Efforts to legalize online poker in the US have been mildly successful at best. As of 2026, there are nine states with a regulatory framework for online poker, and, of those, only six actually have live operators catering to players.
At the same time, sports betting has had much more success. Ever since PASPA was overturned back in 2018, there’s been a ripple effect in the country, with one state after another hopping onto the betting wagon.
Missouri is one of the latest states to create a fully-regulated sports betting market. The legislation was passed in December 2025, leading to a slew of operators launching. Now, a few months into the regulated market, bettors can also take advantage of the best Missouri sportsbook promos during one of the most active betting periods of the year.
Sports Betting vs. Online Poker: It’s Not a Close Race
It is often said that Americans love poker. However, if we look at relevant developments in recent years, it is safe to say that they love betting on sports much more.
As of right now, there are 40 US states offering some form of legal sports betting. This leaves only a handful of states out of a regulatory framework, and it’s safe to assume we’ll see a few more coming into the fold this year.
On top of this, the sudden growth of prediction markets is sending a very clear message. Betting of all sorts, regardless of the model or the nomenclature, is hugely popular in the US.
At the same time, we haven’t seen anywhere near this level of enthusiasm when it comes to online poker legislation. While Rhode Island and Maine have recently passed their laws, it is really a drop in the bucket, and it’s not moving the needle.
What Does US Online Poker Need?
Looking at how eager states have been to regulate sports betting, one must think that they wouldn’t be opposed to online poker if the game were its own category.
For poker to gain more traction and see significant movements, it would have to be separated from online casino. In that case, it could likely receive more support from the general public, and it would be much easier to justify and explain it as a game of skill.
As things stand right now, though, every gambling bill that was passed had online poker and casino gaming mashed together. That scenario is far from ideal, as it involves not only politicians but different gambling lobbies who feel that online regulation could jeopardize their land-based business.
The real question is whether this can actually be done. Could poker become a category of its own and be treated separately in the legislative procedure to give it much better chances?
The answer is not clear, but we saw Virginia doing something along these lines when they decided to exclude poker from their sweepstakes ban. This is a small development, but it could be a positive signal for the future and possibly influence some of the upcoming bills.
