Online Poker Tennessee

Online Poker Tennessee 7,0/10 7883 votes

Good news for poker fans in Tennessee: There are now plenty of legal online poker rooms for Tennessee residents to choose from. This was not always the case. The easiest, safest, and most importantly, legal way to play poker is over the internet by making use of legal Tennessee online poker.

OnlineOnline Poker Tennessee

Well, it looks like we are in for six more weeks of winter. Hopefully, those braving the storm hitting the East Coast have enough provision to last till Super Bowl Sunday.

  • Play poker online with ClubWPT for a chance to share $100K in monthly cash and prizes including VIP packages to live WPT® Main Events. Play online poker tournaments for real cash and prizes all day, every day with the official poker game of the World Poker Tour®.
  • The WSOP online poker app is legal in Tennessee and comes with one of the best poker bonuses in the United States: a massive no deposit bonus with no Tennessee code required. Simply d ownload the.
  • While Tennessee was the 48 th state to legalize any form of gambling when it approved a lottery, it has not specifically outlawed online poker. All online poker rooms that accept U.S.

If you do, then strap in. It’s time for another round of gambling news. Online poker has made its way to Michigan, Google has some big news for its users, and a pair of sportsbooks get formal approval in Tennessee.

On the rewind:

Michigan online gaming continues to heat up with legal poker

The online gaming market in Michigan continues to sizzle, this time with the news that PokerStars is the first to launch Michigan online poker.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) released a brief statement welcoming several new online operators to the market and, among them, PokerStars. The popular poker site is also available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. It’s also noted that users only have to create one account to access all three states.

Overall, 10 mobile sportsbooks and online casinos launched on Jan. 22 (with more following.)

The takeaway: It may not sound like much, but online poker in three states is a pretty big deal for PokerStars. There is also a chance Michigan joins the multi-state poker agreement. This would allow customers to compete against other poker players in other states, including Delaware and Nevada. For now, baby steps.

Gambling apps coming to Google Play store

Weaving into the fabric of our first story, significant news impacting online poker comes by way of Google.

According to Google’s Developer Program, both online casino and online poker apps will be available for download on Google Play effective March 1, where permitted.

The updated policy states:

“Subject to restrictions and compliance with all Google Play policies, we allow apps that enable or facilitate online gambling in the following countries in the table below as long as the Developer completes the application process for gambling apps being distributed on Play, is an approved governmental operator and/or is registered as a licensed operator with the appropriate governmental gambling authority in the specified country, and provides a valid operating license in the specified country for the type of online gambling product they want to offer.”

Android uses must download sports betting apps the archaic way by going directly to the operator’s website. However, now that Google is updating its policy, this is good news for Android users and the online gaming market.

The takeaway: About time, right? Sports betting, online casino, and online poker apps have been available on iOS devices for a while. Look, downloading an app from an operator’s website isn’t the end of the world. But the ability to downloads apps quickly and easily will be a relief for some.

Two Tennessee online sportsbooks adding to the line-up

Our last story takes us to the Volunteer State where mobile sports betting is preparing for its first Super Bowl.

As you know, Tennessee sports betting is mobile-only. Meaning, there are no physical locations where customers can place bets.

The Tennessee Education Lottery, the entity behind sports betting, gave formal approval to William Hill and WynnBET. The downside, neither will be able to launch before Sunday’s big game.

In December, TN sportsbooks took $180.9 million in bets, which translated to $3.1 million in tax revenue. For a state with only four mobile sportsbooks, that’s pretty impressive.

Online Poker Tennessee

The takeaway: Unfortunately, William Hill and WynnBET will miss out on Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes. As you know, the Super Bowl is the single most bet-on sporting event. The good news, Tennessee will most certainly see increased traffic from neighboring states as customers look to place wagers before kick-off.

Home » US Poker Laws – State by State Reviews » Online Poker in Tennessee

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Online Poker in Tennessee
Last Updated January 6, 2021

There’s an old joke that the busiest poker room in Tennessee is in Tunica. The joke, of course, is that Tennessee has no poker rooms – Tunica is right across the border in Mississippi. That fact hasn’t stopped Tennesseans from developing a healthy appetite for poker, both in live rooms and at online poker sites.

With the reach of poker in Tennessee growing as each day passes, we decided to construct this central resource to serve as a Guide to Playing Online Poker in Tennessee.

Latest Updates Through for Online Gambling in Tennessee

Tennessee lawmakers have exhibited no desire to contemplate land-based casinos or any form of online gambling, poker or anything else.

Tennessee

However, Tennessee did join the ranks of states considering sports betting earlier in 2019. The proposed bill was debated and amended as it moved through the House and Senate, ultimately pushing the licensing fees and tax rates up significantly.

Governor Bill Lee decided to allow the bill to become law instead of signing it or vetoing it. He said that he didn’t believe that any gambling expansion – specifically online sports betting – was in the best interest of his state, but the original effort to pursue land-based casinos was removed from the bill. For that, Lee was grateful and resulted in a compromise.

With that, the Tennessee Sports Gaming Act became the law of the state on May 25, 2019. Mobile sports betting via licensed operators became legal.

Even so, Lee said, “Let me be clear: Any future efforts to expand gambling or introduce casinos in Tennessee will assure my veto.”

Top Online Poker Sites in Tennessee

Here’s the deal with Tennessee online poker sites: There are dozens – possibly even hundreds – of poker rooms that welcome players from Tennessee. Telling them apart is basically impossible until you’ve played at each, but playing at each would take a whole lot of time.

Enter our list of the top online poker sites for Tennessee, all of which are legally regulated and licensed online poker operators:

Online Poker Tennessee
Poker Sites Open to Players From Your State
Bovada$500 Bonus3-4 Day PayoutsAccepts Visa, Bitcoin, Wires
Ignition$2000 Bonus3-4 Day PayoutsAccepts Visa, Bitcoin, Wires
Intertops$600 Bonus5 Day PayoutsAccepts Visa, Wires
BetOnline$2500 Bonus5-7 Day PayoutsAccepts Visa, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Wires
Sportsbetting$2500 Bonus5-7 Day PayoutsAccepts Visa, Bitcoin, Litecoin, Wires

Is Online Poker Legal in Tennessee?

Answering the question of whether or not it’s legal to play online poker from Tennessee begins with answering some more fundamental questions about how Tennessee law defines and handles gambling. Let’s focus on those by walking through the basics of Tennessee gambling law.

Tennessee takes what amounts to an “any-chance” approach to defining gambling, which is to say that betting anything of value on anything that involves any element of chance qualifies as gambling.

Here’s the verbatim definition: “risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, or any games of chance associated with casinos, including, but not limited to, slot machines, roulette wheels and the like” (Section 39-17-501).

It is a misdemeanor to participate in illegal gambling, although the law says you must “knowingly” do so (Section 39-17-502).

The broad definition of “gambling device or record” (Section (39-17-501(3)) likely allows law enforcement to confiscate not only the equipment used for gambling, but also the money involved.

One charge of special note: Aggravated gambling promotion (Section 39-17-504). Most states assign a misdemeanor charge for participating in the business of an illegal gambling business, with felony charges reserved for larger operations or for the owners. In Tennessee, anyone who “knowingly invests in, finances, owns, controls, supervises, manages or participates in a gambling enterprise” risks a felony charge.

Special penalties are invoked when you’re involved in the operation of “lotteries, chain letters and pyramid letters. As the amount of money involved in the lottery escalates, so do the severity of the criminal charges you could face (Section 39-17-506).

Tennessee Gambling & Poker Laws Summarized

Type/CodeSummary
State Code Section(s)3.17; 4.36; 39.17.5-6
Definition of GamblingRisking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, or any games of chance associated with casinos, including, but not limited to, slot machines, roulette wheels, etc.
Definition of Gambling BetAnything of value risked in gambling.
Online Poker/GamblingIt is highly unlikely that legislators will consider any type of online poker or casino games in the foreseeable future.
Live PokerSince there are no casinos and racetracks are not allowed to offer table games like poker, players cannot legally play cash games or tournaments in Tennessee.
CasinosThere are no casinos in Tennessee, and there seems to be no desire to consider legalizing any gambling facilities outside of racetracks.
Sports BettingTennessee has not yet considered a sports betting bill as of mid-2018.
DFSLawmakers legalized daily fantasy sports contests via the Fantasy Sports Act in 2016.
Other Forms of GamblingHorse racing, limited pari-mutuel wagering, raffles and limited charitable gambling, lottery.

All Poker and Gambling Laws by State

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What are the Chances that Tennessee Regulates Online Poker?

Tennessee Gambling

Somewhere between slim and none, and I’m pretty sure slim has a ticket booked on the next flight out. Gambling expansion just isn’t on the radar for Tennessee, and Internet-based gambling – considered by many to be a riskier form of the activity – stands an even narrower chance of being addressed by the state legislature.

Tennessee Gambling Facts

A pretty thin list, all things considered. The state has a complete lack of any casino-style facilities – nothing commercial, tribal or in a hybrid racino form. There are no racinos because there are no race tracks; pari-mutuel bets are not permitted under the law of Tennessee. There is also no direct exception for “social gambling.”

So what can you do legally? Your options come down to the state lottery, charitable raffles conducted by licensed organizations, or leaving the state (several neighboring states do offer more regulated gambling than Tennessee).

It comes as no surprise that a state with such a restrictive attitude toward gambling would choose not to regulate or license online gambling activity. While regulated land-based gambling options are simply meager, online poker in Tennessee will likely remain non-existent.

Some were surprised that the Tennessee legislature approved mobile sports betting in 2019, but it came with a threat from the governor to veto any other attempts to expand gambling in the state. This will likely be the last we hear from Tennessee in a while.

Famous Tennessee Poker Players

The most famous poker player from Tennessee is Chris Moneymaker. He started playing poker online at PokerStars in the early 2000s, which was where he won an $86 online poker satellite and transformed it into a seat into the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event worth $10,000. Not only did the full-time accountant travel to Las Vegas to play that tournament, he won it for $2.5 million.

Moneymaker soon signed as an ambassador for the game and a member of Team PokerStars Pro, a job he continues to today. He still calls Nashville home, but he travels the world to play live poker for PokerStars and treks to Canada or South America to play online during PokerStars’ tournament series.

Kathy Liebert is actually the all-time top tournament money earner from Tennessee with more than $6.2 million to her credit. She has played for many years and now resides in Las Vegas, but continues to play competitively in live poker games.

Frank Kassela and Kyle Cartwright take up the next two spots on the money list, both listing significant accomplishments on their poker CVs. Kassela has won three WSOP gold bracelets to date, and Cartwright has one bracelet and numerous WSOP Circuit gold rings thus far in his poker career.

The top-ranked players from Tennessee, as of 2021, are as follows:

1. Kathy Liebert ($6.3 million)
2. Chris Moneymaker ($3.9 million)
3. Frank Kassela ($3.3 million)
4. Kyle Cartwright ($2.3 million)
5. David Diaz ($2.1 million)
6. Stanley Weiss ($1.7 million)
7. Ryan Welch ($1.7 million)
8. Jonathan Hilton ($1.4 million)
9. Robert Hankins ($1.2 million)
10. Allie Prescott ($934K)

Sources & Citations For This Article on Tennessee Online Poker