Poker With Crypto From the United States
Online poker is licensed state by state in the US, six states have joined an agreement to share player pools, and the IRS taxes every win.
The short answer
In the United States online poker is a matter for each state. A handful of states license it, six have joined an agreement to share their player pools, federal law forbids gambling businesses from accepting payments for internet bets that are unlawful where they are made, and the IRS taxes every gambling win. WePlay's terms refuse residents of the United States.
From the sources at the bottom of the page. We are players, not lawyers; this page is what the law and our sources say, not legal advice.
At a glance
- Federal law
- The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 forbids gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments for a bet or wager over the internet that is unlawful under any federal or state law.
- The states
- Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey started a shared online poker pool on 1 May 2018. Michigan joined on 7 April 2022, West Virginia in November 2023 and Pennsylvania in April 2025.
- Tax
- The IRS: gambling winnings are fully taxable and are reported on the tax return. Losses can be deducted only by itemizing, and only up to the winnings reported.
- The rooms
- WePlay's terms refuse residents of the U.S.A and its dependencies. Basepoker's terms name no countries and say a player must not be in a place where using the service is unlawful.
Licensed state by state
A state that wants online poker passes its own law and licenses the operators. Nevada was the first, in 2013, for players located in the state. The states in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement can pool their players. Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey began sharing their player pools on 1 May 2018; Michigan joined on 7 April 2022, West Virginia in November 2023 and Pennsylvania in April 2025, with shared play there from 28 April 2025.
At federal level, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 forbids gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments for an internet bet that is unlawful under federal or state law. After it passed, the gambling sites listed on the London Stock Exchange stopped taking players from the United States. Some states have laws that specifically prohibit online gambling and many do not, but an online gaming company needs a licence from a state to start.
Tax
The IRS puts it plainly: gambling winnings are fully taxable and are reported on Form 1040. Losses can be deducted only if you itemize your deductions, and never by more than the gambling income you report.
What this means for a reader in the United States
WePlay's terms refuse residents of the U.S.A and its dependencies. Basepoker's terms name no countries, but they say a player must not be in a place where using the service is unlawful, and that being able to reach a site does not make using it lawful where you are. We do not describe VPNs or other ways around either rule.
In the states that license online poker, the state-licensed sites are the legal way to play online. Our strategy pages, the odds chart and the calculators are free to read anywhere.
Time zones
New York is UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer, Los Angeles UTC-8 and UTC-7. A 20:30 start on WePlay's GMT+2 schedule, 18:30 UTC, is 13:30 in New York and 10:30 in Los Angeles in winter. The Tonight page shows every start in UTC.
Sources
- Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, Wikipedia
- Online poker, Wikipedia (the United States and the shared player pools)
- IRS, Topic no. 419, Gambling income and losses
- WePlay terms and conditions, section 2 (the countries it refuses)
- Basepoker terms of service, sections 1.5 and 5 (the player checks the local law)
Read next
Questions
Is online poker legal in the United States?
In the states that license it, at the state-licensed sites. Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have joined an agreement to share player pools. An online gaming company needs a licence from a state, and federal law forbids gambling businesses from accepting payments for internet bets that are unlawful where they are made.
Do I pay tax on poker winnings in the United States?
Yes. The IRS says gambling winnings are fully taxable and are reported on the tax return; losses are deductible only if you itemize, and only up to the winnings.
Can I play on WePlay from the United States?
No. WePlay's terms refuse residents of the U.S.A and its dependencies. Basepoker's terms say a player must not be in a place where using the service is unlawful.