United States-licensed igaming operations have recently spread across more than 20 states, offering casino, sports betting, and poker room games. Revenues exceeded $10B for 2023 alone! Across all US states are hundreds of licensed casinos or cardrooms that generate over $60B annually in revenue from gambling operations.
Mississippi law does not directly address internet gambling, yet has a long history with illegal gambling activities, with severe penalties for any such illegal activities. Some lawmakers have raised the idea of regulating online poker but remain uncertain whether their proposal can gain enough support in Mississippi’s increasingly aggressive approach toward this activity. If they decide to regulate poker anyway, Mississippi could find itself competing fiercely with other states for licenses to allow regulated play.
Though most online gambling is conducted through state-licensed operators, some states have taken measures to prohibit this form of entertainment as a measure to limit gambling addiction and protect children. Some state legislators are actively working on changing these laws so that it becomes legal for citizens within those states to play poker online.
Law is ever-evolving; some states have already implemented new legislation or proposals. Therefore, players should always check the laws in their state to be certain of their rights and responsibilities.
Legality of online poker in the US can be complex. This depends on whether a particular game can be considered a game of skill or chance; certain such as chess and slots are easy to classify while other are more challenging – one major difficulty being that many states have an overly broad definition of gambling which encompasses any activity with significant elements of luck involved.
Montana has a complex gambling law landscape and takes an anti-gambling stance. Although a range of options exist for those looking to gamble in Montana, few regulated poker options are currently available – although legislation being debated would enable Montana to join MSIGA and share player pools across states; which could make regulated online poker possible in Montana.
At one time, only Nevada and Delaware legalized online gambling. New Jersey passed legislation legalizing igaming in January 2011, but Governor Chris Christie vetoed it because of concerns related to UIGEA. A recent decision by a federal judge has taken away this impediment but its implications are still being debated.