FAQ Category: USA Home Poker Law
Home poker games are not legal in Indiana. The Indiana Code defines ‘Unlawful Gambling’ as anyone who engages in gambling, where ‘gambling’ is defined as risking anything of value on a lot, chance or operation of a gambling device. There is an exemption for skill games, but Indiana does not see poker as a game of skill. [Reference: http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title35/ar45/ch5.html]
The criminal law statues of New Jersey prohibit home poker games and all other forms of social gambling that are not licensed or approved by the state. According to New Jersey Criminal Law, 2A: 40-1, “All wagers, bets or stakes made to depend upon any race or game, or upon any gaming by lot or chance, or upon any lot, chance, casualty or unknown or contingent event, shall be unlawful”. [Reference: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/S1000/746_I1.HTM]
Home poker games are not legal in Vermont, but they do carry a very lenient penalty. The law states, “A person who wins or loses money or other valuable thing by play or hazard at any game, or by betting on such play or hazard, or sharing in a stake wagered by others on such play or hazard, shall be fined not more than $200.00 nor less than $10.00.” [Reference: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/sections.cfm?Title=13&Chapter=051]
Yes. We do not condone gambling of any form although it's jolly good fun and if you are going to do it then you may as well make your life easier by using PokerDIY to schedule your games, find other poker players and record your results. You do NOT actually play poker on PokerDIY - think of it like a Poker Facebook - it's designed to connect poker players. And of course, if you are going to gamble, gamble sensibly and use chips, not real money. Check the gambling laws in…
Home poker games are illegal in Iowa, restricting all forms of social gambling within the state’s borders. The only forms of gambling allowed in Iowa are charitable bingo and legitimate racetrack betting. [Reference: http://www.legis.state.ia.us/IACODE/2001/725/7.html; Reference to legal forms of gambling in chapters 99B (bingo) and 99D (racetrack): http://www.legis.state.ia.us/lsadocs/Legis_Guide/2009/LGLSL008.PDF]
Home poker games are considered unlawful by New Mexico state law. Article 19, Section 30-19-2 of New Mexico Criminal Law clearly states that “whoever commits gambling is guilty of a petty misdemeanor”. Jumping back to Section 30-19-1, the law defines all gambling as placing a “bet”, which is thereby defined as “a bargain in which the parties agree that, dependent upon chance, even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose anything of value specified in the agreement”. End result, social gambling is illegal in New Mexico. [Reference:…
You are allowed to play home poker games in Virginia thanks to an exception to the definition “illegal gambling” that states, “Nothing in this article shall be construed to make it illegal to participate in a game of chance conducted in a private residence, provided such private residence is not commonly used for such games of chance and there is no operator…” (an operator being the home owner or host of the game who profits from proprietorship or hosting of the game).
DISCLAIMER: The following is our layman interpretation of the home poker laws. We have consulted various sources in an attempt to make the home poker laws easier to understand. It should not be taken as legal advice and should be used as a guide only. Gamble at home at your own risk. In the United States, about half of all states provide some kind of exemption in gambling laws that allow for home poker games, so long as the players are the only ones profiting from the game, or do not…
By definition, “gambling” is against the law in Kansas, including home poker games. The only forms of betting permitted in the state are licensed bingo games, state lotteries and pari-mutuel. All other forms of gambling, social or commercial, are strictly prohibited. [Reference: http://kansasstatutes.lesterama.org/Chapter_21/Article_43/21-4302.html]
Social gambling is just as illegal in New York as professional (criminal) gambling. The only difference between the two is the severity of penalties, particularly for those hosting home poker games, versus illegal professional gambling. According to New York state law, a the definition of a “player” under gambling offenses includes a “person who gambles at a social game of chance on equal terms with the other participants”. [Reference: http://ypdcrime.com/penal.law/article225.htm]
