Online Poker in Kentucky - Best KY Poker Sites in 2025
If you're in the mood to play Kentucky online poker for real money, the situation is not great, but it's better than it could be. You can certainly partake in online poker in Kentucky without worry because it's perfectly legal on the players' side of things. Only those running the online rooms are at risk.
Luckily, players in Kentucky still have a few different options when looking to play Internet poker in the US. Some sites have decided not to service this state, but many have opted to stay available to those players, and the number of options for citizens of Kentucky is not insignificant at all. This means players can take advantage of fast payout times, good bonuses, and great game selection at many sites, including Ignition Poker.
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2. Online Poker Legal? 3. Best KY Poker Sites 4. How to Play Online Poker
5.1. Game Selection 5.2. Cashier Methods 5.3. Bonuses & Promos 5.4. Rakeback
6.1. Ignition 6.2. SB Poker/BOL 6.3. Bovada 6.4. CoinPoker 6.5. SwCPoker 6.6. Nitrobetting
7.1. B&M Poker 7.2. State Regulation7.3. Gambling History 7.4. Famous Poker Players 7.5. Alternatives to KY Online Poker
Top Online Poker Sites in Kentucky
Despite the fact that a few poker organizations have elected to exit the Kentucky market, there are still a number of trustworthy rooms for you to play at. We've done all the work involved in gauging their relative levels of traffic, evaluating their promotions and bonus offers, and observing their payout processing speeds. We've selected the best of the best and presented them below so that you don't have to do any guesswork.
Is Online Poker Legal in Kentucky?
In all the myriad Kentucky laws, there is not a single one that criminalizes poker or any other kind of real money gaming for ordinary players. It's a different case for those actually operating the games, but mere players have nothing to worry about. Thus, there is no way that you could get in trouble with Kentucky law simply for playing online poker.
Best Kentucky Online Poker Sites
Below is a list of excellent online poker sites for you to choose from. Regardless of which of these reliable organizations you sign up with, you'll be able to look forward to honest games, trusted software, and solid customer support.
- Ignition Casino - Best bonus clearance + most traffic.
- SB Poker - Bad Beat Jackpots, leaderboards, contests, other promos.
- BetOnline - Excellent mobile poker software.
- Bovada - Multiple forms of gaming (poker, casino, sports, racing).
- Coin Poker - Best site for crypto-currency enthusiasts.
- SwCPoker - Many poker formats (NLHE, PLO, PLO8, Razz, HORSE, and more).
- Nitrobetting - Bitcoin games, in-browser software.
How to Play Online Poker in Kentucky – Detailed Instructions
Getting started on Kentucky online poker is not too complex. We've included instructions below for signing up at our top rated site, Ignition Casino, but the process should be similar, albeit with a few differences, no matter which room you elect to play at.
- Click on any of our links to go to Ignition Poker.
- A registration page will appear in your web browser. Fill out the required fields, entering your true personal information. Later on, you'll have to complete ID verification before making your first withdrawal, and any inconsistencies in the info you have provided could lead to payment delays or even account termination.
- Press the “Register” button at the bottom of the form.
- Ignition may wish to verify your mobile number by sending you a code via SMS. Enter the code in the space provided on the Ignition website.
- Now that your new account has been created, you can head over to the Ignition cashier and make a deposit through the method of your choice (we recommend BTC).
How We Evaluate Kentucky Online Poker Sites – Choosing the Best Internet Poker Room
In order to bring you only the best online poker solutions Kentucky residents have available to them, we have thoroughly researched all the options. We recognize that all rooms are not identical and have their own particular strong points and areas for improvement. We've evaluated them all according to a set of criteria to see how they stack up against each other.
Gaming Variety and Stakes
There are numerous poker variants out there from the basic, like NL Hold'em and Omaha, to the esoteric, like 12-game mix and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball. Even at sites that offer the same forms of poker, the blind levels available may vary enormously from nano-stakes to high-roller tables.
Such formats as fast-fold poker, lottery-style contests, satellites, STEPS, and On Demand tournaments complicate matters too. The presence of these non-standard games varies quite a bit from site to site.
Deposit and Payment Channels
Many poker rooms provide several old-school deposit and payout methods, like credit cards and checks. However, they all also permit you to use Bitcoin to add money to your account and retrieve your winnings.
We're big fans of Bitcoin and other crypto coins because they make it easy to perform transactions quickly and with reasonable fees. If you're uncertain as to how to properly use Bitcoin, then check out this informative Bitcoin poker walkthrough.
Bonuses and Other Promotions
Many sites for online poker in Kentucky will provide you with a welcome bonus upon your first deposit. Most of them will also extend to you further opportunities for free money as you keep playing, like loyalty points, rake races, reload bonuses, and freerolls.
Some of these promotions are likely to be seasonal and good for a limited time only. Others are more permanent and will continue to provide value to you in the months and years to come.
Rakeback
Rakeback is one of the most worthwhile online poker promos you could find. It refers to an ongoing percentage refund of the rake you pay while playing poker. Unlike most internet poker promotions, it generally lasts for the lifetime of your account rather than expiring at any point. We appreciate the value of rakeback so much that we have included it in the name of our site, Professional Rakeback.
Here are the Kentucky online poker rakeback sites:
- CoinPoker – 33% rakeback paid weekly (must hold CHP token)
- SwCPoker – up to 50% rakeback dependent on volume of play
- Nitrobetting – up to 35% rakeback paid monthly dependent on volume of play
Reviews of Online Poker Sites for Kentucky
We have compiled detailed information below about the best sites for Kentucky online poker. Use these reviews to help you select a provider to call your home for internet poker.
Ignition Casino Poker
Deposit Methods
Credit Card, Voucher Code, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tether, MatchPay
Pros
- Most games running
- Solid bonus clearing rate
- Easily beatable games
Cons
- No seat or table selection
Review
With the most simultaneously running cash games of any site available, Ignition deserves your attention. You can enjoy big-bet games (NLHE, PLO, PLO/8) up to $10/$20 and Limit Hold'em as high as $30/$60. Zone fast-fold Poker picks up the pace by bringing you to a new table whenever you fold.
Sit n' goes, including the popular lottery-inspired Jackpot Poker, and multi-table tournaments round out the selection. There's a $150,000 guaranteed MTT every Sunday as well as several series throughout the year that award millions in prize money.
Players here are not identified by screenname but are rather assigned a player number. In addition, your table and seat are determined randomly. There's thus no seat selection or long-term player tracking possible here, which has its detractors, but it does lead to soft games because newcomers feel welcome here.
Ignition has created software for PCs and Macs, and there's also a web client that's compatible phones and tablets. The poker bonus is a 150% up to $1,500 match for crpyto users.
SB Poker/BetOnline
Deposit Methods
Credit Cards, Person to Person, Money Orders, Bank Wire, Cashiers Check, Bitcoin, Avalanche, Binance, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Polygon, Ripple, Shiba Inu, Solana, Stellar, Tether, Tron, USD Coin
Pros
- Great mobile client
- Attached casino, live dealer, sportsbook, and racebook
- Bad beat jackpots, contests, leaderboards
Cons
- Rake higher than average
At SB Poker and BetOnline, which are partner sites, you can partake in NL Hold'em, PL Omaha, PLO Hi-Lo, 5 Card PLO, and 6 Card PLO from micro-stakes up through $5/$10. There are also pools of Boost, a fast-fold poker variant. One drawback of these rooms is the high rake.
A full SNG lobby beckons, and there are lottery-style Windfall contests too. A robust weekly tourney schedule completes the picture at Sportsbetting.ag. All Hold'em and Omaha cash game levels have bad beat jackpots, and you can get more free money from contests and leaderboards in the poker client.
Beyond its Mac and Windows desktop software, SB Poker also hosts an excellent mobile poker solution, which contains almost the entire complement of games. Make your first deposit to get a 100% up to $1,000 poker bonus as well as various promos in the sportsbook, racebook, and casino.
Bovada
Deposit Methods
Credit Card, Voucher Code, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin SV, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tether, MatchPay
Pros
- Excellent player traffic levels
- Included casino, live casino, sportsbook, and racebook
- In business for more than a decade
Cons
- Poker bonus only $500
Review
Part of the same family of companies as Ignition, Bovada has all the same ring games and tournaments as its sister site. Yet, there's more to explore at Bovada.lv because it has a sportsbook and racebook, which cannot be found at Ignition. Not only can you bet on horse races and professional athletics, but you can also put your money down on eSports matches, political elections, and a number of novelty markets.
The standard Bovada software runs on PCs and Macs, and you can also go to a special mobile website to log on and play from your smartphone or tablet. Your first deposit will unlock a 100% up to $500 poker bonus, which is admittedly much smaller than Ignition's bonus. However, Bovada gives you large bonuses of $3,750 for casino games and $750 to use in the sportsbook.
Coin Poker
Deposit Methods
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, CHP, Polygon, BNB
Pros
- Crypto poker site with the most players
- 33% rakeback possible
Cons
- Restricted number of game formats
Review
CoinPoker is a crypto-only poker website that uses USDT (Tether) to denominate its tables and games although you'll be able to deposit and withdraw utilizing ETH, BTC, and a few additional cryptocurrencies. CoinPoker is the largest crypto poker room on the web, and it has been experiencing solid growth.
There are only three types of cash games here: NL Hold'em, PL Omaha, and 5 Card Omaha. Moreover, standard SNGs are absent though lottery-style Cosmic Spins are spread.
You can play at CoinPoker on any desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. You'll receive a deposit bonus of 150% up to $2,000. Another benefit at CoinPoker is that you can get 33% weekly rakeback, if you maintain a balance of CoinPoker's crypto token, CHP.
SwCPoker
Deposit Methods
Bitcoin
Pros
- Numerous poker variants
- Up to 50% rakeback
Cons
- Small player count
Review
SwCPoker is an internet crypto-only poker site, which is well-recognized for offering multiple niche poker formats, like Open Face Chinese, Mixed Games, Draw Games, and more.
SwCPoker operates on any Mac, PC, iOS, or Android system. SwC isn't currently offering a first deposit bonus, but you will be able to earn rewards as you play through the Krill Rewards program.
Nitrobetting
Deposit Methods
Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tether, USD Coin, BNB
Pros
- Compatible with almost all hardware
- Up to 35% rakeback
Cons
- Few games running
- Only NLHE and PLO
Review
Nitrobetting is an online poker site that runs directly in any browser, so no download requirement exists. You can play with ease from any desktop, tablet, or smartphone. There are only two formats of poker offered, NLHE and PLO, and traffic is very light. You can earn up to 35% rakeback monthly depending on your volume of play.
Facts About the Kentucky Poker Industry
This section will provide factual information accurately detailing the legality of online poker, current and potential future state regulation, live gambling options, and the history involving poker and gambling throughout the state of Kentucky.
Live Poker in Kentucky
There are no casinos, either tribal or commercial, within Kentucky, and the state's racetracks have not been allowed to convert into “racinos” as they have in many other states. Nevertheless, there are places to play brick-and-mortar games of cards. You see, clever entrepreneurs have set up private social cardrooms that levy membership dues rather than rake in order to cover expenses, and this makes them legal – or so they claim.
Indeed, no less a poker personage than Chris Moneymaker himself has gotten in on the action, setting up Moneymaker's Social Club in Louisville. With membership options that range from $10 daily to $500 for an annual membership, Moneymaker's Social deals mostly low-stakes NL Hold'em, but PLO is also available if demand warrants. Tourneys generally run a few times a week.
State Regulation
This is an exceptionally tricky question to answer, because the obvious answer might not actually be the correct one. It might appear that Kentucky would stand very little chance of regulating online poker, because it has been aggressive with online sites in the past and the state’s population is pretty conservative, which are both exceptionally true.
What this ignores though is that the horse tracks within the state might decide they want a piece of the pie. Churchill Downs, which is one of the most well-known horse tracks in the world, has been active in the poker scene before with small behind the scenes purchases. If they decided to really put pressure on the state legislature to legalize online poker, it is possible that it could actually happen. Kentucky already has limited forms of online wagering, like racetrack betting, which has been running for quite a few years now.
Online sports betting and gaming legislation has made faltering steps in the past few years with lawmakers introducing bills that ultimately were not passed. We envision these types of real money state-licensed gaming appearing soon in Kentucky with sportsbooks arriving first and then perhaps internet casino and poker games coming several years thereafter.
History of Poker and Gambling in Kentucky
The gambling history of Kentucky is centered around racetrack betting, which makes sense for the home of the Kentucky Derby, which was instituted in 1875. Even when almost all other forms of gambling were banned in the late 19th century, horse racing was excepted.
During Prohibition, many underground gaming establishments flourished. Newport became known as “Sin City” well before this moniker was applied to Las Vegas due to the presence of these illicit gambling parlors. Things remained this way until the '60s when a reforming sheriff was able to shut most of these businesses down.
Regarding legal gaming, only a few options have appeared. In 1999, the Kentucky Lottery began operations while charitable gaming was expanded significantly in 1992.
Famous Kentucky Poker Players
Kentucky, for whatever reasons, has never really been prominent in the production of world-class poker players. The Kentucky live tournament player with the highest total of winnings is Kurt Jewell who hails from Frankfort.
Jewell is a fixture at the WSOP Circuit events where he has won 5 rings amidst 44 cashes spanning back to 2007. He has also cashed 30 times in WSOP bracelet tournaments though he has yet to snag a gold bracelet in his career. Kurt Jewell has amassed more than $2 million in brick-and-mortar tournament earnings.
Alternatives to Registering Your Account in Kentucky
Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a secondary address in a nearby state, be it your business address, summer home, second apartment, family home, etc. If so, then you may have additional online poker options at your disposal. Here is a list of the states that border Kentucky and Professional Rakeback's review on each of them: Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. If you didn't find what you were looking for in that long list of nearby states, then go ahead and take a look at our U.S. Online Poker Guide that answers the question "Is Online Poker Legal?"
Unfortunately, there is a lot of ignorance surrounding the current legal status of online poker. If you found this information helpful, please take a moment to share it with your friends and family so that, together, we can help keep the poker community alive and growing!
Summary of Online Poker in Kentucky
Playing online poker in Kentucky is completely safe because there's no law that says you aren't allowed to. The situation for operators is different, and so some of them have decided to stop serving the state, but there are still numerous sites for you to play at. Pick a dependable real money Kentucky online poker site and start winning your share of pots and tournaments!
Responsible Gaming
Internet poker can be an intriguing and profitable pursuit for Kentucky residents. However, if you find that the time and energy you devote to the game is having a negative impact on your life, then it might be time to find outside assistance. Below are links to several excellent problem gambling resources.
- Gamblers Anonymous
- National Problem Gambling Helpline
- Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling
- State Problem Gambling Program
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have unanswered questions about online poker in Kentucky, then the information below may be useful. We've gone through the questions that our readers have asked and come up with accurate answers for them.
Yes, poker gaming, whether online or live, is totally legal under the state's laws. At least it is if you're just a player. For those actively running the games, the situation is not as rosy. Indeed, Kentucky is one of the few states that has tried to prosecute online poker sites though with little success. Still, this has no impact on the legal situation for individuals who can play to their heart's content without worrying about running afoul of the Kentucky criminal law.
Yes, PokerStars is in full compliance with Kentucky law, but it only offers play money games in this jurisdiction. When PokerStars was attacked during the Black Friday events in 2011, it voluntarily agreed to stop offering real money games to residents of the United States. The only exceptions are in places where it has obtained the explicit permission of the authorities to conduct real money poker games, like New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Kentucky does not have any state-regulated internet gaming market, at least not yet, and so PokerStars does not provide its full panoply of services to the state.
18 is the age that has been established in Kentucky as the minimum before you are allowed to gamble. This same rule applies online too, so you have to be at least 18 in order to play internet poker for real money.
If you are younger than this, it might be tempting to lie about your age in order to be able to open an account. However, this will just create problems for you later on. When you submit your first withdrawal request, you will probably have to submit your ID and other documents for verification purposes. When the operator discovered that you were playing while underage, they will be entitled to block your account and seize your balance. Therefore, we counsel our readers to only play if they have reached the legal age for doing so.
Almost every online poker room supports a variety of payment and withdrawal methods, like credit cards, money transfers, and checks, but you'll probably see the best results by using a crypto-currency like Bitcoin. Unlike old-school payment channels, which sometimes come with lengthy delays and high fees, BTC transactions are relatively inexpensive and speedy.
Every site that we recommend for Kentuckians accepts bitcoins for both deposits and withdrawals. If you are currently unfamiliar with Bitcoin, then you can read this guide to Bitcoin online poker to learn how to get started using this crypto coin. There are a couple of alternative crypto coins, or “altcoins,” that have been gaining traction at internet gaming sites in recent years, and you can learn more about how to use them for poker and other wagering: Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum.
Yes, most online poker firms have a solution for mobile users. This often takes the form of a web-based interface for users of multiple computing platforms, including phones and tablets, but in other cases, there are dedicated downloadable apps for Android or iOS.
At some rooms that have mobile poker software, the games contained are a subset of those available on desktop. You also might find it difficult to multi-table on a mobile screen, and playing more than one table at once might even be impossible. Therefore, we prefer to run the poker application on our computers most of the time and only play from a phone or tablet when away from our desks.
Yes, you have to pay a flat tax of 5% of your income to the Kentucky Department of Revenue, and this applies to poker and other gambling wins also. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service will want its share too.
There may be ways of legally minimizing your tax obligation, but we strongly urge you to resist the temptation to not pay what you owe. Saving a few bucks now may set you up for headaches later on if you get audited. For more insight into your tax situation, you can enlist a CPA or qualified tax attorney.
Additional Resources
For further enlightenment on gambling in Kentucky, take a look at these pages:
We strive to maintain this information and update it frequently with our research. However, we are not immune to making mistakes or omitting information that you, dear reader, may find of use. If you have any further questions not addressed in this guide or have noted any discrepancies or inaccuracies we urge you to contact us with your questions and concerns so that we may swiftly address them!