- Home
- Latest poker news
- Online Poker in Indiana 2025
Online Poker in Indiana 2025
Online poker is very poorly regulated throughout the United States. The Hoosier State is among the areas where you can play at online poker sites, but technically it is not legal. Our poker expert team analyzed the situation in Indiana and found the legal intricacies of online real-money poker in Indiana. You’ll find them on this page. More so, reading further presents you with the best poker sites for Indiana poker players, explaining if it’s safe to play at them or not.
Best online poker sites in Indiana
There are only a few poker sites you can join from Indiana. The reason is simple: there are not many poker sites that accept players from the USA. So we are going to cut to the chase and highlight the top poker sites and the benefits they offer, such as bonuses, rakeback and games available.
IN poker site | Bonuses | Rakeback |
---|---|---|
BetOnline Poker | 100% up to $1,000 | VIP |
ACR Poker | 100% up to $2,000 | 27% flat or up to 65% |
Ignition Poker | up to $3,000 | up to 20% |
CoinPoker | 150% up to $2,000 | 33%+ |
Everygame Poker | 200% up to $1,000 | 36% |
Ignition Poker
One of the main advantages of Indiana for online poker players is direct access to Ignition Poker, one of the most fun and private poker rooms in the world. In this room of the PaiWangLuo network, you will find soft games with various formats of free tables, Spin&Go, fast-fold poker Zone, as well as MTT or SnG tournaments.
Ignition Casino's operating model has always been focused on casual players, so the software is designed to seat poker players automatically and the games are anonymous.
CoinPoker
Cryptocurrencies have come to the world of poker and the US to stay. CoinPoker is the best example of such a breakthrough. This room, working entirely on blockchain technology, presents all the popular poker variants: from classic Texas Hold'em and Omaha, to multi-table MTT tournaments with tens of thousands of dollars in guarantees.
The welcome bonus is one of the most generous in online poker. 150% up to $1,500, giving up to 50% rakeback, which is iced-up by a 33% rakeback program from the poker room just for playing.
ACR Poker
ACR Poker is one of the world’s most famous poker sites promoted by Chris Moneymaker (2003 World Series of Poker champion). Joining the site gives you a 100% bonus of up to $2,000 and access to several crypto payments that facilitate quick and secure deposits and withdrawals. The site is especially good for professional players. ACR Poker boasts tens of monthly online poker tournaments, including the stunning The Venom with a $12,500,000 prize pool.
Real money online poker in Indiana
According to Indiana Code 35-45-5-1(l), online poker is illegal in the state. Still, it doesn’t mean that you can’t access an online poker site. Some betting platforms (like those listed above) accept players from Indiana. Yet, you join such sites at your own risk.
Bovada, BetOnline, ACR Poker, Back Chip Poker and many other sites that accept Indiana players are classified as offshore platforms. They operate under special international jurisdictions, thanks to being registered and licensed by island governments like Curacao.
Offshore sites are completely secure when it comes to data safety and fairness. They adhere to licenses that require them to protect their clients’ money with SSL encryption and a transparent attitude.
The biggest off-shore poker sites evoke trust with their clear backgrounds. You can explore them through review portals: Reddit, Trustpilot, etc. By reading casual players’ testimonials and ratings, you can easily learn whether the site is safe or not.
If legal risks associated with offshore betting repel you, you may consider social poker sites. This game type avoids online poker prohibition by conducting its matches for free coupons, not dollars. We’ll break down how sweepstakes poker works in detail.
Is online poker legal in Indiana?
Indiana defines gambling as risking money or other property for gain, contingent in whole or in part upon lot, chance, or the operation of a gambling device. Obviously, online poker falls under this category.
According to the state’s laws, playing online poker is considered a class 2 misdemeanor. If the court imposes this classification on you, you risk paying a fine of up to $1,000 or getting incarcerated in the local jail for 6 months.
However, take these concerns with a grain of salt. Even though the risks are real, Indiana is primarily after online poker operators. If such operators appear, the government can easily trace them, which leads directly to the courts.
Sweepstakes poker (for example Global Poker, ClubWPT Gold) is one of the few legal types of poker in Indiana. It bypasses the local betting regulations by eliminating the fact of risking money or property for gain. Sweepstakes poker games use coins for betting instead of money.
It’s important to say that sweepstakes poker is available for “Gold Coins.” Those are the currencies that you receive in unlimited quantities to play for fun. It’s a cool way to practice against other poker players before investing real money in land-based poker establishments available in Indiana.
You get coins for participating in specific promotions. After buying into the table and placing your coins, you receive tokens for wins. You can redeem tokens for real money or coupons that, for example, allow you to purchase goods with discounts.
Live poker is another type of poker that is legally available in Indiana. You can play against other players at offline poker tables in riverboat casinos or classic casinos, which we present on this page.
Type of Gambling | Is Eligible in Indiana? |
---|---|
Online poker sites | ❌ Not Legal |
Sweepstakes Poker | ✅ Legal |
Land-based poker rooms | ✅ Legal at licensed casinos |
Online sports betting | ✅ Legal through licensed sportsbooks |
Land-based casino | ✅ Legal (riverboat and land-based) |
Online casino | ❌ Not Legal |
Lottery | ✅ Legal (Hoosier Lottery) |
Charitable gambling | ✅ Legal with license (e.g., raffles, bingo) |
Horse racing | ✅ Legal with pari-mutuel betting |
Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) | ✅ Legal |
When will online poker be legal in Indiana
In January 2025, House Bill 1432 was introduced in the Indiana Legislative Assembly to legalize online casinos and online poker in the state. One of the key points is permission for Indiana to participate in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
This means that states where online poker is already legalized (Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and West Virginia) will be united into a single pool of players of local online poker rooms.
If the law is adopted, it will increase interest in online poker in Indiana and expand the audience of online poker fans and enthusiasts in the United States. At the current stage, the bill has been approved by the House of Representatives Public Policy Committee. If it is approved and signed, the launch of regulated online games in the state could take place as early as September 2025.
The bill also addresses an online poker taxing system. The tax must be 30%, and the revenue will be divided between local government services (like horse racing) and programs for helping people with gambling addictions.
Payment methods at IN online poker sites
Each offshore poker site supports different payment methods. However, crypto coins are often your only available option. To conduct crypto deposits/withdrawals, you must own a special wallet and store some coins inside of it.
Although e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller are often displayed at offshore sites, they’re unavailable for Indiana residents. These payments comply with local regulations, which is why they don’t allow transactions into prohibited domains.
Live poker rooms
As we’ve mentioned previously, live poker is legal in Indiana. According to the Indiana Gaming Commission, live poker matches may be conducted only at specific establishments. Let’s look at them:
City | Casino |
Number of poker tables
|
---|---|---|
Hammond | Horseshoe Hammond | 12 |
South Bend | Four Winds South Bend | 12 |
Shelbyville | Horseshoe Indianapolis | 20 |
Florence | Belterra Casino Resort | 2 |
Consider that the number of available poker tables may change. Therefore, it’s best to contact the live casino’s managers to clarify if they have free tables at a specific time.
Indiana's poker and gambling history
Indiana has a clear gambling history, which we can roughly divide into the following sections:
- 1800s - early 1900s: Indiana didn’t regulate gambling, which caused a spread of casinos, specifically in riverboat form. The entire Ohio River was flooded with them. However, during the moral fad at the beginning of the 1900s, the state introduced anti-gambling laws, causing massive casino bans.
- 1990s - 2000s: Indiana legalized riverboat casinos in 1993 with an Indiana Riverboat Gaming Act. Further on, Indiana permitted land-based casinos in 2002 and created the Indiana Gaming Commission in 2007, legalizing live poker in Horseshoe Hammond and Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg.
- 2010s: Indiana became one of the first states to legalize online and land-based bookmakers in 2019.
Indiana is currently working to legalize online poker, which could happen in the coming years.
Best poker players of Indiana
In terms of winnings in live tournaments in Indiana, John Cynn leads with more than $10M.
John tried to quit his job several times and start playing poker professionally. He was able to realize his dream only in 2016, receiving $650,000 for 11th place in the ME WSOP. Two years later, John Cynn became the best in the WSOP Main Event. The victory brought him $8,800,000.
Since then, the player has switched to expensive cash games, so Chad Eveslage may become the leader of the Indiana All Time Money List in the coming years. In terms of winnings, he is only $600K behind John Cynn.
Chad specializes in high roller tournaments. In 2022, he won the $25K WSOP event and earned $1,415,610. And on March 6, 2025, he added $1,200,000 to his account by winning the PGT Super High Roller Bowl tournament with a buy-in of $100K.
Conclusion
Online poker is very restricted in Indiana. Even though you can play at offshore poker sites, there are serious legal risks that repel many players. Therefore, sweepstakes poker is the only option for the majority. However, the recent strides toward online poker legalization give hope to everyone who wants to play online for real money.
Responsible gambling
If your poker expenses get out of hand, you can contact the following services to prevent the development of gambling addiction:
FAQ
Straddle has only been around for a few years now. Many players still don't fully understand the ...
Even though poker has become a part of American culture, the online version of the game is still ...
Discover the most profitable WPT Global Poker bonus code: up to $3,000 welcome bonus, $480 in fre...
Triton Poker CEO Andy Wong told the press about the brand's plans to expand its presence in the l...