Back in New Jersey & More States to Come in 2020?

Freeroll poker tournaments allow you to enter games without having to pay a buy-in and the winner of such will always receive real money rewards. These take place every day at Intertops Poker, with varying prizes on offer. Bovada Poker is a popular spin-off of Bodog Poker, a proven leader in online poker since its inception in 2004. However, options for playing real money poker in the United States have been limited since 2011. If you live in Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, or New Jersey, your state has specific laws that preclude you from playing at Bovada Poker.

Currently, PokerStars is only available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Online Poker Ohio. As mentioned above, players are technically allowed to play on offshore poker sites. You may find that very few poker sites will reject players from Ohio, but the majority of the top US poker site brands will be available to you.

Updated March. 5, 2020 – PokerStars launched in Pennsylvania and has the highest traffic of all regulated poker sites in America. It also hosted the Pennsylvania Online Championship of Poker. This was a huge series with more than $1 million in guaranteed prizes. It took years, but it looks like it was worth the wait for Pennsylvania players.

PokerStars has been running strong in New Jersey since 2016, but it hasn’t reached the size Pennsylvania has. A shared player pool could really kick things up a notch though. We’ll see if success in Pennsylvania leads to PokerStars in more states.

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Legal Online Poker in the USA

Six states have legalized online poker. Out of those, four currently have sites up-and-running. Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Two more states legalized online poker but are still working on setting things up. West Virginia, legalized online poker in 2019. But online poker sites there aren’t expected to launch until 2021. The same goes for Michigan.

When it comes to PokerStars, only two states have Poker Stars software. PokerStars gained approval to operate in New Jersey in 2015. Their site, pokerstarsnj.com, went live on March 21, 2016. Of course, you have physically located in New Jersey to play. It’s play money for all other states. PokerStars NJ also offers casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette and more.

PokerStars then launched in Pennsylvania in late 2019. They kicked things off with the Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker that drew thousands of players and culminated in a $300 buy-in main event with a $100,000-guaranteed prize pool.

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If you’re not in Pennsylvania or New Jersey, PokerStars could still come to your state further down the line. If you want to play today though, there are still plenty of great alternatives.

Best PokerStars Alternatives for US Players

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We recommend Ignition Poker as the best alternative. A lot of people prefer it to non-state run sites since they accept players from all 50 states. Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, ACR, Black Chip Poker and Intertops also rank highly. As state by state rollouts occur, we will continue to keep you updated on when PokerStars makes it to your state.

Can You Play PokerStars in the USA?

Real money online poker play on PokerStars is only available if you are physically in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. PokerStars will be in more US states soon though. West Virginia and Michigan are the current front-runners to join the party.

PokerStars, which also owns Full Tilt Poker, is currently owned by The Stars Group, formerly called Amaya Gaming Group and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. PokerStars is partnered with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, and their main competition in the state is WSOP/888 and Borgata/PartyPoker. In Pennsylvania, they teamed up with FoxBet, which is the real-money wagering provided by FOX Sports.

While there’s online poker Delaware and Nevada, but PokerStars has yet to get a license in either state. If you do not live in either New Jersey or Pennsylvania, we recommend Ignition Poker or Betonline.ag. They are safe and trusted sites that service all 50 states. Check out our reviews for a comprehensive look at how each online poker site. We detail the most important factors to look at when picking an online poker room.

Make no mistake. Online poker is legal in the USA. It’s 100% legal for you to play. Don’t have to worry about getting arrested.

How Many Players on Pokerstars?

PokerStars remains the largest poker site on the internet with tens of thousands of players logging in weekly. PokerStars traffic is far superior to any other poker website and it controls over 50% of the market.

The sale of PokerStars has now changed the game in the US market. It is a prerequisite for any online casino that operates with a US license to also have or be partners with a US operated “land-based” casino. PokerStars partnered with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ. Unfortunately, PokerStars has struggled with its NJ-based traffic. On the bright side, Pennsylvania has been a traffic bonanza for PokerStars since it launched in late 2019.

PokerStars also made a massive deal with gigantic casino conglomerate Eldorado Resorts, which operates properties across 12 different states. The US government has to be pleased that PokerStars is playing ball and infusing the US market with plenty of cash.

When Will PokerStars Return to the USA?

It kind of already is. If you’re in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, just download the software. If you’re in another state, then you’ll have to wait. Regulated online poker has been moving pretty slow. Even then, some states that have legalized it haven’t let PokerStars in. That’s because they have another obstacle. Some important gaming groups in the USA see the brand as a bad actor because it operated without a license in the USA for years.

The brand is still incredibly popular around the world though. The site also paid over an estimated $850 million in fines because of Black Friday. It might take some time, but PokerStars will make its way back to the USA on a broader scale.

Good Faith Will Not Prevail?

While some US states have been reluctant to allow PokerStars back, it should be noted that the company bailed out tens of thousands of American poker players. Full Tilt famously didn’t have funds on hand to repay its players after Black Friday. PokerStars then bought Full Tilt and repaid all its players for millions and millions of dollars.

PokerStars was simply a better-run business and separated their player accounts from operating expenses. It was, therefore, an easy task for PokerStars to immediately pay back its players after they were forced out of the US market in 2011. PokerStars was also better at becoming a global poker business. Most of its player traffic came from outside the USA.

This act of good faith was on top of the hundreds of millions they paid out in penalties to US officials. It was an example of responsible gaming. As more and more casinos based in the USA secure their licenses to operate, PokerStars will likely be entering several of these state-regulated markets.

When Will I Be Able to Play PokerStars in my State?

We have in-depth real money online poker guides for many of the US states that are updated whenever there are changes to state legislation. Unfortunately, there’s no clear-cut guide to when online poker will be legalized in each US state. For now, it appears that progress will only occur at the state level and a federal online poker bill is still just a pipe dream.

Some states have a higher chance of legalizing and regulating online poker in the near future, however. We keep close track of some of the more progressive states and try to give our readers some insight into which states could be closing in on legalization. You can take a deeper dive into your states specific laws in regards to PokerStars and all online poker laws with our state-by-state guides.

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Online Poker USA Law State-by-State Guides

You can refer to the legal status of online poker in every US state here:
Alabama – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado – Connecticut – Georgia – Idaho – Iowa – Kansas – Maine – Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Montana – Nebraska – New Hampshire – New Mexico – North Carolina – North Dakota – Ohio – Oklahoma – Pennsylvania – Rhode Island – South Carolina – Tennessee – Vermont – West Virginia – Wyoming

The Entire History of PokerStars in the USA

PokerStars has a fascinating history in the online poker industry with a substantial portion of it taking place in the USA.

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2000s

  • Now a billion-dollar, publicly-traded company, PokerStars had rather humble beginnings.
  • It began in the early 2000s as a Costa Rican company called Rational Enterprises that was majority-owned by Israeli-Canadian Isai Scheinberg.
  • PokerStars was just one of many of the early real-money online poker operators including PartyPoker, Pacific Poker (Now 888poker) and Tropical Poker.

2003 – 2006

  • PokerStars’ claim to fame came in 2003 when an accountant named Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event 2003-2006 Las Vegas after qualifying on the site.
  • Moneymaker was the first player to win the Main Event after qualifying online and helped create the so-called “poker boom” of the early 2000s.
  • PokerStars quickly became a favorite amongst poker players for its secure deposits, reliable support team and booming cash games.

2006 – 2011

  • The poker boom was stifled early on when the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 that led to publicly-traded companies like PartyPoker getting forced to leave the US market altogether.
  • UIGEA had the opposite effect on PokerStars because it was a privately-held company, it remained in the US market and quickly took the reins as the most popular online poker site in the world.

2011 – 2016

  • The gravy train came to an end in 2011 when the Department of Justice seized the .com addresses of three online poker sites: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute/UltimateBet.
  • Online poker players referred to the day as “Black Friday”. It would be years before PokerStars would be allowed to re-enter the US market.

2016 – Today

  • PokerStars continued to flourish on the international market and was purchased by Amaya Gaming in a massive $4.9 billion deal in 2014. Subsequently the first officially licensed online poker sites in the USA start to pop up in 2014.
  • New Jersey became the first state to allow PokerStars back in 2016.
  • In late 2019 Pennsylvania follows suit and allows PokerStars to officially open its doors to players in the state.

Unfortunately, many other states remain a pipe dream and it will likely be decades before PokerStars is allowed to operate in the entirety of the USA.

Online casino gaming is popular in Ohio and, as of this writing, fully legal under the right conditions. Ohio is a gambling-friendly state; if you live in Ohio, you can pretty much take your pick of local gaming options. There are tribal gaming centers and other traditional gambling operators near enough for a short road trip. But, residents of Ohio are consistently choosing to play casino games at online casinos rather than taking a road trip to a nearby land casino. Why is that? The relaxed attitude towards online gaming has played a huge part in this as well as other factors including convenience.

Ever wonder more about playing online casino games for real-money in Ohio, such as the legal status of being able to play? Or even furthermore, what online casinos might be out there that players in Ohio might be capable of playing? These questions are all answered within this content, as each is addressed specifically, and answered in a way that relates directly to how an Ohio casino player should approach it.

Are Online Casinos Legal In Ohio?

Yes, online casinos are legal in the Buckeye State. Not one arrest has ever been made in Ohio for the crime of playing at an online casino, because in Ohio it isn't a crime at all. There are no laws on the books that make online casino play a crime in Ohio. Now that the federal government is focused on illegal sports bets, and no longer plan to use the 1961 Federal Wire Act to prosecute online casino or poker gamblers, online casino play is perfectly legal, and far more convenient at legal Ohio gambling sites than the nearest tribal gaming center.

Legality Of Online Casino Gambling In Ohio

One thing that might trip you up if you're looking to play online casino games in Ohio are the legal blockades that conservative members of the US government have put up against online gambling. It isn't outright illegal to gamble in the USA, but it can be difficult to send money back and forth from your online account thanks to regulations as part of the 2006 UIGEA.

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Thanks to a lack of laws in Ohio against online gambling, you don't have much to worry about in terms of breaking the law when playing casino games on websites in the state of Ohio.

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You will be presented with many online casino options that accept Ohio players. This is good in the sense that lots are out there. But how to choose the one that's best for you? Well, Lucky Red is certainly one that measures up to the high standards that we set for the casinos that are reviewed. The casino at Lucky Red will give you Ohio players a great opportunity to play casino games and feel like you are right there in the action.

Lucky Red offers players over 100 games, spanning several different categories. There will be something for every type of casino player looking at this site. Big players, small players, slots player, blackjack players, or whichever type of casino game might be your cup of tea, it will be here. Come see why Lucky Red is one of the best choices in our opinion for Ohio casino players.

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All Star Slots is above the rest of the casinos that accept Ohio residents simply because it has equal bonuses for both slots and table games which is something you won't get at the new casino that just recently opened in Cleveland... plus you don't have to drive to Cleveland.

And, while those land-based casinos might have occaisional offers and a player's club, All Star Slots can beat that with the welcome bonuses and on going promotions. As an example, their 100% match of the first deposit to $787 gives players a lot of bonus money (with a low rollover requirement) that can be used for their slots or the table games found in this casino.

What All Star Slots can't give you is a ticket to a free buffett which is something you are probably much better off not having... casino buffetts have never been known for having very delicious food.

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Will I Go To Jail For Playing Online Casino Games in Ohio?

Playing at an online casino is not something that will land you in jail. What federal law targets is the operation of an online casino in the U.S. So long as you are not participating in launching such a site, or day-to-day operation thereof, jail time will not occur.

Having said that, online gambling is not free from restrictions especially when it comes to the legal age to gamble. Gambling age is set by Ohio law at the state level. Those in violation of gambling age laws will likely not end up in jail though, but will face other action deemed necessary.

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