiguity of the laws could easily be construed as prohibiting online poker committing gambling is punishable by law (class 1 misdemeanor).Īrkansas law prohibits wagering on standard gambling and “the invention of new names or devices” that are “brought into practice, in any and in all kinds of gaming”. The following is a concise, alphabetically ordered, state-by-state narrative of the current online poker laws across the US. State by State Account of Current Online Poker Laws

States that allow legal online poker