But some states (NJ, NV) have begun regulating online poker and making it completely legal. For the rest of the country, you can play poker online but you do need to know your state’s regulations. When New Jersey online poker and Nevada online poker has become legalized, the online poker community cheered for passing such a great hurdle. The arena for online poker in Indiana is hearty and flourishing. It's a breeze to get started playing without any hassles, and you won't get into any legal trouble for doing so. Pick an Indiana online poker site from our list of top-rated operators, and you'll soon be on your way to earning a profit. Indiana is on the leading edge of state that has gone after the world of online gambling. After making some minor changes to their gambling laws, they clarified the fact that online gambling would not be tolerated. You cannot own an online poker room, and you certainly cannot play in one either. 2020 Update: Is Online Poker Legal in Indiana? No, there’s no online poker legislation in Indiana yet, but things are starting to look up. Indian has historically been a conservative state and online gaming faced opposition from a number of different actors in the state.

1. When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indiana Right Now
2. When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indiana Casinos
3. When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indiana State
4. When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indianapolis

Gamblers in Indiana are not without legal options when it comes to playing their favorite games of chance and skill, but as a conservative state in the midst of the nation's heartland, they are strictly limited to those games that have received the official nod of state legislators in Indianapolis. Indeed, the Hoosier State is one of the few jurisdictions to apply the law equally to those operating illegal gaming options along with the players who frequent such establishments.

For those willing to play within the law however, there are plenty of outlets in which to scratch that gambling itch from riverboat casinos to pari-mutuel betting to participating in the state lottery. Let's examine the gambling laws in the Hoosier State, followed by the legalities of those laws regarding poker, and finally look to the future regarding whether the state will move towards the regulation of real-money poker.

Indiana Gambling Laws

While Indiana put the brakes on most forms of gambling for more than two-thirds of the 20th-century, the hunger of Hoosiers for gaming opportunities materialized in the 1980s with the introduction of the state lottery. Immediately popular, the floodgates opened on a variety of gambling including casino and pari-mutuel betting on horse races.

As of 2017, here is a brief rundown where gamblers legally stand when gaming in Indiana:

Casino Games— Indiana has authorized the establishment of riverboat casinos that offer an array of table games and thousands of slot machine-style games. While originally mandated to be on the move when game play was in action, these riverboat casinos can now operate while moored to the dock.

Sports Betting— Indiana is a huge sports loving state, but residents in the Hoosier State are limited to placing pari-mutuel wagering at licensed horse racing tracks throughout the state. Additionally, players can also avail themselves of electronic gaming machines that are available on site.

Lottery Betting— Indiana offers lottery play for its residents that include a range of gaming options from instant scratch off games to participation in inter-state games such as the Powerball where players can compete for tens of millions of dollars in winnings.

Bingo Games—are allowed for charitable fundraising purposes in the Indiana, which have to be individually licensed to be considered legal.

Live Poker—is enjoyed in the poker rooms of riverboat casinos, which also host tournaments boasting huge purses for the most talented players. Unlike many states however, Indiana does not condone social poker games where organizers are at risk of incurring severe legal repercussions if caught, and players are subject to misdemeanor charges.

Online Casinos and Poker— while willing to condone gambling activities when conducted locally, Indiana has adopted a hard stance against online casino and poker play. Indeed, the state, along with Washington and Utah, have outright banned gambling online although several offshore poker sites continue to offer Indiana denizens a place to play poker on the internet.

In general, two distinctive features set Indiana's legal code, which sets it apart from other state jurisdictions. First, the legal statutes make no distinction between games of chance and games of skill, which is often the distinction that allows room for legalized poker games. Secondly, the law specifically singles out the internet as verboten when it comes to playing a host of traditional gambling games ranging from slots to table game style play.

Indiana Online Poker Laws

As mentioned, Indiana went out of their way to ban online poker play, and in fact targeted the entire internet as forbidden territory when it comes to playing online poker or casino-style games. To begin with, Indiana's gambling laws are so broad as to probably include poker play, and its inclusion of the term 'gambling device' further expands the definition as it applies to online game play.

According to the Indiana legal code, unlawful gambling is defined as, 'knowingly or intentionally engaging in gambling that is not explicitly regulated by the state.' Further, the state's regulatory power takes aim at the operators of online sites with felony charges for violations.

Under the law, Section 35-45-5-3 states that it illegal to operate online casino, sports books, and poker. The law further criminalizes the processing of any type of payments to these online poker sites. Again, the language take aims at the operators of such sites, and casual players do not face prosecution.

That being said however, Indiana poker players could easily find an offshore-based online poker site that will willingly open an account for Hoosier State denizens. Existing in the legal grey area that is the jurisdictional reality of the internet, poker players in Indiana can access U.S.-facing sites for real money play from Indianapolis to Terra Haute and all points in between.

Is it Legal to Play Poker in Indiana?

Under the right circumstances, poker is most assuredly legal to play in Indiana. The watershed year for Hoosiers, who are also poker aficionados was 1993, and passage of a measure that allowed for the licensing of up to five riverboat casinos throughout the state. initially mandated to be on the move when gambling was underway, the state has since determined that these casinos can operate while permanently moored to the dock.

For a full array of gaming and gambling opportunities, these facilities offer table games and slot machines aplenty. In addition to table games like poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, and more, each of these sprawling facilitates houses thousands of video gaming machines from slot machines to video poker. Dotting the Lake Michigan shoreline and along the Ohio River, Indiana residents have a myriad of options when it comes to playing competitive, real-money poker.

In fact, the state moved further with a 2011 legislative measure granting the building of a single land-based casino, which resulted in an additional 38,000-square-foot of gaming space at the 3,000-acre French Lick Resort Casino. For the professional gambler, these outlets sponsor tournament level play with impressive purses, which underscores the fact that Indiana is the third largest poker market in the nation.

As authorized sites, operating under Indiana government sanction, these land-based and riverboat casinos provide all the legal cover players need for enjoying their favorite game of poker.

Straying outside those lines however, as in the case of social poker games, operators can incur substantial legal penalties for organizing games. Additionally, law enforcement has gone so far as to charging individual players with a misdemeanor for participating.

Will Indiana Regulate Online Poker?

Looking at Indiana's track record regarding the expansion of other gambling venues, one can hold out hope that the state will move towards regulating the online poker market, but they would be advised to not hold their breath. Legislation dating back more than a decade, 2006, legislators in Indianapolis specifically added language to the legal statutes that targeted internet gaming options. While the wording does not completely close the door on online poker and casino play, it does place some obstacles in the front of that door.

Knowledgeable observers believe, as is the case with more restrictive jurisdictions that Indiana might move towards regulated online gaming once they see the success neighboring states enjoy with increased tax revenues. For the present however, until Indiana residents begin crossing over state lines to play in neighboring jurisdictions, it is unlikely that the Hoosiers will be pushing the envelope in terms of an aggressive expansion of online play.

History of Gambling in Indiana

When Indiana drafted their initial constitution in 1851, they outright banned participation of lotteries. This opposition to games of chance stayed steadfast for the next 130 years until legislators authorized a state lottery with the proceeds earmarked for educational purposes. The sale proved immediately popular, and the state moved from scratch off tickets to inclusion of state players in multi-state Powerball games.

During the heady days of Prohibition, when famous mobsters ran speakeasies and gin houses throughout the Midwest, Indiana was a hot spot for illegal gaming options. East Chicago, Indiana was a noted stopping point for illicit play throughout the 1920s and 1930s. It wasn't until unremitting violence between rival gangs, jockeying for power, led to law enforcement crackdowns on illegal gaming parlors.

When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indiana Right Now

Indeed, the lottery proved so popular that voters passed a referendum the following year, with an impressive 60% of the vote, to push forward with legal casino gambling, but that goal took another four years to achieve after Republican state leaders blocked the expansion attempt.

Representatives in the Indiana statehouse pushed through a measure to license riverboat casinos only to see the effort stumble and fall in pass out of a senate committee in 1991. It was not until a 1993 financial emergency that legislation authorizing five riverboat casinos was passed to help balance the state's financial books.

Racetrack fans got a leg up on their favorite hobby with opening of Hoosier Park Horse Racing Track, which offered both on-track and pari-mutuel betting on their races. This would be the first of five licensed remote horse race betting sites. Additionally, beginning in 2002, each racing complex was also authorized to add upwards of 2,000 slot machines at each location. Finally, as mentioned, in 2011 the state moved forward with a bill sanctioning the building of a land—based casino complex.

References

Online poker regulation has been slowly advancing throughout the United States, but 2019 is proving to be a banner year for iPoker. Pennsylvania is expected to launch online poker in July 2019, and West Virginia became the fifth US state to legalize online poker earlier this year.

Indiana has been in the news lately after becoming the latest state to legalize sports betting, including online sports betting. Doing so automatically puts Indiana on the list of “next states to regulate online poker,” and we would not be surprised to see Indiana online poker to become a reality soon.

Learn more about what you can expect from online poker in Indiana, and when we expect it to launch.

What Online Poker Sites Will Operate in Indiana

Online poker is not yet regulated in Indiana, and current laws explicitly outlaw poker games as illegal gambling. This means that there are no sites presently offering legal online poker in the state. However, with the passage of sports betting in May 2019, we expect that attitudes towards online poker will change as well.

Once online poker is finally regulated, we expect multiple online poker sites to operate in Indiana with the following being the top operators:

WSOP.com – Since Indiana has two Caesars properties, you can expect WSOP.com to operate in the state. WSOP.com operates in Nevada and New Jersey and will also operate in Pennsylvania.

888 Poker – 888 poker operates in New Jersey and 888 powers online poker in Delaware. They also power the interstate online poker network, and you can expect Indiana to join this network as well.

PokerStars – PokerStars operates in New Jersey and will soon launch in Pennsylvania. We also expect PokerStars to offer services in Indiana, provided they don’t include a “bad actor clause” to exclude PokerStars.

Partypoker – By the time online poker in Indiana launches, partypoker will be operating in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Indiana would be a solid market for them to expand to as well.

What Forms of Poker Will Be Offered

Indiana poker online will likely look very similar to that offered in other states. Below is what forms of games you can expect to be offered in the state:

Texas Hold’em – The Cadillac of Poker will the #1 offering at Indiana online poker rooms. You can expect Texas Hold’em to be offered in cash game and tournament formats at stakes ranging from micro stakes to mid-stakes. You’ll also find an offering of Sit and Go tournaments and even Jackpot poker games such as Spin and Go poker.

Omaha – Omaha poker is also very popular online, and you’ll find a wide variety of Pot-Limit Omaha games and Omaha Hi-Lo games at online poker sites in Indiana. Games will primarily focus on lower stakes with a few small stakes tournaments mixed in.

When Will Online Poker Be Legal in Indiana?

Blackjack is easily the most popular table game at online casinos, and you’ll find plenty of blackjack at online casinos in Indiana. Expect the games to be similar to other regulated online casinos with fairly generic games using up to eight decks per shoe. Also, decks are shuffled each hand, so the casino has an increased edge.

When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indiana Casinos

Like other forms of online casino games, you’ll find stakes ranging from micro stakes to high stakes with max bets of between $5,000 to $10,000 per hand. The majority of the action will be at lower stakes. Blackjack variants such as Blackjack Pro, Vegas Strip Blackjack, Multi-Hand Blackjack, and Atlantic City Blackjack will be available.

Since Indiana is likely to use many of the same providers already serving Atlantic City, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, you can learn more about what games will be available by checking out the online casino in those states.

Live Dealer Games

Most online casinos now offer some form of Live Dealer games with games like Blackjack and Roulette being the most popular. Live Dealer games are popular because you interact with a real person rather than a pre-programmed computer. This gives a social interaction that some miss from playing at live casinos.

Blackjack, Roulette, Casino Hold’em, and Baccarat are popular Live Dealer variants in New Jersey, and you can expect those to be offered at Indiana online casinos. Golden Nugget and 888 casino drive the majority of the Live Dealer action in New Jersey, and we are confident that those companies will operate in Indiana.

When Will Online Casinos Be Legal In Indiana?

When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indiana State

Indiana has recently regulated sports betting, and with the legislative session already concluded for the year, online poker legislation can’t happen until at least 2020. We believe that the popularity of sports betting will entice lawmakers to pursue online poker.

When Will Online Poker Be Legal In Indianapolis

We do expect lawmakers to discuss the matter in 2020, but the success of a comprehensive iGaming bill will depend greatly on the success of sports betting. Presently, we are predicting 2021 as the year that online poker is legalized in Indiana.