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Massachusetts poker players have a lot going for them. They can either play live poker at two casinos within the state, or they can play poker online at one of the best Massachusetts poker sites. If you’re interested play real money poker in Massachusetts.

1. Online Poker Maryland Legal
2. Online Gambling Malaysia Legal

Can You Play Online Poker in Massachusetts?

1. Is Online Poker Legal in Massachusetts? The Internet poker gambling and real money betting statutes of most states including MA haven’t been updated since before the inception of the Internet, let alone include statues specific to online poker.
2. Legal Massachusetts Online Poker. MA players will find a list of premium online poker sites below. These sites have been vetted for top-notch poker software, multi-table support, round-the-clock Sit 'N' Gos, and full online poker.
3. Under current MA law, while there are no legal poker sites in Massachusetts that are regulated by the state, there is nothing to stop anyone playing poker online for real money. Some laws DO relate to live.
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It’s fair to say that the gambling market in Massachusetts is fairly new. While horse and dog racing betting has been around for more than eight decades, that’s not the case for casinos. The first casinos were legalized just back in 2011, along with one slot parlor. However, commercial casinos in Massachusetts have been in operation for just over two years. Under these circumstances, it’s no surprise that MA online poker has yet to be legalized and that you can't play online poker in Massachusetts right now.

While such a scenario might look a bit disheartening at first, Massachusetts actually has some positive prospects. Online gaming originally proposed during the initial discussions for the 2011 gambling expansion. And while it did not come to fruition, the topic is still ongoing. Talks have been significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, online poker in Massachusetts is still a bit of a distant dream. On the other hand, there is no way of telling what the future holds. It’s fair to say that MA actually has better chances to legalize online gambling compared to plenty of other states.

This, of course, doesn’t mean that you cannot play poker in Massachusetts. Both Bay State casinos offer live poker rooms. And with two Indian casinos already planned for the future, MA poker could thrive soon. Find everything you need to know about Massachusetts online poker in this guide brought to you by PokerNews.

History of Poker and Online Poker in Massachusetts

In order to take a look at poker in Massachusetts, we must first recap gambling in the state. Pari Mutuel gambling has been legal in MA since the 1930s. Charitable gambling has also been around for a long time. The state lottery was created in 1971, with its first draws happening in 1972. While Massachusetts has a long history of gambling, commercial casinos are very new. In fact, the commercial gambling market is still in its early days, which is quite surprising.

Gambling in Massachusetts was finally signed into law in 2011. However, the first commercial casino only opened to business seven years later. The Expanded Gaming Act, passed on November 22, 2011, allowed MA to have three resort casinos and one slot parlor. Plainridge Park Casino, the first slot parlor, opened to business in 2015.MGM Springfield, the first commercial casino in the Bay State, opened to business in 2018. A year later, Encore Boston Harbor joined the list. Massachusetts still has one commercial casino license remaining for the Southeast part. Currently, legal issues have held back Indian casinos in MA. That is set to change, however. Both the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head already have plans to build one casino each.

All gambling-related activities in MA are regulated by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which was established in 2011. And according to the MGC, live poker is legal to play in the Bay State. The two commercial casinos offer the largest poker rooms in the state. But that’s not the only option available to play poker in MA. The Bay State is well-known for its charity poker rooms.

Summary of Massachusetts Gambling & Poker Laws

• Online Poker/Gambling- All forms of online gambling, including online poker, are illegal in Massachusetts
• Live Poker - Live poker is legal in the state and has been approved by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission
• Casinos - Massachusetts currently has two resort casinos and one slot parlor, with two Indian casinos planned for construction
• Sports Betting - Sports betting is illegal in Massachusetts
• Fantasy Sports - Daily fantasy sports are legal in Massachusetts
• Esports - Esports betting is illegal in Massachusetts
• Other Gambling Options - Charitable gambling, state lottery, pair mutuel wagering on horse and dog racing

Online Poker in Massachusetts

Since commercial gambling is fairly new in Massachusetts, online gaming is still far from reality. This doesn’t mean that it has never been discussed. Quite the opposite, actually. Online gambling, including online poker, was initially proposed as part of the 2011 Expanded Gaming Act. As expected, the idea was quickly shot down. Since then, online gambling has found its way back into the political scene more often than not. The results have been the same as the initial attempt.

Massachusetts has the potential to create a thriving online poker market. Daily fantasy sports already enjoys plenty of popularity in the Bay State. In other words, there is definitely an opening for online gambling. Recent attempts to expand gambling in the state also included wording favorable to online gaming. However, all of them ultimately fell short.

There is plenty of reason to have hope for the future. While the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed most plans for online poker in MA, the Bay State remains among the top candidates to legalize it.

Is Online Poker Legal in Massachusetts?

The short answer is no, online poker is currently illegal in Massachusetts. There have been plenty of attempts to legalize online gambling in MA. However, they weren’t successful, and, as a result, online poker is still illegal. For now, live poker and charity poker are the only ways to play in the state. That being said, the future does look pretty bright for online poker in MA.

While there is no way of telling when it will happen, Massachusetts is a likely candidate to legalize online poker. The state has already laid the groundwork for online gambling. MA was the eighth state to legalize daily fantasy sports, which happened in 2016. This doesn’t necessarily mean that online poker will become legal in the near future. But out of all candidates, it’s fair to say that the Bay State is among the leading ones.

Since MA doesn’t allow real money online poker, social gaming apps remain the only legal alternative. Massachusetts legislation does not allow state residents to play online poker at offshore sites. And while you won’t necessarily get into legal trouble, we advise you steer clear from these sites. Offshore gambling sites aren’t particularly trustworthy, which means that the door is open for potential scammers.

<h2>Where Can I Play Online Poker In Massachusetts?</h2>
Since online poker isn’t legal in Massachusetts, there is no way to play online for real money yet. If you want to play online poker in MA, then social gaming apps remain the only viable option. If online poker eventually gets greenlit in the state, then many other options will become available. Massachusetts could offer a very solid market for online poker brands such as PokerStars and PartyPoker. For now, neither is available to play in Bay State.

Just like all the other states, Massachusetts will likely require online gambling licenses. With two commercial casinos, one slot parlor and two planned Indian casinos, there is no lack of options. Prospective online poker sites will have to partner one of these land-based operations in order to offer their services in MA.

Massachusetts legislation doesn’t allow state residents to play online poker at offshore sites. There is no precedent to say that you will get in trouble for it. Even so, you should still avoid doing this. Offshore sites operate under lax regulations and have questionable player protection at best. So, in other words, avoid this option. Sooner or later, online poker will become available for players in MA.

Where Does Massachusetts Offer Legal Online Gambling?

Massachusetts does not have legal online gambling yet. Despite some initial attempts, it has not passed yet. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission does not list any legal online gambling sites either. The most recent attempts to legalize online gambling in MA happened in 2019 and 2020.

Notably, the 2020 proposal came very close to finally being approved. The Economic Development Bill did list sports betting. But the topic led to some long deliberation, which ultimately led to it being dropped. Sports betting would likely bring online gambling with it. And while the proposal did garner some support, it fell short of its goal. Lawmakers argued that while the proposal deserved some consideration, it would take too much time to deliberate. Since there are more pressing matters to discuss because of the pandemic, the debate on gambling was eventually shelved.

Massachusetts is a great market for sports, being home of four highly successful franchises. And this could certainly help in expanding gambling in the state. Ultimately, this could benefit online poker as well.

Will Massachusetts Regulate Legal Online Poker?

While we can’t accurately predict how the future will go, it’s quite likely that Massachusetts will regulate online poker at some point. The economic potential of online gambling cannot be ignored by state lawmakers. Additionally, MA does have a solid record as one of the pioneers in daily fantasy sports. After all, it was the eighth state to legalize DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports).

Online gambling is a much more delicate topic, but this doesn’t mean that legalizing it is impossible. The Bay State has already overcome the most significant barrier by allowing commercial casinos to operate. With two Indiana casinos planned and a third resort casino license still available, finding partners to operate in the state won’t be an issue.

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a significant impact in delaying the debate. Legalizing online poker won’t have priority over other more pressing matters. As a result, it will probably remain in the legislative limbo for a while longer. But, out of all candidates to allow online poker in the future, MA is definitely among the leading ones. Make sure to check PokerNews regularly and keep up to date with all the latest news and updates on online poker in Massachusetts.

US Poker Laws 2020 – Massachusetts FAQ

• Can you play online poker in Massachusetts?
  No, you can’t play online poker for real money in Massachusetts. The state legislation does not allow online gambling, and that naturally applies to online poker as well. If you want to play online poker in MA, then social gaming apps are the only viable option. We recommend that you avoid playing at offshore sites. While it won’t necessarily get you into legal trouble, it’s still best to avoid them. Offshore sites have questionable standards and offer little player protection.
• Are home poker games legal in Massachusetts?
  Yes, home poker games are legal in Massachusetts. State legislation specifically forbids illegal commercial gambling operations. However, since home poker games do not fall under this category, they are perfectly legal. Of course, keep in mind that home poker games aren’t supposed to be a form of commercial gambling, even if they do involve real money. As long as home poker games are hosted for fun, then it’s perfectly fine. Promoting illegal gambling services, on the other hand, is a crime punishable with up to 15 years in prison.
• Is online gambling legal in MA?
  No, online gambling isn’t legal in MA. Despite plenty of attempts to legalize it, internet gaming is still illegal. The first attempt to legalize online gambling in MA happened in 2011, with the Extended Gaming Act. Massachusetts was the eighth state to legalize daily fantasy sports. But online gambling itself has yet to be approved. With the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the debate on legalizing online gambling will have to wait. MA remains among the top candidates to become the next in line to legalize online gambling.
• Is poker legal in Massachusetts?
  Yes, poker is legal in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission approves poker, which means that it can be offered in commercial gambling establishments. The MSG lists many poker variations on its page, which means that they are all considered legal. You can play live poker for real money at the two commercial resort casinos in the state. MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor both offer poker rooms in MA.
• Can you play PokerStars in Massachusetts?
  No, you cannot play PokerStars in Massachusetts. State legislation does not allow real money online gambling. Additionally, PokerStars is only available in the US outside of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There are currently no plans for PokerStars MA. The site does not accept any real money wagering from players in Massachusetts.

Are you looking for the best US legal online poker sites or a real money poker app? If the answer is yes, then you came to the right place. This is one of our many online poker reviews where you can find more about the best online poker options.

Without further ado, keep reading to discover how to play the best online poker for money and how to form an online poker strategy. So, let’s get started!

Best Legal Online Poker Sites

1. WSOP
2. PartyPoker
3. PokerStars
4. Pala Poker
5. 888poker
6. Global Poker

Is online poker legal? It's not always the same as legal online casinos and legal online sportsbooks. All new players who decide to explore the vast universe of real money poker sites should know that federally, online poker sites are illegal. However, on the individual level, online poker is legal in some of the states.

Some websites such as Global Poker (which is a sweepstakes poker site) are allowed in 49 out of 50 US states. Only Washington does not allow it. At the moment of writing our online poker reviews, only four states offer legal online poker websites in the United States. These are the following: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware.

For more information about some of the available sites, make sure to consult our Global Poker review.

US Legal Online Poker: State by State

Is online poker legal in your state? If the answer is no, keep in mind that the situation can change pretty quickly. Unsurprisingly, Nevada was the leader of regulated online poker. Once the ice was broken, the domino-effect followed.

One by one, many states tried or are still trying to pass the legislation. As you can see, some of them even succeeded. The last one to recently pass online poker is West Virginia, and we expect more legal US poker sites to be launched in the future.

When it comes to future predictions, we believe that chances are pretty good for some of the states to overcome all the legal obstacles and finally launch real money poker sites so their residents become able to play legal online poker.

Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, New York are some of the states that’ll probably make some innovations when it comes to the possibilities of playing poker online. These are the states that have active supporters of online poker in the state senate.

What’s more, regulated real money poker sites in neighboring states can only have a positive effect on public opinion. Additionally, within the borders of the aforementioned states, you can find a considerable number of land-based casinos.

Many of them come with the best online poker rooms where you can play various variants of poker, including the most popular one - Texas Hold’em. In other words, these poker offline options make it easier to launch legal poker sites and eventually start to offer legal online poker.

States Where Legal Online Poker Seems Like a Distant Dream

From this point of view, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah are just some of the states where we can see a certain legislative hostility towards online gambling. Therefore, we don’t believe that we won’t be able to play Texas Hold’em online there for quite some time.

Sweepstakes Legal Online Poker - Play Poker Free No Matter Which State You’re In

As said before, Global Poker, a sweepstakes legal online poker site, can be accessed in all US states except for the state of Washington. This legal online poker platform was launched in 2106, and since then, many players use its services. The virtual currency gaming business model is what makes it unique.

Instead of playing for real money, players play poker free, using gold coins or sweeps cash. That’s why Global Poker often appears when players search for “play poker free” or “play poker online, free”.

To understand how sweepstakes poker works, let’s start with some poker basics and make sure to understand sweeps poker terminology clearly. There’s a difference between gold coins and sweeps cash, and there’s a reason for which “play poker online, free” is actually a bit of a misnomer here.

Gold Coins are the name for the virtual currency in Global Poker, and they are equivalent to what regular legal online poker sites usually call “play money”. In other words, you can’t cash them out, but you can use them to play Texas Hold’em online or participate in some of the available tournaments with other players. On the other hand, “$weeps cash” is a promotional, virtual currency that can be cashed out through PayPal.

To sum up, you can buy gold coins that don’t have any monetary value and can’t be cashed out. “$weeps cash” is obtained as free of charge once you buy Gold Coins. Because of this virtual currency online poker model, Global Poker is not quite considered an online gambling activity. Therefore, it’s allowed in almost all of the US.

Where Can I Play Legal Online Poker in the US?

Pennsylvania is the last state where online poker had become legal when PokerStars was launched there at the end of 2019. Right now that’s also the only available option to play online poker for money in Pennsylvania.

If we don’t count Global Poker, which can be accessed in 49 states, all the other legal online poker sites come with pretty restricted access. For example, Pala Poker and PartyPoker are only available in the state of New Jersey.

However, they are not the only NJ poker sites one can access. WSOP, America's top legal online poker site, is available in the Garden State, and it’s also accessible to all Nevada online poker fans as well. Likewise, PokerStars NJ, available both independently and within the FOX Bet app

Claim the WSOP promo code in New Jersey and Nevada to get a $1,000 signup bonus!

Where Can I Play Poker Live?

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Most of the land-based casinos across different states include special poker rooms where you can play live poker. Playing Texas Hold’em online is definitely the most popular option. After all, poker is an American thing, so it’s no wonder to see it available in the vast majority of mortar and bricks casinos.

In fact, instead of listing all the states where you can sit back, relax and try out your luck with live poker, it’s better to list all those where you can’t play poker online. It’ll be easier to remember this list:

• Alaska
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• New Hampshire
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah

We must add that in Texas, private poker clubs aren’t forbidden. As long as no house makes a profit from the game, poker can be played in private places for fun.

US Online Poker Basics

When talking about the current status of legal US poker sites, there are two especially important laws that you should be aware of. Let’s take a look at these two federal laws that govern online poker in the country.

The Wire Act

The first one is the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, often called the Federal Wire Act. As you can see, it passed long before online poker or even the internet existed. However, it prohibits certain types of betting businesses to operate via wired communications.

In 2011, the US Department of Justice concluded that the scope of the act was limited to sporting events. Therefore, states, where online poker is now regulated, found that the bill didn’t apply to online poker nor other forms of gambling.

However, in 2019, the US Department of Justice reversed its opinion. The new opinion concludes that the Wire Act applies to all types of online gambling.

The UIGEA

The other relevant law is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from 2006. This law made it illegal for US banks to proceed with transactions for offshore gambling companies. That’s how they were pushed out of the market.

History of US Legal Online Poker

Online casinos started to appear back in 1994. They were usually situated in Antigua or the Isle of Man. However, the vast majority of their users were US-based customers. Two years later, in 1996, online gambling was also brought to the North American market soil.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established just outside Montreal. They started issuing licenses, and pretty soon, it was possible to find hundreds of new online gambling websites.

Once again, two years later and again in Canada, the first-ever poker online website saw the light of day. Planet Poker was the favorite source of fun to thousands of Americans who were spending endless hours playing the first real-money online Texas Hold’em.

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Over the next few years, thanks to technological advances, better online poker software was developed, while the number of websites kept increasing. These online poker operators also started to offer various tournaments and cash games and got a solid fan base all over the world.

The Industry Kept Growing & Then It Collapsed

Even though there were different interpretations of the law, especially of the famous Wire Act, the newly developed industry kept growing.

The year 2003 is especially important in the evolution of online poker. Using an account from Tennessee, Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker after participating in the event through an online satellite. In Chris Moneymaker's case, we guess, it's okay to say that name determines destiny.

This online poker strategy was live-streamed on ESPN. Suddenly, the whole nation knew about Chris's story. A good number of Americans were hoping to be the next. All of a sudden, poker was everywhere on TV. Live games were followed carefully, and commercial breaks had one purpose: promoting online poker for money and playing Texas Hold 'em online.

The great number of promoted sites were, in fact, offshore online poker sites. A lot of them disappeared from American browsers after Congress passed the above-mentioned UIGEA in 2006.

However, even though a lot of sites weren't accessible anymore, online poker couldn't be erased that easily. Some of the offshore gambling companies had found a way around the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, but not for long.

In 2011, some of the largest online poker operators, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet, were accused of violating UIGEA and money laundering. These websites were definitely excluded from the significant US online poker market, which seemed to come to an end at the time.

Legal Online Poker Sites Rise Again

Also in 2011, the DOJ released a legal opinion that the Federal Wire act exclusively applied only to one form of gambling: sports betting. A few states saw this as a possibility, paving the way to regulated online casinos and legal US poker sites.

In 2012, Delaware was the first state that managed to do just that. Then, in December 2013, Nevada followed the example of passing online poker legislation. A week later, the Garden State became the third to legalize online gambling, and plans for NJ poker sites were made.

The first-ever regulated US online poker site was launched in Nevada in April 2013. Delaware and NJ poker sites went live that same year, a few months later. In 2017, Pennsylvania became the fourth state to join this group. West Virginia is the fifth state where online poker was regulated in 2019. Probably, more states will try to do the same thing in the near future.

Which State is Next?

Is online poker legal in California or New York? This is one of the frequently asked questions that people search for in the USA. They also search for different terms of poker terminology that sound unfamiliar to them. However, that’s another question that we could discuss on some other occasion.

Let’s get back to our question of legal online poker sites and the possible new markets in the USA. Michigan has made significant efforts to legalize online gambling, particularly online poker, while California, New York, and Massachusetts also seem to be moving in the right direction.

Real Money Poker App: How to Find the Best Poker App

It doesn’t matter if you are a Pennsylvania online poker fan or a regular visitor of NJ poker sites, the good news is that you can play poker whenever you want, anywhere within the borders of one or the other state.

Many of the best online poker websites have launched a dedicated real money poker app that you can easily download and install on your device. The best poker apps are available for both iOS and Android operating systems.

In order to find the best poker app, make sure you visit one of the websites we listed at the beginning of our review.

Also, before you replace your poker offline adventure with the one that can be found on the internet, make sure to read some of the online poker reviews and get to know the poker terminology used by the players worldwide. After a brief introduction to the poker basics, it’s time to create your own online poker strategy and join one of the legal online poker communities!