• How To Play Online Poker In The Us For Real Money
• What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Online
• What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Glitch
• What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Play
• What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Games
• What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Without
• What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money To Play

The states in question are California and New York if successful, they could ignite states in the Northeast and West Coast to move forward with legalizing state-sanctioned online poker. NY poker sites allow you to play for real money on the go, and that’s huge, of course. It gives you a level of comfort that few states can genuinely enjoy. Playing online will also save you many discomforts of the.

With casinos aplenty and a strong gambling tradition, the state of Michigan is a natural fit for poker. Online poker has been a hit as well, but with its sharply rising popularity come a number of questions – about the law, about how poker is regulated, about how to play and more. We can’t answer every question you have about online poker in Michigan, but we can get you pointed in the right direction with our Guide to Playing Online Poker in Michigan.

People always want to know, can you play poker online for money in Michigan? In this case, the answer to the question for Michigan is yes – it’s easy to setup an online poker account from Michigan and play for real money in a matter of minutes. There are plenty of sites that accept players from Michigan – but we still suggest that players start their search with a room from this real money USA list.

Latest Updates from Michigan’s Online Poker Efforts

On December 20, 2019, Michigan became the sixth state in the new US internet gambling market to legalize online poker. It also became the fifth to legalize online casino games and the 20th to authorize sports betting.

It was not an easy road, but the tenacity of a few lawmakers made it happen.

Efforts began in 2017 with Michigan State Senator Mike Kowall introducing an online poker bill, one later picked up on the other side of the legislature by State Representative Brandt Iden. After a committee passage on the Senate side and positive informational hearing on the House side, the bills died.

In 2018, Kowall and Iden put their bills – SB.203 and HB.4926, respectively – back into play. Both were called the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. There was some activity throughout the year, including a rewrite of the Senate bill, but Iden began pushing his House bill in the summer. He took his bill to the House floor, where it passed by a 68-to-40 vote.

After the summer break and late into the year, Kowall took HB.4926 to the Senate floor on the last day of the session for the year. And during that last day, during the week before Christmas, the Senate made a few changes but passed it by a vote of 33-to-5. The House then approved the amended bill by a 71-to-38 vote.

Brandt Iden introduced HB 4926, better known as the Michigan online poker bill.

The bill went to then-Governor Rick Snyder for his signature, but instead, he vetoed it on December 28. He claimed that the issue required more study, worrying that online gambling would affect land-based gambling revenue. The veto was a massive disappointment for online poker supporters, especially Iden and Kowall.

Kowall retired at the end of 2018, so Iden found a new supporter in the Senate in State Senator Curtis Hertel Jr. In early 2019, the two introduced identical bills, both called the Lawful Internet Gaming Act, which were essentially reiterations of the 2018 bills. The Senate bill was SB.186, and the House version was HB.4311.

Iden quickly took HB.4311 to the House Regulatory Reform Committee, but a hearing revealed that the Michigan Department of Treasury announced that it opposed the bill due to certain harm to the state’s online lottery sales and land-based gambling establishments. Newly-elected Governor Gretchen Whitmer agreed and issued a counterproposal to Iden’s bill.

Whitmer’s suggestions removed online slot games from the bill and raised licensing fees and tax rates significantly. Iden called it a non-starter, and the two engaged in a standoff. Iden said that Whitmer refused to meet for further negotiations.

At the beginning of December, Hertel stepped in. He was a Democrat, as was the governor, and she once worked for Hertel’s father, who had been in the legislature years before. Hertel met with Whitmer friend and State Representative Rebekah Warren. The two worked out a compromise.

On December 11, the newly-amended bill passed the Michigan Senate by a vote of 35-to-3, and the House re-approved it quickly.

And on December 20, 2019, Governor Whitmer of Michigan signed the bill into law, declaring victory for bipartisanship, compromise, and new revenue dollars for the state.

2019 Lawful Gambling Act

The bill that became law was HB.4311, better known as the Lawful Internet Gaming Act. Its purpose was multi-fold but summed up as:

Operating, conducting, and offering for play internet games… that already occur throughout the state illegally.

Consistent and in compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.

Consistent and in compliance with the 1963 Michigan State Constitution, ensuring internet games be played lawfully…only conducted by persons who are lawfully operating casinos in this state.

In order to protect residents of this state who wager on games of chance or skill through the internet and to capture revenues generated from internet gaming.

Use of the internet to sell lottery games, sales of which will not be prohibited by the act.

The three Detroit-based casinos and 23 tribal casinos located throughout the state will be able to apply for licenses to operate online poker and/or casino games. The application fee is $50,000. If approved, the licensee will pay a $100,000 fee for the initial license and $50,000 per year for annual renewals.

The tax rate on gross gaming revenue, which is significantly more than what Iden originally proposed, will be as follows:

20% tax on amounts up to $4M

22% tax on amounts from $4M to $8M

24% tax on amounts from $8M to $10M

26% tax on amounts from $10M to $12M

28% tax on amounts over $12M

The problem with the new law is that it prohibits interstate compacts to share player pools. The purpose was to ease Whitmer’s mind about large online slot jackpots across state lines, but it inadvertently negatively affects online poker’s hopeful growth.

How To Play Online Poker In The Us For Real Money

Is Online Poker Legal in Michigan?

Yes. As of December 2019, online poker is legal in Michigan.

The following information is a summary of sections of the previous law relating to gambling. The new Lawful Internet Gaming Act will supersede some of this wording in order to allow the state to license and regulate its own online poker sites.

Before we get into the question of whether online poker is legal in MI, two important caveats. The first: smart gamblers always know the law firsthand, so be sure to review the complete Michigan statutes at this page. Second: we’re not lawyers and this isn’t legal advice. It’s just an aid for reading and understanding the basics of Michigan gambling law.

How does the poker laws in MI apply to online players? Here are some excerpts from the law that should be interesting to anyone playing poker in the state, online or live:

It’s clearly illegal to offer gambling without holding the proper license in Michigan. Section 432.218 makes it a felony to run a

“gambling operation where wagering is used or to be used without a license issued by the board.”

The definition of “gambling game” as written in Michigan law appears to include all forms of real-money poker:

“any game played with cards, dice, equipment or a machine, including any mechanical, electromechanical or electronic device which shall include computers and cashless wagering systems, for money, credit, or any representative of value” (Section 432.202(v)).

Social games of poker with no rake taken are exempted from the above definition.

Interestingly, it’s more of a crime to win at illegal gambling than it is to lose. Section 750.314 details the charge of “winning at gambling” – if you win less than $50, that’s a misdemeanor, and if your winnings cross the $50 threshold, you could potentially be looking at jail time (by the letter of the law). It’s also a crime to lose, but no jail time is involved and the law allows you to sue the winner to recoup your losses.

There are numerous accessory and conspiracy charges that bring additional criminal exposure to individuals involved in the business operations (even if the connection is tenuous) of illegal gambling activity.

Michigan Gambling Facts

There’s a long relationship between Michigan and gambling, but it wasn’t until the 1900s that the state began a slow and steady march to expand regulated gambling. Horse racing came first, with pari-mutuel wagering getting the nod in 1933. The lottery followed in 1972, and laws governing charitable gambling passed the same year. Following that burst of activity, proponents of regulated gambling had a bit of a wait before further progress was made. In fact, it would be nearly 20 years before additional options were introduced in the state.

Regulated Michigan Gambling Options

What’s there to do for a gambler in Michigan seeking regulated choices? Plenty – you’ll find all of the major five regulated gambling formats on offer in Michigan. If you need a quick refresher, that means commercial casinos, tribal gambling options, pari-mutuel betting, and the state-run lottery. Casinos (commercial and tribal) are spread throughout the state, with the highest concentration in and around the Detroit area.

The newly regulated market in Michigan is more than a year away from becoming a reality.

The state gambling regulator will need to devise detailed regulations, open a licensing application window, vet applicants, and ultimately issue licenses. Approved operators and land-based casino partners will then need to design and prepare their online poker sites, test them, and receive a final approval from the regulator for a full launch.

There might be a launch by the end of 2021 or later. That’s currently the best estimate at this time.

All Poker and Gambling Laws by State

• This has been a rough year for person and business sector in America. The same goes for many other countries around the world. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic have been devastating. In the United States, casinos and all live gambling venues are in the troubled sector. After closing within

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• June 29th, 2019

  Michigan State Representative Brandt Iden was nothing if not positive about online gaming. For several years, his optimism has been contagious, and many believed he would be the lawmaker to finally legalize online poker and casino games for people in Michigan. He did it, actually. Iden worked closely with former

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• Last year was a bittersweet one for online poker fans in Michigan and those watching from across America. Lawmakers went to great efforts to find consensus on internet gaming bills, and support grew as the year progressed. Hope lived that Michigan would become the fifth state to legalize online poker

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• It was impressive. On the last day of the 2018 legislative session, late in the day and then into the night, just days before the Christmas holiday, Michigan lawmakers passed a bill to legalize and regulate online poker and casino games. The Lawful Internet Gaming Act traveled leaps and bounds

  Read Full

Famous Michigan Poker Players

A great number of famous poker players have hailed from Michigan.

Some might remember the 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event winner Ryan Reiss, who won more than $8.3 million for that one tournament. Going back a bit further, Joe Cada was the 2009 WSOP Main Event champion, who won more than $8.5 million for his victory. (Cada has won three more WSOP bracelets since then.)

Dan Heimiller is a longtime poker pro, taking third place on the Michigan leaderboard after Riess and Cada, with online poker player Jeff Gross coming in fourth on the list. David Baker – formerly known as DBakes – got his start in online poker and played a fair amount of live and online throughout his poker career.

As of 2021, these were the top players in the category of Michigan natives and their lifetime live tournament earnings:

1. Ryan Riess ($15 million)
2. Joe Cada ($14.3 million)
3. Dan Heimiller ($6.3 million)
4. Jeff Gross ($3.3 million)
5. David Baker ($3.2 million)
6. Nicolas Manion ($2.9 million)
7. Ping Liu ($2 million)
8. Dash Dudley ($1.8 million)
9. Anthony Gargano ($1.8 million)
10. Dean Hamrick ($1.7 million)

Sources & Citations For This Article on Michigan Online Poker

Not all poker rooms currently accept US players, but thankfully there's still a handful of reliable places to choose from…

Best US friendly poker sites.

These are the best real-money US friendly poker roomsthat I've played at. I think they're the most reliable online poker sites for American players as of March 2021 I haven't listed any poker rooms I don't trust, which is why this might be a shorter list than you find at other websites.

Unregulated and regulated states

Due to some states deciding to regulate online poker over recent years, your options for playing poker online vary depending on which state you live in.

Here's a colorful map to help you out:

Unregulated

These states have the most freedom. From here you are free to play at 'unregulated' rooms, which are currently the biggest and most popular destinations for playing poker online.

Unregulated sounds like a negative word, but in this context these rooms have the freedom to accept players from multiple states, and so therefore have much bigger player pools. Basically, if you live in one of the green states, you are in the best position for playing online poker because you have access to the busiest online poker rooms available.

The biggest rooms in operation are currently:

Note: All of the US-friendly poker rooms I recommend on this site fall in to the unregulated category. I believe they are the best options for playing poker online if you can get to them. I do not believe regulated sites offer anything better in terms of safety.

What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Online

Regulated

These states have limited choice. They have regulated online poker, which means they offer poker rooms that only accept players from within the same (or sometimes other regulated) states, and therefore have much lower player traffic.

Regulation sounds like a good thing, but really the primary goal for these states is to be able to profit more directly from the running of online poker. As a result you can only play at the regulated sites (usually), and so you have a much more limited choice in where you can play poker online. For example, these are your options in each of the regulated states:

What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Glitch

• Delaware (since 2012): WSOP/888
• Nevada (since 2013): WSOP NV
• New Jersey (since 2013): WSOP/888, PokerStars NJ, Party/Borgata/BetMGM
• Pennsylvania (since 2017): PokerStars PA
• West Virginia (since 2019):(none yet)
• Michigan (since 2019):(none yet)

Ideally it would be good if the whole of the US could pool together at some point, but as it stands the small number of individually regulated states means that you end up playing against a much smaller pool of players than you would otherwise be able to.

Unfortunately the biggest US-friendly online poker rooms tend to avoid accepting players from states with active regulated poker rooms.

Other

These states are in a tricky spot. They do not have regulated online poker rooms yet, but for certain reasons some unregulated sites have chosen not to accept players from these states either.

This is usually because these states either have strong laws against playing poker online (e.g. Washington), or because there's some significant gambling organization already operating in the state (e.g. several state licensed casinos in Maryland). Either way, some unregulated sites feel these states are too risky to open up to, or don't want to step on anyone's toes.

Nonetheless, there are still some decent online poker rooms that accept players from these states:

These rooms are bitcoin-only and are much smaller than the biggest rooms, but they're still worth playing at.

Is it legal to play online poker in the US?

I'm a better poker player than I am a lawyer. So I wouldn't want you to completely trust everything I say on this topic. However, I've been involved with online poker for years, so I'm just going to give you my opinion on playing poker on the the Internet in the US anyway.

Aside from a few states (see below), it appears to be perfectly legal to play online poker for real money in the US. Thousands of American players play online poker for real money every week. No players have ever been arrested.

If online poker is was illegal, the online poker rooms would not be accepting US players. US-facing rooms are vigilant about staying on top of the law. So unless the poker rooms prevents you from creating an account, you are good to go.

It is safe to play online poker in most US states, which is why we have these US friendly poker rooms. If you would like further reassurance from a legal expert in this area, read this article by I. Nelson Rose.

Here's a reassuring quote for you:

You are not going to go to jail for merely playing poker online. It is not a federal crime to make a bet. Half the states do have ancient laws on the books making it a crime, sometimes, to make a bet. But these are never enforced. I have been unable to find anyone who has been charged, let alone convicted, for playing Internet poker.– I. Nelson Rose (Is it safe to play poker online?)

And here's a couple more reassuring quotes from Micheal Bluejay:

No American has ever been arrested, indicted, or prosecuted by the feds for gambling online, because you can't break a non-existent law.– Michael Bluejay (Is online gambling legal in the U.S.?)

Even in states where online gambling is illegal, prosecution is rare and penalties are usually slight.– Michael Bluejay (Penalties for online gambling, state by state)

The UIGEA (2006)

The UIGEA was passed in September 2006. It stands for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, and it was attached to the SAFE Port Act. Official details can be found between 31 USC § 5361 and 31 USC § 5367.

Contrary to what some people believe, this did not make online poker illegal. It simply made it a little more difficult to process transactions to and from online poker rooms and online casinos. It does not make the act of playing poker online for real money illegal, so it's not aimed at you.

Black Friday (2011)

On Friday 15th April 2011, the FBI seized the domains of the top 4 US-facing online poker rooms. This is known in the industry as Black Friday. The 4 main affected sites were:

• UB Poker & Absolute Poker

These poker rooms were indicted for apparent bank fraud offenses, although it definitely appeared to just be an attempt to reduce the number of online poker sites that could cater to US citizens. You can't let that kind of money go untaxed, so best to slow the issue down until the Government can think of a solution for getting a slice of the action.

This did nothing to change the legality of online poker -- it simply resulted in these poker rooms no longer accepting or offering real money play to US poker players. This was the biggest change in online poker for US players since the UIGEA came in to effect in September 2006.

The major US poker sites were kicked out, leaving behind a handful of smaller US-facing rooms to soak up the remaining poker players.

US online poker law by state.

Each state has its own laws when it comes to gambling online. Here's a quick overview on playing online poker in the US by state.

States that have big problems with online poker.

• Washington

These states have explicitly stated that online poker is a felony. Some online poker rooms that accept US players have restricted access to players in these states.

States that have issues with online poker.

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Missouri
• New York
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Utah
• Wisconsin

These states have issues with online poker and online gambling, but it's a bit of a grey area. It may be the case that there are some sort of laws in place, but they are not heavily enforced. I'm sure that there are many people in these states playing online poker on a regular basis, but there must be some element of risk.

As you may have spotted, I'm not a lawyer, so it's definitely in your best interest to do a bit of research for these particular states. This state by state gambling law summary has a lot of helpful information, so check that out.

States that have regulated online poker.

• Delaware
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• West Virginia
• Michigan

These states are beginning to allow regulated online poker through online gambling companies that have acquired permits.

It's early days though, so it's nothing to get excited about. Expect it to be a while before this regulated state-by-state poker situation gains traction and is a worth getting involved in as a serious poker player.

States that seem okay.

• All the rest

As far as I'm aware, the states in white do not seem to have any problems or issues with online poker. You'd obviously want to do a bit of checking around first to be sure, but unless you find anything blindingly obvious on the Internet you're probably fine.

For even more information on the current laws in each individual state (and general thoughts on the risks in each one), have a look at my friend's site: pokerlaws.org/united-states/. He writes more about it than I do, and is also a lot more American than I am.

Why aren't all poker rooms US friendly?

In short, it's easier for some rooms to operate by not accepting any US players at all. The UIGEA has made processing deposits and withdrawals trickier, so some rooms prefer to stick with non-US players to make their life easier.

Poker companies have limited resources, so some have decided to focus on developing their product and servicing players rather than constantly dealing with difficult payment processing. Other's are happy to put up with the effort. Different poker rooms, different plans and ideas.

What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Play

There are a lot of poker players outside the US, so some have just decided to focus their attention on other markets.

Best US poker deposit methods.

What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Games

Although deposit and withdrawal options are slightly limited for US players, it is still easy to add funds and withdraw money from your online poker account. Some of the more popular deposit options for US players include:

1. Bitcoin - This is the most utterly restriction-free way to send money across the Internet. You just have to be prepared to put up with the volatility of a fledgling currency. Having said that, I think it's amazing.
2. Credit Card - The success rate of this method varies greatly from room to room. It's hit and miss, but worth a shot. VISA cards have the highest success rate.

Different poker rooms will have different deposit and withdrawal methods on offer for you, so don't expect to find the exact same methods everywhere. The poker room will let you know your options in the cashier, so your best bet is to just sign up and see what they've got. They'll usually highlight options for US players.

What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money Without

Note: Don't be surprised to have to pay fees for these methods, and higher ones than players outside of the US might be paying. They're not terribly large, but they're noticeable. If you make a deposit/withdrawal without paying a fee, consider it a bonus.

Other useful links.

What States Can You Play Online Poker For Real Money To Play

As I say, I'm not a lawyer (not yet anyway), so I don't have all the answers. Here are a few helpful pages with more in-depth information:

Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.