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If you’re 21 or older and physically located in Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or West Virginia, you can play real money online poker at a licensed site. Seven brands currently run regulated poker rooms in the U.S., grouped into five networks that pool players across state lines through the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement. Below you’ll find our reviews of every legal option, the promo codes available with LINEUPS, and a state-by-state breakdown of where you can play.
Best U.S. Online Poker Sites
| U.S. Poker Site | Bonus | States | Start Playing |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM Poker Editor’s Favorite | Deposit match up to $1,000 + $85 in tournament tickets | NJ, PA, MI | Play Now |
| WSOP Online | 100% match up to $1,000 + $100 bonus play | NV, NJ, PA, MI | Play Now |
| Borgata Poker | Deposit match up to $1,000 + $85 in tickets | NJ, PA | Play Now |
| PokerStars on FanDuel | See site | NJ, PA, MI | — |
| BetRivers Poker | See site | PA, MI, DE, WV | — |
| DraftKings Electric Poker | See site | NJ, PA, MI | — |
| partypoker | Shares the BetMGM and Borgata player pool | NJ | — |
Here’s a closer look at every operator currently licensed to offer real money online poker in the United States.
BetMGM Poker
Overview
BetMGM Poker is live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and players in all three states sit at the same tables. BetMGM is the flagship brand of the partypoker US Network, which also includes Borgata Poker and partypoker — so the traffic you see is pooled across all three brands as well as all three states. That combination makes it one of the deepest player pools in regulated U.S. poker.
Bonus
The BetMGM online poker welcome offer is tied to the BetMGM Casino bonus: a 100% deposit match up to $1,000, meaning your first deposit is effectively doubled. You also receive up to $85 in tournament tickets.
Partners
BetMGM operates through Borgata in New Jersey, MGM Grand Detroit in Michigan, and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, Pennsylvania.
App Options
BetMGM Poker offers both iOS and Android apps. You’ll find the iOS app in the Apple App Store, while the Android download link is hosted on BetMGM’s own website. A desktop client is also available for Windows.
WSOP Online
Overview
The World Series of Poker is the biggest brand in the game, and WSOP Online has the widest reach of any U.S. poker operator. Its four-state network covers Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — roughly 35 million people, and the only network that includes Nevada.
Reach and revenue aren’t the same thing, though. The top of the U.S. market is genuinely close, and the two firms that track it don’t agree on the order. For May 2026, Poker Industry PRO put WSOP ahead with an estimated $2.8 million, PokerStars on FanDuel at $2.6 million, and BetMGM at $2.3 million; PokerScout’s estimates for the same month had BetMGM narrowly in front instead. Different methodologies, same conclusion — the big three each hold roughly 30% of the market and no one is running away with it. BetRivers has since climbed to around 10%.
The headline draw is the WSOP Online Bracelet Series, which runs alongside the live World Series in Las Vegas each summer. The 2026 edition featured 30 online gold bracelet events from May 30 through July 14, with more than $7 million in guaranteed prize pools. WSOP Circuit ring events run online as well.
Bonus
Register with the WSOP promo code 25LINEUPS to claim a 100% deposit match up to $1,000, plus up to $100 in bonus play on deposit. Specific terms vary slightly by state, so check the offer details once you’re signed in.
Partners
Ownership of the WSOP brand changed hands in 2024. Caesars Entertainment sold the World Series of Poker intellectual property to NSUS Group — the parent company of GGPoker — for $500 million, with the deal closing on October 29, 2024. Caesars still operates WSOP Online in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania under licence from NSUS, and retains the right to host the flagship live series in Las Vegas for the next 20 years.
In Pennsylvania, WSOP operates through Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack.
App Options
WSOP Online covers just about every platform. There are Windows and macOS desktop clients, plus iOS and Android apps for mobile play.
Borgata Poker
Borgata Poker is available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and shares the same software and player pool as BetMGM Poker through the partypoker US Network. Practically speaking, you’re playing the same games against the same opponents — the difference comes down to branding and the specific promotions each skin runs.
PokerStars on FanDuel
PokerStars US no longer exists as a standalone product. On April 1, 2026, Flutter Entertainment — which owns both PokerStars and FanDuel — retired the old software and relaunched the U.S. business as PokerStars exclusively on FanDuel, running on new software with a dedicated poker app and desktop client.
The relaunch finally solved a long-running problem. Pennsylvania players had been walled off from the rest of the PokerStars network for years; with the FanDuel migration, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Michigan were merged into a single tri-state pool. The platform also moved off the classic in-house PokerStars client onto Playtech’s iPoker software.
The operator came out swinging on promotions. On April 12, eleven days after go-live, it ran two $500,000 guaranteed tournaments, then followed with the Ignite Series — more than 90 events and $5 million in guarantees between April 18 and May 4.
It stopped the bleeding. April revenue came in around $2.74 million across the three states, roughly back to where PokerStars sat a year earlier after twelve months of steady decline — a recovery rather than a breakout. The clearest picture comes from New Jersey, where the regulator publishes brand-level figures: PokerStars on FanDuel took nearly $770,000 in April, ahead of WSOP at $695,000, BetMGM at $586,000, Borgata at $415,000, and partypoker at $171,000. Pennsylvania was more muted, with the site’s roughly $1 million still down 13.4% year over year.
Nevada remains out of reach — PokerStars has never held a Nevada license, and WSOP has the state to itself.
BetRivers Poker
BetRivers Poker, run by Rush Street Interactive, is the newest force in the U.S. market and the only operator serving Delaware and West Virginia. It launched in Pennsylvania in 2024, then on June 10, 2025 went live simultaneously in Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia — a coordinated rollout that ended Delaware’s 18-month poker blackout and brought West Virginia its first ever regulated poker room, more than five years after the state legalized it.
The four-state network covering Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia serves about 26 million people. A New Jersey launch has been in the works and would make BetRivers the first five-state shared liquidity network in U.S. history, pushing its addressable audience to roughly 36 million.
DraftKings Electric Poker
DraftKings takes a different approach. Rather than building a full poker room, it offers Electric Poker — a three-handed, no-limit hold’em jackpot sit-and-go with two-minute blind levels, buy-ins from $1 to $25, and randomly generated prize pools worth between 2x and 10,000x the buy-in.
Electric Poker debuted in Michigan in August 2024, reached Pennsylvania that October and New Jersey in March 2025. On July 8, 2026, DraftKings merged the three player pools into one network, becoming the fifth operator to run multi-state poker under the MSIGA. If you want cash games, deep-stacked tournaments, or Omaha, look elsewhere — but for fast jackpot sit-and-gos inside an app you may already have, it’s a legitimate option.
Where Is Online Poker Legal?
Online poker is regulated at the state level. There is no federally licensed online poker covering all 50 states, and federal law doesn’t stop individual states from legalizing it themselves.
Nine states have now legalized online poker, but only six have live sites. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine have the legal framework in place with no licensed operator yet.
| State | Launched | Live Poker Sites | MSIGA Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 2013 | WSOP Online | Yes (2014) |
| Delaware | 2013 (relaunched 2025) | BetRivers Poker | Yes (2014) |
| New Jersey | 2013 | WSOP, BetMGM, Borgata, partypoker, PokerStars/FanDuel, DraftKings | Yes (2017) |
| Pennsylvania | 2019 | WSOP, BetMGM, Borgata, PokerStars/FanDuel, BetRivers, DraftKings | Yes (2025) |
| Michigan | 2021 | WSOP, BetMGM, PokerStars/FanDuel, BetRivers, DraftKings | Yes (2022) |
| West Virginia | 2025 | BetRivers Poker | Yes (2023) |
| Connecticut | Not launched | None | No |
| Rhode Island | Not launched | None | No |
| Maine | Not launched | None | No |
One note on the counts above: DraftKings classifies Electric Poker as a casino game rather than peer-to-peer poker. In Pennsylvania it doesn’t appear in the iPoker line of PGCB revenue reports, which is why some sources count four poker sites in the state and others count six.
New Jersey Online Poker
New Jersey was the third state to legalize online poker and remains the most competitive market in the country. Players can choose between WSOP Online, BetMGM Poker, Borgata Poker, partypoker, PokerStars on FanDuel, and DraftKings Electric Poker, with BetRivers Poker expected to join.
New Jersey has been at the forefront of U.S. iGaming since the state’s legal challenge led to PASPA being overturned in 2018. It joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in 2017, so New Jersey players compete against opponents in other member states.
Pennsylvania Online Poker
With roughly 13 million residents, Pennsylvania is the largest regulated online poker market in the U.S. by population. Online poker launched here in 2019, but for years players were sealed off from the rest of the country.
That changed on April 23, 2025, when Governor Josh Shapiro signed Pennsylvania into the MSIGA as its sixth member. Shared play began April 28, with BetMGM, Borgata, and WSOP first to merge their networks. BetRivers connected Pennsylvania to Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia that June, and PokerStars folded Pennsylvania into its network in April 2026. Pennsylvania’s entry expanded the shared player pool by roughly 50%.
Michigan Online Poker
Michigan launched online betting — sports, casino, and poker — in January 2021 and has grown into one of the strongest iGaming markets in the country. Poker players can choose between WSOP, BetMGM Poker, PokerStars on FanDuel, BetRivers Poker, and DraftKings Electric Poker.
Michigan joined the MSIGA in 2022, but shared play didn’t actually begin until January 1, 2023, when PokerStars became the first operator to connect Michigan and New Jersey. Every multi-state operator now includes Michigan in its pool.
Nevada Online Poker
Nevada was the first state to legalize online poker and the first to deal a regulated hand, back in April 2013. Today WSOP Online is the only licensed option in the state — the market consolidated for commercial reasons rather than regulatory ones.
Nevada is also unusual in that state law permits online poker but not other forms of online casino gaming. It joined the MSIGA in 2014 as a founding member, so Nevada players share tables with opponents in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Delaware Online Poker
Delaware runs its online gaming under a single-provider model through the state lottery, which means one technology partner supplies the whole market. When 888 exited, Delaware went roughly 18 months with no online poker at all.
Rush Street Interactive took over as the lottery’s partner and relaunched poker on June 10, 2025. BetRivers Poker is now the only option in the state, but Delaware players get access to a four-state network spanning Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia — a far better deal than the fragmented liquidity of the 888 era.
West Virginia Online Poker
West Virginia legalized online poker in 2019 under the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act, then waited more than five years for anyone to launch. With a population of just 1.8 million, no operator saw a standalone market worth the licensing cost.
Joining the MSIGA in November 2023 changed the math, and BetRivers Poker finally went live in June 2025 as part of its four-state rollout. BetRivers remains the only licensed poker room in the state.
Multi-State Online Poker and the MSIGA
The single most important development in U.S. online poker is the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement. Without it, a site licensed in Michigan could only seat Michigan players — which means thin cash games and small tournament fields.
Nevada and Delaware created the compact in 2014. New Jersey joined in 2017, Michigan in April 2022, West Virginia in November 2023, and Pennsylvania in April 2025. The six member states now cover more than 38 million Americans.
Seven brands are live across five multi-state networks:
- WSOP Online — Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania (roughly 35 million people, the largest network)
- BetMGM Poker (with Borgata and partypoker) — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan
- PokerStars on FanDuel — New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan
- BetRivers Poker — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, West Virginia
- DraftKings Electric Poker — Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Online Poker Quick Start Guide
Playing real money online poker is straightforward once you’re physically inside a legal state. Four steps and you’re at the tables.
1. Download the poker app
Start by downloading your operator’s software. Even on desktop you’ll usually need a dedicated client, since poker sites run geolocation checks and game integrity monitoring through their own software. Head to the App Store or the operator’s website for the download link and installation instructions.
2. Sign up and use a promo code
Next, create your account. Real money poker sites are legally required to verify your identity and age, so expect to provide your date of birth, address, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Use LINEUPS.com links and promo codes when you register — there’s no reason to leave a welcome bonus on the table.
3. Deposit into your bankroll
With the software installed and your account verified, fund your bankroll. Most major operators accept credit cards, debit cards, bank transfer, e-check, and PayPal, though the exact list varies by site and state.
4. Join a cash game or tournament
Now pick a game. You’ll find no-limit and limit Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and other variants, each available as cash games and tournaments. Check the lobby carefully so you’re joining the format and stake you actually want.
Types of Games
The most common formats are no-limit Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud, though the exact menu depends on the operator. The bigger decision is cash games versus tournaments.
Cash Games
Cash games are the most flexible way to play. You sit down when you want and leave when you want, with no eight-hour commitment. Pay attention to the rake — the cut the operator takes from each pot. Online rake typically runs around 5% with a per-hand cap, which works out to an effective rate meaningfully below what most live poker rooms charge.
Tournaments
Tournaments can be a grind, but they’re also where the life-changing scores live. The structure mirrors live events — blind levels, scheduled breaks — just compressed onto your screen. Read the details before you register: a deep-stacked event can easily run an entire day.
Cash Game Online Poker Tips
Online poker isn’t as different from live play as people assume. The obvious gap is physical tells — you can’t watch someone’s hands shake on a river bet. Here are three things worth keeping in mind at the online cash tables.
Don’t forget you’re playing real people
It’s easy to treat online opponents as anonymous. They’re not — they’re real players with real patterns and real leaks. Work out who’s tight-aggressive, who’s loose-passive, and who tilts. That means paying attention to hands you’re not even in. Those notes are where the money is.
Mix up your ranges
With so much strategy content available and no physical element to read, a lot of online players end up rigid and predictable. Modern cash poker is range versus range, and you build an edge when you can narrow their range while they have no idea what’s in yours.
This isn’t a licence to play badly. It’s a licence to experiment — throwing in the occasional suited connector from a position where you’d normally fold keeps your range genuinely hard to read.
You can still bluff
The idea that everyone online calls everything comes from the play-money and freeroll scene, and it makes people bluff too little in real money games. Regulated games play much closer to live poker than that reputation suggests. If you’re going to book a winning year, you need bluffs in your range and the discipline to fire them against the right opponents.
Market Size
Online poker is a small slice of a very large iGaming market. Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey all posted record iGaming years in 2025, each clearing $2.7 billion in online gaming revenue according to their respective regulators.
Poker is a fraction of that. New Jersey’s peer-to-peer poker revenue came in at $28.5 million for 2024, down 1.5% year over year, with Pennsylvania running at similar levels — roughly $2.4 million a month. Across the whole country, regulated online poker is about a $100 million-a-year business, which is why every major operator treats it as a player acquisition tool rather than a profit centre in its own right.
The trend reversed in spring 2026. After a five-month slide, poker revenue jumped in April: New Jersey was up 11.4% year over year to $2.64 million, and Pennsylvania rose 9.7% to $2.57 million — its best month since June 2025. Both bumps trace directly to the PokerStars migration onto FanDuel and the tri-state pool that came with it.
The largest live poker market in the country, meanwhile, still has no online option at all. California’s licensed card rooms and tribal casinos make it the biggest poker economy in the U.S. by some distance, and none of that revenue is available online.
Where Online Poker Could Expand Next
Maine
Maine became the ninth state to legalize online poker in January 2026, when Governor Janet Mills allowed LD 1164 to become law without signing it. The law grants each of Maine’s four Wabanaki Nations a single statewide iGaming license, and the tribes choose their commercial partners. Regulations are still being drafted, so a launch is realistic in late 2026 or 2027. The bigger question is liquidity: LD 1164 didn’t explicitly authorize Maine to join the MSIGA, and a standalone market of 1.4 million people isn’t much of a poker economy.
Connecticut and Rhode Island
Both states have legal frameworks covering online poker and active online casino markets, but no operator has launched a poker room in either. Connecticut has explored joining the MSIGA, which would make the state considerably more attractive to operators.
New York
New York would instantly become one of the biggest online poker markets in the world. Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. has introduced iGaming legislation repeatedly since 2022, and the bills have consistently stalled — sidelined in budget negotiations, opposed by labour groups worried about casino jobs, and tangled up with downstate casino licensing. The proposal resurfaced again in 2026.
California
California has the biggest card room scene in the country and, on paper, the most to gain. In practice it’s the hardest nut to crack: legalizing online poker would require a state constitutional amendment and voter approval, and the competing interests of tribal casinos, card rooms, and commercial operators have blocked every previous attempt. There is currently no active bill.
Florida
Florida has a vibrant live poker scene and over 23 million residents, but online casino and poker aren’t coming soon. The Seminole Tribe’s compact governs sports betting in the state, and expanding into iGaming would mean renegotiating that arrangement. There is currently no active bill and no significant legislative push.
History of Online Poker
Online poker dates almost as far back as the commercial internet, and it drove the explosion of poker’s popularity in the U.S. through the 2000s. Two decades on, the game is rebuilding under state regulation.
How Online Poker Works
Online poker software connects players to shared virtual tables, with games listed in a lobby. Instead of a dealer, a random number generator distributes the cards. Sites make money by taking a rake from each cash game pot — typically around 5%, subject to a cap — and by charging an entry fee on top of tournament buy-ins. The biggest practical difference from live poker is speed: you’ll see several times more hands per hour online.
UIGEA
The boom years ended in 2006, when Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. UIGEA went after the money rather than the players, making it illegal to process payments connected to online gambling. Several major operators stayed in the market, but Department of Justice enforcement actions made depositing and withdrawing progressively harder.
Black Friday
On April 15, 2011 — Black Friday in poker circles — federal prosecutors unsealed indictments against executives at PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker, along with payment processors. The charges alleged the operators had deceived banks into processing payments in violation of UIGEA. Full Tilt executives faced additional allegations of defrauding players out of roughly $300 million.
The government seized company accounts, including customer funds, and took control of the PokerStars and Full Tilt domains, returning them once both companies agreed to exit the U.S. market. Players were left unable to withdraw, and the U.S. online poker market effectively collapsed overnight.
The Move Toward Legalization
States moved to fill the gap almost immediately. Nevada legalized online poker in June 2011 and issued its first licenses a year later. Delaware followed in 2012, authorizing online poker through the state lottery, and New Jersey in early 2013. All three markets went live during 2013.
A parallel federal effort to regulate online poker nationally stalled over states’ rights concerns, and it hasn’t seriously resurfaced. What emerged instead was the state-by-state patchwork we have today: Pennsylvania legalized in 2017 and launched in 2019, Michigan legalized in 2019 and launched in 2021, and West Virginia legalized in 2019 but didn’t see a live site until 2025. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine have since legalized without launching.
US Online Poker FAQ
Is online poker legal in the United States?
Yes, in states that have legalized and regulated it. There is no federally licensed online poker covering all 50 states, but federal law doesn’t prevent individual states from authorizing it. Nine states have legalized online poker and six currently have live licensed sites.
What states have online poker?
You can play real money online poker at a licensed site in Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine have legalized online poker but have no live operators yet.
What is the legal age to play online poker?
You must be 21 or older in every state with legal online poker, and you’ll need to verify your age when you create your account.
Do I need to be a resident of a state to play online poker there?
No. Residency isn’t required — you just need to be 21 or older and physically located within state lines while you play. You can visit Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or West Virginia, create an account, and play.
Can I play against players in other states?
Yes, on most sites. The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement lets operators pool players across member states. WSOP Online combines Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania; BetMGM, Borgata, and PokerStars on FanDuel each cover New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan; BetRivers Poker links Pennsylvania, Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia.
Are online poker winnings taxable income?
Yes. Gambling winnings, including online poker, are taxable income and need to be reported on your federal return. State tax treatment varies, so check the rules where you live.
What kind of poker is offered on online sites?
Texas Hold’em is the main game — no-limit, fixed-limit, and pot-limit. Most major sites also spread Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Hi/Lo variants, all available as cash games and tournaments.
What are my deposit and withdrawal methods?
Banking options vary by operator and state, but you can generally expect credit and debit cards, e-check, bank transfer, PayPal, and online banking. Some sites also support cash at the cage at a partner casino.
What is the average rake on online cash games?
Most sites charge around 5% with a per-hand cap, which brings the effective rate down. Caps and rake structures differ by operator and by stake, so it’s worth comparing if you play high volume.
Do all online casinos offer online poker?
No. Poker generally requires a separate licence and a separate platform, and most online casinos skip it. You’ll need to sign up with an operator that runs a dedicated poker room.
Can I enter WSOP online events in the United States?
Yes, through WSOP Online in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. The 2026 WSOP Online Bracelet schedule featured 30 gold bracelet events with more than $7 million in guarantees, running alongside the live series in Las Vegas.
Can I play online poker from my Android phone?
Yes, though the app may not be listed in the Google Play Store. If it isn’t, the operator’s website will have a direct download link and installation instructions.
Can I use a VPN to play online poker?
No. Licensed sites use geolocation software that a VPN won’t defeat, and attempting it violates the operator’s terms and can get your account closed and funds frozen. To play legally, you need to be physically inside a regulated state.
