For nearly 2 decades, the US online poker market remained in a regulatory grey area. It gained widespread popularity and offered significant commercial opportunities for operators, but the legal framework remained unstable and insufficiently protected.
A turning point came in April 2025, when Pennsylvania joined the MSIGA, the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement. The number of active tournament participants increased by nearly 50%, and player guarantees became more transparent and beneficial.
Now, US supervisory authorities no longer face the question of whether the market should be overseen. Rather, they are prepared to respond quickly to industry demands and make relevant decisions.
Regulatory Gaps: Fragmented Legislation Issue
In 2006, the UIGEA, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, was implemented, granting states the freedom to determine rules and administrative procedures for online poker independently.
Today, card tournaments are officially allowed in only 6 regions:
- Nevada;
- Michigan;
- Delaware;
- New Jersey;
- West Virginia;
- Pennsylvania.
In the remaining territories, the entertainment vertical is either prohibited or unregulated, forcing local punters to use offshore platforms without any security guarantees. The main tool for creating liquidity in the market remains the MSIGA, which enables operators to pool their customer bases and host larger poker competitions.
Further growth of the industry directly depends on legal decisions in California, Florida, and New York. These are the states with the greatest potential for player numbers.
Factors Driving Market Transformation
The 3 key objectives fuel the need for a unified policy in the segment:
- Audience protection. Offshore portals pose significant risks, including the lack of financial guarantees, controls over data flows, and dispute-resolution mechanisms. Centralised regulators implement basic security measures such as 2-factor authentication and KYC compliance checks.
- Industry liquidity. Sessions are more engaging and profitable when tables are full. Otherwise, brands risk facing empty lobbies, longer wait times, and low engagement. The MSIGA ensures access to shared user pools. Pennsylvania’s entry is a prime example: the number of tournament players nearly doubled, and the rounds became more intense, benefiting both gamers and operators.
- Market growth potential. Europe has already implemented a supervised cross-border system with uniform standards for general rules, taxation, and casino security protocols. The US is still significantly lagging, limiting the scale of the poker industry and creating the risk of stagnation.
Centralised Regulation: Impact on Gaming Safety
One of the key challenges that can be effectively addressed at the state level is strengthening cyber protection measures.
According to SiGMA’s 2025 report, operators face the following threats:
- bonus abuse;
- customer account hacking;
- personal and financial data thefts.
Poker as a card game creates additional opportunities for fraud: collusion for profit, chip dumping, and the use of AI bots. The industry’s main response has been the transition to modernised protocols.
The main ones are:
- biometric identification upon login;
- behavioural assessment using machine learning algorithms;
- blocking suspicious activity in real time before damage is caused to participants or the operator.
A unified regulatory program ensures market transparency and integrity, guaranteeing fair outcomes for gamblers. In the online casino segment, the use of certified random number generators (RNGs) remains a prerequisite for legal work. Experiments with blockchain tools are underway to allow any customer to independently verify results and track the entire chain of actions during a session.
The implementation of common KYC protocols allows for rapid audience segmentation by age. It also makes compliance with worldwide-scale and national anti-money laundering (AML) requirements more effective.
Another important aspect is the tech integrity of platforms. To increase conversion and build player trust, operators should:
- ensure stable and uninterrupted activities;
- promptly identify behavioural anomalies and fraudulent signs;
- provide transparent and personalised tools within the responsible gaming program.
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Industry Prospects Beyond the US
The American poker realm has high potential for stable growth. Europe has already demonstrated the effectiveness of centralised supervision, and the United States now simply needs to adopt current global practices and adjust them to local conditions.
The most illustrative example is the liquidity pooling of France, Portugal, and Spain in 2018. The countries succeeded in creating a unique cross-border system with high returns for brands. Italy later joined the union, further strengthening its position. Malta has become a central hub for the gambling industry, providing both domestic and foreign investors with transparent and predictable operating conditions.
In Latin America, regulation is at a turning point. The region’s largest markets, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, have not yet implemented global pooling, but are actively adopting their neighbours' experiences and adapting them to national contexts. Youth and mobile audiences are becoming key sources of traffic, and they are being taken into account when creating supervisory standards and security protocols.
In Asia, the situation is more complicated. Almost all official markets are strictly prohibited, but the shadow sector is rapidly developing. This peculiarity poses significant risks for users and prompts authorities to seek ways to improve controls and protection in the field.
Prospects of US Online Poker After 2025
For operators, the transition to a sustainable, regulated environment is much more than simply complying with oversight requirements. It is also an opportunity to proactively prepare for emerging trends and offer audiences reliable solutions with long-term value.
If the fragmented model persists, the greatest risks will be borne by users, who will be forced to turn to shadowy brands without sufficient legal and technological protection. As early as 2026, American online poker may have a real chance to transition to a unified national pool and establish itself as a mature, promising industry.
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