Online Poker in Montana — Is It Legal in 2025?

Best real money poker sites for Montana players

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  4.7

  #1

  4.7

  BetOnline

  Chico Poker Network

  

  Bonus

  100% up to $1,000

  

  Rakeback

  VIP

  ReviewSign up

  

  United States is accepted

  • Bitcoins accepted

  GambleAware.org

  Details
• 

  4.3

  #2

  4.3

  Ignition Casino

  Paiwangluo Poker Network

  

  Bonus

  150% up to $1,500

  

  Rakeback

  Not available

  ReviewSign up

  

  United States is accepted

  • Bitcoins accepted

  GambleAware.org

  Details
• 

  4.5

  #3

  4.5

  CoinPoker

  Independent

  

  Bonus

  150% up to $2,000

  

  Rakeback

  33%+

  Code

  WPD

  

  ReviewSign up

  

  United States is accepted

  • Bitcoins accepted

  GambleAware.org

  Details
• 

  4.2

  #4

  4.2

  Everygame

  Horizon Poker Network

  

  Bonus

  200% up to $1,000

  

  Rakeback

  36%

  ReviewSign up

  

  United States is accepted

  • Network's best skin
  • Bitcoins accepted

  GambleAware.org

  Details
• 

  4.4

  #5

  4.4

  Phenom Poker

  Independent

  

  Bonus

  150% up to $3,000

  

  Rakeback

  up to 35%

  Code

  WPD

  

  ReviewSign up

  

  United States is accepted

  • Bitcoins accepted

  GambleAware.org

  Details

If you're looking for the best online poker room for Montana, be prepared for an unconventional choice. Unlike in regulated states, where everything is clear-cut, including licenses, taxes, English-language support, and multi-million dollar jackpots, Montana offers a different reality. More precisely, you have two options: offshore poker sites and, to some extent, platforms using pseudo-currency.

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to poker variants and gambling platforms. But one rule applies across the board: choose sites with a solid reputation.

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BetOnline Poker

Residents of Montana, where online poker is not officially regulated, should pay attention to BetOnline - this is one of the most stable and popular online poker sites with an offshore license (Panama), operating since the early 2000s.

The poker room has excellent traffic in cash games for Texas Hold'em, Omaha, PLO5 and PLO6 with stakes up to $5/$10. The total number of connections in the cash game during evening hours in the US can reach 1,000. BetOnline Poker players can also enjoy multi-table tournaments with a total guarantee of several million dollars per month.

After the first deposit, a 100% welcome bonus up to $1,000 is automatically activated. Players who register through our affiliate receive additional benefits.

Black Chip Poker

Black Chip Poker is a Winning network poker room available to players from Montana. This is where Americans can take part in the largest online tournaments. The flagship Online Super Series guarantees up to $50M, and the prize events of Venom are $10M.

Black Chip Poker also has ring games. Players have access to NLH, PLO and PLO5 tables with stakes up to $100/$200, Blitz Poker (Fast Poker), as well as rare games - 7 Card Stud, AoF.

The poker room works with BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC to process deposits and withdrawals of players' funds.

CoinPoker

CoinPoker's license allows the poker room to accept residents of the state. Players can use a web wallet to register and are not required to undergo verification.

CoinPoker offers cash games up to $200/$400 in Hold'em, PLO and PLO5, with the main traffic at 7-max tables. The tournaments have maximum buy-ins of $5,000 and guarantees of $100,000.

The poker room's 150% up to $2,000 welcome bonus gives 50% rakeback. There is also a 33% fixed rakeback every Monday, several leaderboards and an exclusive deal from WPD.

Online poker in Montana overview

Montana isn't the kind of state where you’ll see the official launch of a Caesars poker room or get a green light to participate in WSOP Online. The laws here aren’t just strict — they’re rigid and deeply rooted. All forms of online gambling are explicitly prohibited.

Still, thousands of players in Montana continue to visit sites that are technically outside the jurisdiction of the United States. Why? Because these sites:

• operate reliably;
• allow real-money play (in USD, crypto, or through currency conversion);
• accept users without KYC.

Security in offshore poker rooms depends heavily on reputation. Sites that get caught rigging games or withholding payouts tend to disappear quickly. The ones that stick around for years usually value their players, and it shows.

Of course, this doesn’t make them legal under US law — just tolerated. It’s a legal gray area. And in Montana, that gray area is especially visible: the laws are strict, but there are very few criminal cases related to online poker. The key is this — don’t run your games, and don’t promote unlicensed sites. Many poker fans simply move to Nevada or New Jersey, where online poker is regulated and legal. And the rest remain in the shadows.

Montana's online poker legal background

According to Montana law, any form of online gambling — whether online poker, slots, or sports betting — is illegal unless specifically licensed (and online poker is not). This applies not only to creating or promoting gambling websites but also to participating in games themselves. So, if you play on an offshore poker site, you are technically breaking the law. Here’s what it means in practice:

• Gambling platforms without a U.S. license are formally prohibited.
• Using a VPN or cryptocurrency does not eliminate legal risks.
• Participating in real-money online games - in any form - is considered a violation of state law.
• Promoting such sites may be prosecuted under separate legal statutes.

Sweepstakes poker: not in Montana anymore

About five years ago, a popular workaround was the use of “sweepstakes platforms.” These were sites where players would “enter a raffle” and then play poker using virtual currency. If you won, you could convert your winnings into cash. Conversely, you could purchase virtual currency, which was technically considered just a digital product (like in-game currency in CoD or PUBG).

From a legal standpoint, it was a clever loophole. But only until Montana decided to shut it down.

Today, most of these platforms block users with Montana IP addresses altogether. Even if you register through a VPN, you might run into issues when trying to withdraw, not to mention the added legal risks. After the passage of Senate Bill 555 in 2025, platforms that operate on the “virtual chips → real money” model are explicitly banned.

Some sites have simply geofenced Montana and no longer allow access. Others still accept Montana players but with no promotions and no bonuses. In short, this route is now effectively closed for online poker in Montana.

Will Montana legalize online poker

The chances of online poker being legalized in Montana anytime soon are extremely slim. No legislation aimed at regulating online gambling has been introduced in recent years.

Worse still, in 2025, Montana moved in the opposite direction with the passage of Senate Bill 555 — a law that strengthened existing bans and extended restrictions even to sweepstakes-based platforms (mentioned above). The message is clear: regulation isn’t just off the table — it’s been formally rejected.

While other states continue to explore or embrace legalization, Montana remains an outlier. The state’s "hard ban" policy is firmly in place and shows no signs of changing.

Payment Methods at MT online poker sites

If you decide to play online from Montana, be prepared for restrictions. Regular payment methods, such as bank cards, PayPal, or Venmo, don’t work because financial operators track gambling transactions and block them.

The most common method among players is cryptocurrency. Bitcoin, Litecoin, Tether — all of these are available on many offshore platforms. Deposits are fast, fees are low, and most importantly, there is no need to disclose details. This provides relative anonymity, which is important in conditions of unclear legal status.

What about live poker?

Live poker is where Montana shows its more permissive side. It’s fully legal — but only in venues that hold the appropriate license. These include:

• Bars and pubs with a gambling permit.
• Billings – local lounges with 2–3 tables.
• Missoula – a few small casinos on the outskirts.
• Browning – a Native American casino with permanent poker tables.
• Native American casinos.
• Registered private clubs.

These venues aren’t trying to be Las Vegas, but for fans of live poker, they offer reliable, legal, and social environments to play.

History of poker and gambling in Montana

Poker has deep roots in Montana — from the saloons of the Wild West to the licensed parlors of the 21st century. Here's how the game has evolved in the state over time:

• In the 19th Century card games were a staple of frontier life. Prospectors, cowboys, and travelers played wherever they could — saloons, camps, and makeshift tables — with few laws or enforcement in place.
• Gambling began facing legal restrictions in the 1950s, but private poker games remained common, often played in garages, basements, and small-town bars.
• The Reservation Rights Act (1988) granted Native American tribes the ability to operate casinos, which included limited forms of legal poker. Tribal venues became one of the few regulated spaces for real-money games.
• In 2000s–2010s, as online poker platforms emerged, Montana players joined the global trend. However, state authorities acted swiftly, implementing bans that shut down access to most online poker rooms.
• 2025: The passage of Senate Bill 555 marked the strictest crackdown yet. Even sweepstakes-based platforms — once seen as legal loopholes — were banned outright.

Today, poker in the state exists in two forms: private games among friends and licensed card rooms with strict limits. Online gambling is still illegal.

Best poker players from Montana

1. David Sands — $8,459,920
2. Bradley Anderson — $822,856
3. Ian Gordon — $742,281
4. Chris Sandrock — $536,814
5. Miles Barnum — $494,608

David Sands is the best player in Montana with $8.5M in live tournament winnings. And although he hasn’t played since 2017, he’s unlikely to ever be beaten. The 2nd place in the Montana All Time Money List: Bradley Anderson has earned 10 times less in live tournaments.

David got into poker thanks to the “Moneymaker effect”. From 2006 to 2011, David Sands won several million dollars in total and won major tournaments on PokerStars, FTP, Ultimate Bet, and Cake.

After Black Friday, David started playing more live and won five six-figure payouts in one year. In 2013, the player managed to win more than $1M in high rollers with a buy-in of $100K twice:

• In the Super High Roller (Event #1) of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure series (2nd place, $1,259,320)
• In the Super High Roller of the WPT World Championship series (1st place, $1,023,750).

Conclusion

Online poker in Montana in 2025 is a story of restrictions and legal gray areas. The laws are strict, there is no regulatory framework, and the risks — both legal and financial — are real.

Yet, interest in the game hasn’t disappeared. Some players relocate to more poker-friendly states, others stick to live games, and a determined few take their chances with offshore platforms. No matter which path you choose, one thing is essential: know the risks, know the law, and know exactly what you’re getting into.

Responsible Gambling

Just keep this in mind:

• If you’re betting your paycheck instead of your spare change, it’s no longer a game.
• If you sit down to play while angry or emotional, it’s not gambling anymore; it's escapism.
• If you’re ahead and thinking, “just one more to double up,” close the site, take a walk, and ask yourself why.

Poker isn’t a way to prove something - not to the world, your partner, or yourself. It's just a game. And when it starts calling the shots, that’s your cue to step back. Not because it’s the “right thing to do,” but because burnout doesn’t look like losing one hand — it looks like forgetting why you played in the first place.

In case you notice signs of problem gambling, take a break and seek professional help.

Montana Council on Problem Gambling

www.gambleaware.org

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