Is Online Poker Going To Be Legalized
- Is Online Poker Going To Be Legalized Due To Covid-19
- Is Online Poker Going To Be Legal Soon
- Is Online Poker Going To Be Legalized
- »Is Online Poker Legal in the USA?
One of the biggest questions on poker players' minds involves when online poker will become legal again. Since the advent of the UIGEA, players from the United States have found it increasingly difficult to fund their online poker accounts. Also, many online card rooms have left the market altogether fearing backlash from the U.S. Still, with federal efforts to legalize Internet poker stalled, it may be a while before a critical mass of states link together to lure professional players back from overseas and drive up. Legal online poker industries currently exist in three states, Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware, with a fourth state, Pennsylvania, expected to go live in the coming weeks. Less known is that a fifth state, West Virginia, legalized online casinos and poker in March, and could have online poker sites up and running in 2021. Online poker players should realize that it is not beneficial to the online poker site owners to cheat. To knowingly break the law would be professional suicide.
2020 Update: Can I Play Online Poker in Maryland?
There’s no online poker legislation in Maryland yet. The Senate did pass a sports betting bill in early March 2020 though. There are a few more steps left for it to become law though. But, any gaming expansion bodes well for online poker, and what’s more encouraging is that it passed unanimously. The Maryland Senate voted 47-0 on SB 4. The bill legalizes sports betting at live sportsbooks and also allows for online sports betting.
Operators would have to pay 20 percent tax on revenue and the live locations include the state’s six casinos and three race tracks. There are options for more locations, like the Washington Redskins stadium. The bill now has to go to the House. If it’s approved there, which it’s expected to, it’ll go to Gov. Larry Hogan for his signature. Hogan has made pro-sports betting comments before, so his signature is also expected. After that, it would go on the ballot in the 2020 November elections. Then it’s up to the citizens of Maryland to decide if they want legal sports betting.
We’d bet on them wanting to.
Baltimore, Maryland (Photo by Bob Burkhard on Unsplash)
Online Poker and the Law in Maryland
Maryland allows for a fair bit of gaming. Slot machines are legal in some counties, they have horse racing and they have six casinos in the state. Gambling is covered under the Maryland Code, Criminal Law, Title 12, Subtitle 1, Section 1-102. Under the state statute, Maryland defines gambling as:
“Wagering or betting in any manner to receive something of value dependent upon the result of any race, contest or contingency.”
This is an interesting definition that differs from most states. A common definition of gambling for states includes the word “chance.” Here we see that Maryland qualifies betting as something depending on “any race, contest or contingency.” This casts the net pretty wide and could encompass poker, since a lot on the game relies on contingencies. All that means is that poker would be covered in this statute, and is something the legislators would address if they regulate online poker.
You can play live poker at Maryland’s casinos and the casinos would offer sports betting if legalized. This would also include online sports betting. This means the casinos could be open to online poker legislation if it comes up. Maryland’s neighbors are also on the online poker train. Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia have all legalized online poker. The only state that Maryland shares a border with that hasn’t legalised it is Virginia.
Hopefully online poker legislation is contagious and Maryland is the next one to catch the bug.
Can I Play Poker on PokerStars in Maryland?
While Maryland might allow PokerStars in like neighboring Pennsylvania sometime soon, you currently can’t play poker on PokerStars in Maryland. If you don’t want to drive to nearby Pennsylvania or New Jersey to open an account and play, you have some options. There are plenty of great PokerStars alternatives for poker players in Maryland.
We’ve reviewed several sites that accept players from all 50 states, including Maryland. Sites like Ignition Poker and Americas Cardroom guaranteed prize pools, tournament specials and great rakeback that make them pretty good PokerStars alternatives. So if you’re looking to fire up some online poker in Maryland, check out our reviews below to find a site that works for you:
Legal Gambling in Maryland
Is Online Poker Going To Be Legalized Due To Covid-19
Lots of gambling in Maryland is ultimately decided by voters. Voters might decide sports betting in 2020, but back in 2012, they expanded gaming too. In 2012 a voters approved one more casino and let existing casinos offer table games.The registered voters approved Question 7 by a 51.9% yes, and 48.1% no.
Maryland Casinos
Maryland’s current casinos are:
- Hollywood Casino Perryville – Maryland’s first gaming facility which opened on September 27, 2010. They feature 1,500 slot machines, a casual restaurant, and parking for 1,600.
- Ocean Downs – Opened on January 4, 2011. They have 34,000 square feet of gaming space and 750 slot machines.
- Maryland Live! – Opened on June 6, 2012. They feature 4,750 slot machines, a live music venue, several restaurants and almost 5,000 parking spaces.
- Rocky Gap Lodge & Resort – Opened on May 23, 2013.
- Horseshoe Baltimore – Opened on August 27, 2014 with 15,000 visitors, 5,000 more than anticipated. However, even with their opening day success, the casino has brought in 34% less revenue ($22.4 million) than predicted in its early stages.
- MGM National Harbor – Opened Dec. 8, 2016. A $1.2 billion development measuring 135,000 sq ft with 308 rooms.
Slot Referendum and a State Lottery
In a 2008 constitutional referendum, voters approved of up to 15,000 video lottery terminals at casinos. The state retains 67% of all revenue generated by the slot machines, among the highest percentage in the United States.
Is Online Poker Going To Be Legal Soon
Proceeds of slots are distributed as follows:
- 49.25% – Maryland Education Trust Fund
- 33% – Video lottery terminals facility operators
- 7% – Horse racing purse account (not to exceed $100 million per year)
- 5.5% – Local impact grants
- 1.75% – Race track facilities renewal account (for the first 8 years not to exceed $40 million per year)
- 2% – Maryland Lottery to partially finance the costs of regulation
- 1.5% – Small, minority and women-owned businesses
Maryland has also offered a lottery since 1973. That was passed by a voter amendment too. In 2015 it had a revenue of $1.762 billion and has experienced steady growth since the start. Seems like there’s no gaming expansion voters won’t approve. We hope to see poker on that list soon. We’ll keep you update if it does.
Specific State-by-State Laws
Alabama – Alaska – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado – Connecticut – Florida – Georgia – Hawaii – Idaho – Illinois – Indiana – Iowa – Kansas – Kentucky – Louisiana – Maine – Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Missouri – Montana – Nebraska – New Hampshire – New Mexico – New York – North Carolina – North Dakota – Ohio – Oklahoma – Oregon – Pennsylvania – Rhode Island – South Carolina – Tennessee – Texas – Utah – Vermont – Virginia – Washington – West Virginia – Wisconsin – Wyoming
Colorado Online Poker Law
Lead by a strong allegiance of casino owners, the engine is slowly chugging toward making online poker legal in Colorado. With 40 casinos, many of which have poker rooms, Colorado has the political and lobbying infrastructure to get an online poker bill done. To be sure, it’s one of the top concerns of the Colorado Gaming Commission, and it is considered a matter of life and death to the casino owners.
In 2012, the Colorado Gaming Association circulated among lawmakers a bill they wrote that would make online poker legal. A year before that, they released the findings from a study they commissioned on the future on online gambling and how it would affect Colorado casinos.
Is Online Poker Going To Be Legalized
The study found “online gambling represents an opportunity for and a threat to commercial casinos in Colorado. If Colorado does not act on this emerging field in a timely manner, the existing commercial casino industry will be at risk.”
Also at risk would be the $750 million a year the industry produces for the state. But the online poker bill draft, and the study, are moves the Colorado Gaming Association hopes will lead to online poker legalization there.
Colorado is probably large enough to foster its own, intrastate poker industry, but there’s a chance some of the casinos would like to be part of a large, multi-state poker union.
Even though no lawmaker has yet taken up this cause, it’s something they will surely examine in the near future, particularly since online poker is already going live in Nevada, New Jersey and elsewhere.
Although live casino poker is legal in Colorado, bets are capped at $100. You think that’s bad? Before 2009, players couldn’t bet more than $5 at a time. This rule surely will have to be re-examined before online poker comes to Colorado.
Criminal Code
In 2005, Colorado’s Attorney General released a statement warning its residents against playing online poker. He made it clear that he believed online poker was illegal at both a state and federal level. No one has been arrested for playing online poker there, although four people were arrested for holding $20 tournaments in 2009. The judge found the defendant not guilty, in part that because poker is a game of skill, and therefore is exempt from the state’s gambling laws.
Will Online Poker Become Legal in Colorado?
Online poker players living in the great state of Colorado soon will be able to play online poker, but not that soon. It will be a miracle if online poker legalization happens before 2015. With a strong, focused effort by the Colorado Gaming Association members, online poker will come to Colorado.
Estimated Online Poker Customer Base
Colorado is the home to about 4 million residents 21 or older. Using a market-based survey that estimated that 10 percent of Americans played online poker in 2007, about 400,000 players are left high on the mountain, without a place to play.
That’s equivalent to the poker market of Singapore, another country where online poker is legal.
Closest Place to Play Legal Online Poker
Nevada is a mere two-hour flight to the west. Internationally, take your pick. Fly north to Canada or south to Mexico.
Recent Action
