New York Online Poker
New York online poker sites are not legal. Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. introduced a bill seeking to legalize online poker in May 2024, but the proposal has not been approved yet.
However, New Yorkers aged 18 or older can enjoy online poker tournaments and ring games at a site called Global Poker. You can play for fun with standard coins, and players can also redeem the site’s premium coins for cash prizes.
This guide explains how Global Poker is legal in New York. We will also highlight the land-based poker rooms you can visit, and we will discuss the future of online poker in the Empire State.
The choice for legal online poker in NY
- US Players Accepted
- Get Over 65% Off Your First Purchase
- Daily FREE GC and SC on Log In
- Use Promo Code: FLUSH
Is online poker legal in New York?
No, real money online poker rooms have not been legalized in New York yet. State lawmakers have introduced several bills aiming to authorize New York online casinos and poker rooms, but they have all fallen short.
Prominent gaming supporter State Sen. Joseph Addabbo is confident that New York will eventually legalize online poker, but some of his legislative colleagues still need to be persuaded. In the meantime, New Yorkers can play at a social poker site called Global Poker.
You can also visit land-based poker rooms at upstate casinos. They are legal, as New York state gambling law only prohibits real money online poker.
How is Global Poker legal?
Global Poker does not offer real money online poker. It is a social gaming site that allows you to play poker tournaments and ring games with two currencies:
- Gold Coins: These tokens are used to play games for fun, as they have no monetary value.
- Sweeps Coins: These premium coins can be redeemed for cash prizes if you complete a 1x playthrough requirement.
Sweepstakes are perfectly legal in New York. Examples include the McDonald’s Monopoly game and the Pepsi Billion Dollar Sweepstakes game. Global Poker complies with NY sweepstakes law in these ways:
- You cannot purchase Sweeps Coins. They can only be issued for free via bonuses or as a free gift when you buy Gold Coins.
- In New York, the maximum prize you can earn is $5,000 per hand, which equates to 5,000 Sweeps Coins. Any prize valued in excess of $5,000 will be reduced to a maximum value of $5,000.
- You must be 18 or older to play at Global Poker in New York.
The site adheres to the same regulations that allow social casinos and sweepstakes casinos to operate legally in New York.
Will New York regulate online poker?
New York is likely to legalize real money online poker rooms in the future. Players in New York can currently drive into New Jersey or Pennsylvania to use legal poker sites, and some lawmakers aim to keep those tax dollars in the state.
Sen. Addabbo has spearheaded several attempts to legalize online poker and casinos in New York over the past few years. In 2024, he decided to drop online casinos from his bill and focus solely on legalizing online poker, as he felt that proposal had a better chance of success.
We will keep tabs on this bill, along with any other movements toward legalization, and will report back to you as soon as we know anything new.
New York poker timeline
Some lawmakers are working diligently to bring online poker rooms to New York. These are the latest developments:
- May 2024: Sen. Addabbo introduces Senate Bill S9226, which aims to legalize online poker in New York. He’d been working on a bill which included online casinos, but decided to scale it back to online poker.
- March 2024: Online casinos, poker rooms, and iLottery games are not included in New York’s state budget. Thus, iGaming supporters must wait another year to pursue legalization of their desired activities.
- January 2024: Sen. Addabbo, who played a key role in bringing online sports betting to New York, unveils SB S8185. The bill aimed to legalize online slots, table games, poker tournaments, and iLottery games.
What about these other sites I can find?
Some offshore poker sites target players in New York. These unregulated casinos and poker rooms are based in Costa Rica, and they have no legal permission to operate in the United States, but they still try to attract American players.
Bovada, Ignition Poker, and Everygame have stopped accepting New Yorkers, but America’s Cardroom and BetOnline still tout themselves to players in the Empire State. Unfortunately, you cannot rely upon these sites to treat you fairly, keep you safe, or pay out when you win, as they do not comply with American laws, so we recommend avoiding them and sticking to legal options like Global Poker instead.
What retail cardrooms are available in New York?
There are poker rooms at all four commercial casinos in Upstate New York. Turning Stone Casino, the largest tribal casino in the Empire State, also hosts a large poker room.
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, a prominent Western NY casino, previously had a poker room too, but it closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it has not yet reopened. You may find underground poker clubs in the New York City area, but they are unlicensed, and they are always at risk of being busted.
| Casino | Location | Number of Tables | Games Offered |
| Del Lago Resort and Casino | Waterloo | 14 | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud |
| Resorts World Catskills | Monticello | 19 | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud |
| Rivers Casino | Schenectady | 16 | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo |
| Tioga Downs Casino | Nichols | 6 | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Stud |
| Turning Stone Casino | Verona | 35 | Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud |
New York online poker FAQ
No, you cannot win real money at Global Poker. However, you can legally redeem the site’s premium Sweeps Coins for cash prizes if you successfully play them through. The minimum redemption permitted is 50 Sweeps Coins.
The closest legal cardrooms to New York City are in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Borgata has the largest poker room in the Garden State, with more than 50 tables. New Yorkers can also drive over the border and play at New Jersey online casinos and online poker rooms.
You must be 18 or older to play poker at a land-based cardroom in New York. However, the minimum age is 21 if the establishment sells alcohol. Players aged 18 or older can also enjoy online poker tournaments and ring games at Global Poker in New York.
Yes, you can play poker socially with friends in New York. However, it is illegal for anyone to promote, organize, or profit from poker tournaments as a non-player. There should be no issues if you organize and host a poker game at your home, without charging a rake or profiting from the event.
Other New York pages
If you need more specific information about gambling in New York, click one of the buttons below.
Meet our team
