State Poker Compliance Guide

Home game poker is illegal in Alabama under its broad anti-gambling statutes. All forms of gambling are broadly prohibited under state law, with limited exceptions for certain charitable bingo operations and tribal gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Alaska under its social gambling exception. The state has a limited gaming framework with pull-tab operations for charitable purposes but no commercial casinos or card rooms.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Arizona under A.R.S. 13-3301, which explicitly permits social gambling. Arizona also has a robust tribal gaming industry, and charitable poker events are permitted under certain conditions. No standalone commercial card rooms operate outside tribal casinos.

Home game poker is a gray area in Arkansas, as the state has no explicit social gambling exception. A 2018 constitutional amendment authorized casino gaming at four locations, but private home games are not clearly addressed by statute.

Home game poker is legal in California under Penal Code Section 330, which explicitly exempts social poker games from gambling laws. California has one of the most active poker scenes in the country, with a large network of licensed card rooms, tribal casinos, and some of the world's largest poker tournaments.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Colorado under C.R.S. 18-10-102, with a $100 per-wager cap on social gambling. Commercial gaming is authorized in three mountain towns (Black Hawk, Central City, Cripple Creek) and at tribal casinos. Charitable gaming is regulated.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Connecticut under its social gambling exception. The state has two major tribal casinos (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun) that offer extensive poker operations. No standalone commercial card rooms exist outside tribal gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Delaware, where social gambling is generally tolerated and private games without a house rake are permitted. The state operates three racino-casinos with poker rooms and was an early adopter of online gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in the District of Columbia, where social gambling is permitted by law. DC authorized online sports betting and has a developing gaming landscape, but there are no brick-and-mortar poker rooms or casinos.

Home game poker is restricted in Florida under the penny-ante exception (F.S. 849.085), which caps individual wagers at $10 per hand. The state has a complex and evolving gambling landscape, with Seminole Tribe poker rooms and commercial card rooms at pari-mutuels that have faced recent legal challenges following Amendment 3 (2018).

Home game poker is a gray area in Georgia, as the state has no specific social gambling exception under O.C.G.A. 16-12-21. Georgia has restrictive gambling laws with no commercial casinos, card rooms, or tribal gaming, and the state lottery is the only broadly authorized form of gambling.

All forms of gambling are illegal in Hawaii under HRS Chapter 712, with no exceptions for social gambling, charitable gaming, or commercial operations. Hawaii has the strictest anti-gambling laws in the country alongside Utah.

Home game poker is a gray area in Idaho, as the state constitution broadly prohibits most forms of gambling with no explicit social gambling exception. Tribal gaming operates under compacts, but enforcement against private home games is extremely rare.

Home game poker is legal in Illinois under 720 ILCS 5/28-1, one of the clearest social gambling exceptions in the country. The state has a growing commercial casino industry and charitable gaming is well-regulated.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Indiana under IC 35-45-5-3, with a $200 per-day wagering limit. The state has a well-developed commercial casino industry and charitable gaming framework. The Pokagon Band operates a tribal casino.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Iowa under Iowa Code 99B.12, with a $50 per-day loss limit per person. The state has a mature commercial casino industry and regulated charitable gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Kansas, where social gambling in private settings is generally permitted. The state has four state-owned casinos and several tribal gaming operations.

Home game poker is a gray area in Kentucky, as the state has no clear social gambling exception. Kentucky's gambling landscape is dominated by horse racing, and there are no commercial casinos or card rooms dedicated to poker.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Louisiana, where social gambling is permitted among persons with a bona fide social relationship in a private place. The state has an extensive commercial and tribal gaming industry with major poker rooms.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Maine under its social gambling exception. The state has two commercial casinos, and charitable gaming including poker is regulated.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Maryland, where social gambling is generally permitted as long as the host takes no rake. The state has a growing commercial casino industry with six casinos, including the MGM National Harbor which hosts a major poker room.

Home game poker is legal in Massachusetts under M.G.L. c. 271, Section 2, which explicitly exempts social gambling from the gambling prohibition. The state has a developed commercial casino industry and a strong charitable gaming framework.

Home game poker is legal in Michigan under MCL 750.314, which includes a clear social gambling exception for private games. Michigan has a robust gaming industry including commercial casinos in Detroit, numerous tribal casinos, and legal online poker authorized in 2019.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Minnesota under M.S. 609.75, with a $200 per-wager limit. Tribal casinos are the primary venue for commercial poker, and charitable gaming is well-regulated with strong pull-tab and poker tournament frameworks.

Home game poker is a gray area in Mississippi, as the state has no explicit social gambling exception. Mississippi has a large commercial casino industry centered along the Gulf Coast and in Tunica County, but private games are not clearly addressed by statute.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Missouri under RSMo 572.010, which permits social gambling where no person profits from hosting. The state has a commercial casino industry and regulated charitable gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Montana under MCA 23-5-311, with a $300 per-wager limit. The state has a unique gaming landscape with video poker in bars, live poker in licensed establishments, and tribal casinos.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Nebraska, where social gambling among persons with a bona fide social relationship is permitted. Voters approved casino gaming in 2020, and commercial casinos are now operational at licensed horse racing tracks.

Home game poker is legal in Nevada under NRS 463.0152, which explicitly permits social games in private settings. Nevada is the poker capital of the world, home to the largest poker rooms and tournaments globally, with the most developed commercial gaming regulatory framework in the country.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in New Hampshire, where social gambling in private residences is not prosecuted and enforcement focuses on commercial operations. The state has a well-developed charitable gaming framework with licensed poker rooms operating under RSA 287-D, but no commercial casino poker.

Home game poker is legal in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2C:37-2, which explicitly permits social gambling. New Jersey has one of the most well-developed gaming regulatory frameworks in the country, with Atlantic City poker rooms and a pioneering legal online poker market.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in New Mexico under its social gambling exception. The state has tribal casinos that offer poker, and small-scale gaming is permitted at racetracks and fraternal/veterans organizations.

Home game poker is legal in New York under Penal Law Section 225.00, which contains one of the clearest social gambling exemptions in the country. New York has a robust gaming industry with commercial casinos, tribal casinos, and racinos, and the state continues to expand its gaming footprint.

Home game poker is a gray area in North Carolina, as the state has no clear social gambling exception and its gambling prohibition is broad. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians operates two casinos with poker rooms, but no commercial card rooms exist outside tribal gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in North Dakota, with a $25 per-wager limit on social gambling. Charitable gaming is well-established and tribal casinos operate throughout the state.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Ohio under ORC 2915.02, which permits social gambling where no person has a material interest beyond being a player. The state has a commercial casino industry with four casinos and seven racinos, and charitable poker tournaments are regulated.

Home game poker is a gray area in Oklahoma, as the state has no clear social gambling exception. Oklahoma has an extensive tribal gaming industry with over 100 tribal gaming facilities, but private home games are not explicitly addressed by statute.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Oregon under ORS 167.117, which permits social gambling in private settings. The state has tribal casinos and the Oregon Lottery operates video poker terminals widely.

Home game poker is legal in Pennsylvania under 18 Pa.C.S. Section 5513, which explicitly exempts social gambling from its gambling prohibitions. The state has a well-developed gaming industry with numerous casinos offering poker rooms and authorized online poker since 2017.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Rhode Island, where social gambling is generally permitted as long as the host takes no rake. The state has two casinos (Bally's Twin River and Bally's Tiverton) with table game operations.

Home game poker is a gray area in South Carolina, as the state has no clear social gambling exception and its gambling prohibition is broad. There are no commercial casinos or card rooms in the state.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in South Dakota, where social gambling is permitted as long as no person profits from hosting. The state has gaming operations in Deadwood, tribal casinos, and the state lottery.

Home game poker is a gray area in Tennessee, as the state has no clear social gambling exception and its gambling prohibition is broad. Tennessee has no commercial casinos, card rooms, or tribal gaming.

Home game poker is legal in Texas under Penal Code Section 47.02, which provides an explicit social gambling defense for private games. Texas has a complicated and evolving commercial poker landscape, with membership-based poker rooms facing legal challenges, while the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino is the only tribal gaming operation with poker. Texas has one of the largest home poker scenes in the country.

All forms of gambling are illegal in Utah under the state constitution, with no exceptions for social gambling, charitable gaming, or commercial operations. Utah has the strictest anti-gambling laws in the country alongside Hawaii.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Vermont, where social gambling is generally permitted as long as no person profits from hosting. There are no commercial casinos or card rooms in the state, and charitable gaming is limited.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Virginia under Code of Virginia Section 18.2-334, which permits social gambling where no person operates a gambling business. The state has modernized its gaming laws significantly, authorizing commercial casinos in 2020 with several now operational or under construction.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Washington under RCW 9.46.0281, which permits social gambling in private settings. The state has an extensive network of licensed mini-casinos, card rooms, and tribal casinos, making it one of the most developed card room industries outside of Nevada and California.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in West Virginia, where social gambling is generally permitted as long as the host takes no rake. The state has commercial casino gaming at racetracks and authorized online gaming in 2019.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Wisconsin under Wis. Stat. 945.02, which permits social gambling where no person profits from hosting. The state has extensive tribal gaming operations but no commercial casinos outside tribal gaming.

Home game poker is legal with conditions in Wyoming, where social gambling is permitted as long as no person operates a gambling business. The state has limited commercial gaming with tribal casinos on the Wind River Reservation and pari-mutuel wagering, but no standalone commercial card rooms.