New York Online Poker 503gx

New York is one of the biggest US states and is home to NYC, aka the Big Apple 🍎. It’s also one of the biggest jurisdictions where you can play online poker and win real money cash prizes.

We recommend sweepstakes online poker sites in the Empire State. where players can win real cash prizes. Sweepstakes poker sites offer tournaments on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. There are also ring games available on some platforms.

Sweepstakes poker is also the best option for playing online poker in New York, since the state (like most states) doesn’t have a regulated market for online poker. Lawmakers have tried for more than a decade to establish such a market but have been unsuccessful so far.

New Yorkers also have access to many free-play poker sites. We recommend these sites for beginners because they give players a place to learn all about the game without spending any money.

Watch this space for updates on the future of online poker in New York!

The Best Online Poker Sites in New York 73m64

If you’re looking to play online poker in New York and want an experience as close as possible to a real cash game, we recommend playing sweepstakes poker. On the other hand, if you’re a new player or just want to play for fun and not spend any money, we recommend visiting free-play sites.

There are two important things to about sweepstakes poker:

• Players can win prizes that are redeemable for real money
• “Sweepstakes poker” describes two types of an online poker site allowed under sweepstakes law in New York and most other states — traditional subscription-based and “modern” sweepstakes online poker sites

Players can win prizes that can be converted into real money on both platforms.

Best for Tournaments: ClubWPT 1y1u2p

ClubWPT is a subscription-based online poker site. It’s a popular platform in part because there are tournaments every day and, for a monthly fee, players have a chance to win access to World Poker Tour events.

You won’t be able to win real money prizes through ring games because ClubWPT is focused exclusively on tournaments. But there are sit & gos, and the California-based operator has a Rewards program and a Loyalty Bonus Program.

Read our full review of ClubWPT »

Much Loved Brand: Global Poker 4x1h4o

Global Poker also follows the modern sweepstakes model and is the largest such operator in the US. Players use real money to buy play tokens (aka Gold Coins) and are gifted Sweeps Coins to use on sweepstakes tables, where players can win prizes that are redeemable for real money.

The Australia-based site hosts major tournament series every year with millions guaranteed. Global Poker also features cash games and structures various promotions around its tournaments.

Read our full review of Global Poker »

Free-Play Poker in New York 715ha

In New York, you also have the option of playing poker online for free without spending any money. Free-play poker sites are a great option for new players, especially if you’re still learning things like hand rankings and how betting works in a poker game.

Some of the more popular free-play sites available in New York include Zynga Poker, Replay Poker, and Governor of Poker. Most social media sites like Facebook also offer online poker for free. You will also find that two very popular operators, PokerStars and WSOP, also have a free version of their software. They offer a free place to play because they’re hoping the players that learn on their platform will stick around when they feel comfortable enough to play on their paid sites (which, unfortunately, likely won’t be available in New York until 2026 at the earliest).

It should be noted that new players won’t gain insight into poker strategy if they only visit free-play sites. That’s because there isn’t any real money at stake on free-play sites, and that affects the decision-making process when playing poker. But we still recommend free-play sites for anyone new to online poker.

Real Money Online Poker in NY 34265h

Lawmakers have been trying to establish a regulated market for online poker, where players deposit and withdraw real money directly, since 2013. Eleven bills were submitted during that time, but all fell short in the New York State Legislature. This means that sites like PokerStars and WSOP are not available in the Empire State.

Mobile sports betting became legal in New York in January 2022. The vertical’s mammoth success in its opening year led to optimism that online casino and poker wouldn’t be far behind. But opposition to expanded igaming has been firm so far.

Why? Some lawmakers fret that online poker (and casino) could affect three future land-based casinos likely coming to NYC. A powerful hotel and casino workers’ labor union argues that expanded igaming would impact land-based casinos, despite evidence to the contrary.

Neither of those obstacles are deemed insurmountable. We think it’s very possible that a regulated online poker market could launch in New York by 2026. With the caveat that this is all strictly hypothetical, we introduce what we think such a market would look like in the next section of this lander.

New York ranks fourth in of population with 19.6 million residents. It would be the most populous state to issue licenses and regulate real money online poker if it chose to do so — that is, unless California, Texas, or Florida were to do the same.

Assuming New York were to regulate online poker, there would be pressure for the state to a gaming compact with other states. ing a compact like the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) would allow operators to combine their player pools across the compact’s states. That creates shared liquidity, which in turn leads to bigger prizes for players.

It should be noted that New York has a population large enough that it could function as a segregated market. The state doesn’t necessarily need to MSIGA, or any other compact for that matter.

For the third consecutive year Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach), a leading advocate for regulated real money igaming in the state, has sought to legalize online poker and casino games in New York.

He has introduced SB 2614 on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. It represents one of many efforts over the past decade by the state to legalize online poker in particular.

SB 2614 is nearly identical to the bill entered last year (S4856) which would have legalized online poker and casino.

Under the bill, licensed operators would be authorized to offer table games, slot games, peer-to-peer poker, and live dealer games. Live dealer games would need to be conducted in a live gaming studio located in New York. It would impose a tax rate of 30.5% on a license holder’s gross gaming revenue.

Poker Sites Likely to Launch in New York 2p6a6n

If New York sets up a regulated market for online poker, operators will likely need to apply for licensure through the NYSGC. We expect the US’s top three online poker operators — BetMGM Poker, PokerStars USA, and WSOP USA — would be very interested in opening online poker rooms in the state.

BetMGM is currently live with online sports betting in New York. So are FanDuel and Caesars, which means that PokerStars and WSOP likely have market access to the Empire State. All three operators could expand into the online poker vertical with either a racino or a commercial or tribal casino as its gaming partner.

Four operators, including BetMGM, lobbied state lawmakers into ing legislation to legalize online casino gaming in January 2024.

It’s unclear if New York will require online poker operators form a partnership with a land-based gaming facility, but if so we expect New York’s regulated market would be set up as follows:

PokerStars NY p5163

PokerStars is always looking for opportunities in new and existing markets. For example, it was the first operator to combine its player pools in Michigan and New Jersey, completing the merger on January 1, 2023.

The Flutter Entertainment brand is the largest and best-known online poker operator globally and in the US — PokerStars launched in New Jersey in 2016, Pennsylvania in 2019, and Michigan in 2021. It’s unclear at this stage if PokerStars would need to look to FanDuel, another Flutter brand, for market access in NY. FanDuel runs a retail sportsbook at Tioga Downs Resort, a commercial racino in Nichols.

BetMGM Poker NY p2tu

BetMGM currently runs an online sportsbook in New York, but the license isn’t tethered to a land-based property in the state. The operator will likely look to its database of sports bettors to find poker players for its platform.

While BetMGM, a t venture between Entain and MGM Resorts International, is a well-known online poker brand in the US (it’s currently live in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania). It currently has a shared player pool in New Jersey and Michigan.

Should a future online poker bill require it, BetMGM would likely partner with Empire City Casino, a racino in Yonkers owned by MGM. The parent company doesn’t own any other gaming properties in NY.

WSOP NY 1f101w

WSOP is another online poker brand that is well-known to players, especially since it owns the iconic World Series of Poker, a tournament it has successfully run for more than five decades. It has operations in Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

If a future online poker bill requires an operator to partner with a land-based property, WSOP could select one of three tribal casinos in the Empire State: Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, and YBR (Yellow Brick Road) Casino & Sports Book in Chittenango. Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of WSOP, operates retail sportsbooks at all three properties.

WSOP created a three-state network for shared liquidity when it combined its player pools across Michigan, Nevada, and New Jersey in May 2024. Adding New York to the mix would create a much larger four-state network.

BetRivers Poker NY 5f4z2o

BetRivers Poker is an online poker platform currently operating in in October 2024 in PA.

RSI is extremely likely to launch BetRivers Poker in more than one state now that it is live inPA, and that would be with or without New York being a member of MSIGA. A solo launch is possible, or RSI could wait for additional states to MSIGA in order to make a big multi-state splash upon launch.

The company deployed its flagship BetRivers brand to New York for sports betting. RSI has a land-based partner available if one is required; Rush Street Gaming, an RSI , owns and operates Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady.

Other Potential Operators in NY 1n6h2e

Other operators are possible. Under one scenario, Playtech could launch its iPoker platform in the state, opening an opportunity for several European operators — including bet365, Betsafe, and Coolbet — to offer online poker in New York. But Playtech would first need a license from the NYSGC to move forward with such a plan.

New York Online Poker FAQ 1q3c26

Is online poker available in New York? 6nz71

Yes, you can play poker online in the Empire State! If you’re looking to win real cash prizes we recommend sweepstakes poker sites, of which there are two types: Subscription poker sites — where players pay a monthly fee to enter daily tournaments and Modern sweepstakes poker sites — players use real money to buy play tokens, usually called Gold Coins, that have no monetary value and can only be used for play-money games.

Can I play online ring games in New York? 682d2m

You will find ring games online at the best sweepstakes poker sites. Players must use Sweeps Coins to enter games that offer prizes redeemable for real money.

Are there online tournaments in New York? 436m2m

You will find a very vibrant online poker scene in the Empire State. Sweepstakes poker sites hold tournaments on a daily basis and in a variety of formats, including bounty tournaments, sit-and-go (SNG) tournaments, and progressive knockout tournaments (PKOs).

What types of poker games are available online in NY? n146i

Most sweepstakes poker sites offer No-Limit Texas Hold’em (NLH) but some sites may also offers Pot Limit Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, Horse, and other mixed game variants.

Is PokerStars legal in New York? r1g4e

No, PokerStars and the other top online poker operators in the US, BetMGM and WSOP, are not legal in New York. But if the state sets up a regulated market for online poker, we expect all three operators will launch in the Empire State.

Will New York regulate online poker anytime soon? 6m615c

Lawmakers have been trying to a bill to create a regulated market for online poker (and casino gaming) for the last three years. If ers of expanded igaming are not successful in 2024, they will likely try again in 2025. At this early stage, markets could launch at the start of 2026 at the earliest.

Can I play online poker using offshore sites? 1y1u5q

Offshore poker sites are not recommended because they do not offer the same level of consumer protection as legal, regulated sites. Players are at risk of identity theft when they play on offshore sites because they are disclosing their financial and personal information. Federal officials have warned US citizens not to use offshore sites because they have no legal recourse to collect winnings owed to them.

Can I play GGPoker in New York? 42k1n

GGPoker is not available for players in New York due to state laws prohibiting online poker, coupled with the fact that GGPoker does not offer online poker to the American market.

Can I play PokerStars in New York? 604o

PokerStars does not operate in New York as state laws do not allow for traditional online poker. But if you prefer alternatives, social poker sites provide a fun atmosphere and diverse game options.

Can I play WSOP in New York 2oxo

Unfortunately, WSOP Online is not accessible in New York due to state restrictions. You can still enjoy sweepstakes poker sites, which feature engaging tournaments and a variety of cash games.