Best Poker Sites NJ - Offshore Regulated - Real Money Play

Can I play online poker in New Jersey? The answer is yes!

Is it legal to play online poker in New Jersey? The answer to this is also yes!

New Jersey is a very interesting state, because it is one of the few that has regulated poker via the state government. However, just because there is regulated New Jersey online poker, this does not mean that all players should go flocking to it as though it were the only game in town. Offshore sites are still a very real and legitimate option for all players and can be exceptionally enticing for those who don’t want to be trapped by small fields, bad software, small stakes, and the other issues that have plagued the roll out of regulated online poker in New Jersey.

It's completely legal, as a player, to frequent offshore poker brands. Neither federal law nor state statutes make it a crime to participate at these sites as a player, so you can enjoy them as much as you want in New Jersey.

It is true that some sites have decided that it is not worth the risk of offering games to those who reside within the state’s borders, but that is not true for all of them. There are still many great options available to players within the borders of the state, and players should very seriously consider these offshore sites for better rewards, and thus more money, than they could possibly get by playing on regulated sites. Below, we outline the best options for these players and where you can make the most money!

Due to New Jersey's prohibitive legal climate for offshore poker entities, the rooms that remain in the state are less numerous than in some other parts of the country. Still, you do have several to pick from. We've compiled all the relevant information on the reputable New Jersey online poker organizations and have presented it below so that you can make a well-informed decision. Regardless of which one you choose, you'll enjoy speedy payouts, well-designed software, and honest games.

1

COIN POKER

BONUS:

100% up to $700

★★★★★

4.3 / 5

BEST NJ ONLINE POKER SITE FOR INNOVATION

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

RAKEBACK:

UP TO 33%

MORE INFO

READ REVIEW

Among all NJ-friendly internet poker rooms, Coin Poker is the most unusual. It has deployed a wide range of technical features that are absent from most competitors: tables denominated in Tether (USDT), decentralized shuffling, a bespoke crypto-currency (CHP), and a bounty for player-reported bugs to name a few. It's hard to say whether these innovations will become the next big thing in poker, but for now, Coin has attracted quite a few adherents, leading to respectable player traffic figures.

CoinPoker runs on four operating systems: Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. You can take advantage of three great welcome bonuses comprising a 100% offer worth up to $100, a 100% offer worth up to $300, and a 100% offer worth up to $700. Additionally, regular players can obtain up to 33% weekly rakeback as long as you are willing to hold a balance in the custom crypto CHP.

VISIT COIN POKER NOW

2

SWC POKER

BONUS:

NONE

★★★★★

4.1 / 5

BEST NJ ONLINE POKER SITE FOR MANY VARIANTS

NETWORK

STANDALONE

RAKEBACK

UP TO 50%

MORE INFO

READ REVIEW

SwCPoker is the NJ poker site that supports the broadest array of poker variants. In addition to the standard trifecta of NL Hold'em, PL Omaha, and PL Omaha/8, you will also encounter Limit Hold'em, Razz, Triple Draw Lowball, HORSE, 12-game, and many other formats of poker. Tables are denominated in Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash – fiat currency is not used at any point here. A bevy of freerolls in many types of poker await you, letting you try out something different with no risk.

SwC has specific software for PCs, Macs, and Androids along with an HTML5 version that's compatible with many systems. There's no welcome bonus, but you can get up to 50% rakeback on your play through the Krill rewards program.

VISIT SWCPOKER NOW

3

NITROBETTING

BONUS:

100% up to 25 mBTC

★★★★★

4.0 / 5

BEST NJ ONLINE POKER SITE FOR ALL-IN-ONE GAMING

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

RAKEBACK:

UP TO 50%

MORE INFO

READ REVIEW

If you enjoy multiple forms of wagering, then Nitrobetting might be right for you because in addition to a poker room, it boasts a casino and a sportsbook. All of these products run on the crypto-currency Bitcoin, and all deposits and withdrawals use BTC too. In the poker room, you can enjoy No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, 6+ Hold'em, and Crazy Hold'em.

Nitrobetting's web-based software means that it works on pretty much any computer or mobile device as long as it has a web browser. Nitrobetting offers a 100% up to 25 mBTC first deposit bonus and you can look forward to exchanging the Nitro points you collect as you play for BTC credits.

VISIT NITROBETTING NOW

How to Choose the Best Poker Site For Your Style of Play

Depending on your own individual feelings and preferences, one or another of the sites listed above will be right for you. This isn't a decision we can make for you because what one person may find an excellent choice might lead to disappointment in someone else. We can, however, present you with a series of considerations to think about as you weigh the different poker rooms against each other in your mind.

How Do I Receive Withdrawals and Payouts?

There's no reason to worry about the provisions of the UIGEA law when it comes to moving your money onto or off of internet poker sites because all these firms have found workarounds. You can deposit with credit cards or money transfers and request your winnings via check. However, the crypto-currency Bitcoin may be the best cashier method to use because it carries low fees and enables speedier transactions. If you're not quite sure how to use BTC for your online poker transactions, then we've put together a helpful guide to Bitcoin poker that may be worth a read through.

Alternatives to Registering Your Poker Account in New Jersey

People who are lucky enough to have another address in a nearby state, be it a business address, summer home, second apartment, family home, etc, may have other online poker options available. Here is a list of the states that border Maryland and Professional Rakeback's review on each of them: Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and Delaware. If none of these states are of particular interest to you, then perhaps you can gain the insight you seek with our guide to USA online poker.

You may have friends, family members, and acquaintances who are fans of live poker but who don't know much about the online version of the game. Kindly consider sharing this page with them to spread knowledge about internet card games and help relieve their ignorance.

Facts About the New Jersey Poker Industry

The sections below will provide factual information about the legality of online poker, live gambling options, state regulation, and the thorough history of gambling and poker within the state of New Jersey

The Legality of Playing Online Poker in New Jersey

As one of the largest states in terms of legalized real money gaming activity, both online and offline, it makes sense that New Jersey has designed its laws to heavily discourage unauthorized gambling. However, the bulk of the provisions apply to those organizing and hosting illicit games, not the individual players therein. Unfortunately, the New Jersey Revised Statutes are a mishmash of old language amended and updated several times over the years along with completely new clauses that have been added by legislation. Let's take a look at the statutes that apply to individual players.

There's an old ordinance, 2A:40-1, that's still active (in theory), which says:

All wagers, bets or stakes made to depend upon any race or game, or upon any gaming by lot or chance, or upon any lot, chance, casualty or unknown or contingent event, shall be unlawful.

It's not clear whether or not poker is included as “gaming by lot or chance,” and there's no explanatory language accompanying this wording to give us a clue as to what the lawmakers were thinking when they drafted this sentence. In any event, there's no punishment prescribed for violating this law, and it dates from 1951, so it's probably superseded by newer additions to the New Jersey codes.

The more recent laws found in 2C:37 go into considerably more depth and detail regarding gambling. In 2C:37-1, there are several important definitions that we must consult if we wish to understand how the law impacts playing poker online in the State of New Jersey:

a. "Contest of chance" means any contest, game, pool, gaming scheme or gaming device in which the outcome depends in a material degree upon an element of chance, notwithstanding that skill of the contestants or some other persons may also be a factor therein.
b. "Gambling" means staking or risking something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under the actor's control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that he will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.

We see that placing “something of value” upon the result of a “contest of chance” counts as gambling, and the wording involved in determining what's considered a contest of chance uses the much-maligned Material Element Test. As renowned gaming attorney Erica Okerberg explained in a paper, this test is really in the eye of the beholder, so the authorities could consider poker to be a skill game or a chance one based on little more than their whim. As we'll shortly see, this doesn't really matter very much for New Jersey online poker enthusiasts.

The main law on the books that seeks to restrict and punish disallowed forms of gambling is 2C:37-2, which outlines the way the state handles promoting gambling:

a. Promoting Gambling Defined. A person is guilty of promoting gambling when he knowingly:
(1) Accepts or receives money or other property, pursuant to an agreement or understanding with any person whereby he participates or will participate in the proceeds of gambling activity; or
(2) Engages in conduct, which materially aids any form of gambling activity. Such conduct includes but is not limited to conduct directed toward the creation or establishment of the particular game, contest, scheme, device or activity involved, toward the acquisition or maintenance of premises, paraphernalia, equipment or apparatus therefor, toward the solicitation or inducement of persons to participate therein, toward the actual conduct of the playing phases thereof, toward the arrangement of any of its financial or recording phases, or toward any other phase of its operation.

The subsequent paragraphs detail the various penalties for violating this law in specific ways. Fines can reach as high as $35,000, and there's also the possibility of imprisonment for up to five years. Lest you be worrying about these heavy consequences and pondering whether or not you're inadvertently promoting gambling by engaging in card play over the internet, let's look at the end of 2C:37-2 where we see that:

c. It is a defense to a prosecution under subsection a. that the person participated only as a player. It shall be the burden of the defendant to prove by clear and convincing evidence his status as such player.

So as a regular player, you're totally fine playing NJ online poker and aren't subject to prosecution. Moreover, if we refer back to the definitions that pertain to this area of the NJ laws, we encounter the following:

c. "Player" means a person who engages in any form of gambling solely as a contestant or bettor, without receiving or becoming entitled to receive any profit therefrom other than personal gambling winnings, and without otherwise rendering any material assistance to the establishment, conduct or operation of the particular gambling activity. A person who gambles at a social game of chance on equal terms with the other participants therein does not thereby render material assistance to the establishment, conduct or operation of such game if he performs, without fee or remuneration, acts directed toward the arrangement or facilitation of the game, such as inviting persons to play, permitting the use of premises therefor or supplying cards or other equipment used therein. A person who engages in "bookmaking" as defined in this section is not a "player."

This indicates that running home games is perfectly legal as long as you don't take a rake, entrance fee, or any other charges for organizing or managing them. Other crimes listed in this part of the legal code include possession of gambling records, maintenance of a gambling resort, possession of a gambling device, and lottery offenses. You might be wondering how the Garden State, and Atlantic City in particular, could have earned its reputation as a live gambling mecca while such harsh restrictions are in effect against firms offering real money gaming services. Well, the key to this seeming discrepancy lies in the nonapplicability clause of this chapter (2C:37-9):

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit any activity authorized by the "Casino Control Act" (P.L.1977, c. 110; C. 5:12-1 et seq.), or to supersede any provision of said act.

So the laws we've been talking about don't apply to licensed gambling in New Jersey. When we turn to the section referenced in the above text (C5:12-1) we discover the reasons for the licensure of casinos and an overview of the way the state handles this issue. Subsequent provisions of the law tackle the composition of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission and Division of Gaming Enforcement, fees and taxes, casino license criteria, Internet gaming, and many other diverse topics.

Offering internet gaming in contravention of the law carries a fine as high as $25,000 in case it's a “natural person” committing the offense along with imprisonment of up to 18 months. If it's someone other than a natural person, i.e., a corporation, who's found guilty, then the fine can jump as high as $100,000. Other states also have rules criminalizing offshore wagering services that cater to their residents, but NJ is one of the few that actually attempts to enforce them. This undoubtedly ties into the fact that it's the state with the largest licensed online gambling market, and so it wishes to divert traffic to those sites that it's able to grab some tax revenue from. Online poker, casino, and sports operators have crunched the numbers, and many of them have decided to exit the state rather than face possible enforcement actions. There are, however, a few companies that aren't afraid of the situation and have opted to accept New Jerseyites as customers come what may.

Land-Based Gambling

New Jersey hosts a full array of gambling types. There are three racetracks as well as seven off-track wagering halls where you can partake in pari-mutuel betting. The New Jersey Lottery sells scratch-off tickets and offers draw games, including several that span across multiple states, like Powerball and Mega Millions. Charitable gaming is also permitted, such as bingo, raffles, and casino nights, although they're subject to the review of the New Jersey Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission.

The type of gambling that's most noteworthy within the state is casino play. There are no tribal casinos, and there aren't as many commercial casinos as you might expect. Unlike in most other states with regulated gambling, all of the Garden State's casinos are located in one place, Atlantic City, so they're all direct competitors with each other. There are only nine casinos, fewer than there were a decade ago.

The unquestioned best cardroom is housed within the Borgata. It has 85 tables, featuring NL Hold'em, LHE, Pot Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, and mixed games. The blinds sometimes rise above $40/$80 depending on player demand.

There's also a robust sports betting scene within the Garden State. It was one of the first to capitalize on the 2018 Supreme Court decision in Murphy v. NCAA that paved the way for a major expansion of state-licensed sportsbooks. There are both brick-and-mortar and online sportsbooks.

State Regulation

Online poker regulation has already happened in New Jersey with the passage of A2578, sponsored by State Senator Ray Lesniak, in 2013. All companies seeking to offer their services under the provisions of this regime must partner with an Atlantic City brick-and-mortar casino, and the game servers must be located within the casino. Only players physically inside state borders are allowed to play, but this includes visitors as well as residents.

The unfortunate thing for New Jersey is that regulated online poker has not gone nearly as well as they had hoped. Much of this likely is caused by initially outsized revenue expectations because when you consider the population of the state, it is unlikely that the amount of money that was eagerly anticipated could ever have realistically materialized.

One thing that did help the regulated market was the inclusion of New Jersey in the multi-state gaming compact, which allowed it to share poker traffic with Delaware and Nevada starting May 2018. However, the impact of this move was not as great as hoped for, perhaps because only a single operator, WSOP.com, operates in more than one of these states.

Another longshot idea was being advanced by Senator Lesniak to grow the licensed online gambling economy: a proposal to internationalize the player pool by allowing non-NJ residents to play. However, Lesniak retired from politics in 2018 without anything concrete being achieved toward these plans, and it's unlikely that anything similar will materialize in the near future.

Still, regulated NJ online poker has its niche albeit a small and humble one. If you're interested in learning more about the legalized sites in the state for online poker, then take a look at our reviews of them.

▶ WSOP.com Review
▶ PokerStars NJ review
▶ PartyPoker NJ review

New Jersey's Gambling History

Among all 13 of the original colonies of the United States, New Jersey has, since its inception, been perhaps the most well-disposed toward gambling. Nobody quite knows why this is, but one theory holds that its diverse and heterogeneous populace was less susceptible to the influence of religious-minded authorities than in the other colonies. It's true that New Jersey was first settled by Dutch and Swedish immigrants and then grew through the addition of newcomers from the other colonies, so this idea does have some weight behind it.

Old New Jersey Lottery Ticket

Whatever the case may be, lotteries were prevalent during 18th century NJ. During times of war, they were used to raise funds to support the troops, and when all was peaceful, they enabled the construction of buildings and other civic improvements. This practice continued after independence especially when seeking funds for educational institutions, like Queen's College, which is today known as Rutgers University.

Lotteries developed a reputation for mismanagement and outright scams during the first half of the 19th century, and they were banned in New Jersey in 1844. Other forms of gambling were still OK though, like racetrack wagering. Freehold Raceway is the oldest racetrack still in existence in the United States, having emerged as a popular track in NJ during the 1830s. Throughout the years, regardless of the legality or illegality of the pastime, people have found ways to put their money down on the ponies at Freehold.

Atlantic City was founded in 1854 and grew rapidly during the latter half of the 19th century as upscale New Yorkers and Philadelphians took their summer vacations there, lured by the beaches and luxurious hotels that appeared. However, New Jersey banned all forms of gambling in 1897, meaning that these visitors with money to burn could no longer do it at the gaming tables. This didn't stop hotelier Louis Kuehnle, who maintained illicit gambling operations at his hotel and got away with it through his political connections.

Enoch L. “Nucky” Johnson
Boss of Atlantic City 1910s - 1941

Kuehnle was small fry compared to his successor in Atlantic City political corruption, Enoch L. “Nucky” Johnson. Upon Keuhnle's conviction for corruption, Johnson inherited his position as secretary of the Atlantic County Republican Executive Committee. Using this office as a springboard to political power, he took control of the local government. Nucky Johnson allowed vice establishments to flourish while accepting kickbacks from them. During the Prohibition era, booze and betting action could be had in “The World's Playground” largely through his efforts. A lot of people in his situation would have at least attempted to keep a low profile, but not Nucky Johnson. He once boasted:

We have whiskey, wine, women, song and slot machines. I won’t deny it and I won’t apologize for it. If the majority of the people didn’t want them they wouldn’t be profitable and they would not exist.

To get a feeling for this time and place, you can watch the HBO television series “Boardwalk Empire,” which ran for five seasons. Alas, Enoch Johnson got in trouble with the feds and was convicted of tax evasion in 1941. While there was no problem with selling alcohol by this time, it was a different story with gambling, which was still against the law. After the gambling dens were shut down, Atlantic City's fortunes declined and it was no longer a premier East Coast vacation destination.

In 1939, pari-mutuel betting on horse races was reinstated, and a 1953 referendum to allow charitable bingo and raffles was passed by voters. In 1970, the New Jersey Lottery was approved. None of these forms of real money gaming helped Atlantic City much though because they were statewide rather than local. However, in 1976, the city would be reinvigorated by the decision to allow casinos to open up. The first such establishment, Resorts International, opened its doors in 1978, and today there are eight casinos in the state.

By the 2010s, AC was fading fast as neighboring states had begun to open up casinos of their own, driving down demand for New Jersey gambling. In Feb. 2013, the state passed legislation allowing for legal, licensed online casinos and poker rooms. The first NJ online gambling operations launched later the same year.

In 2017, a bill was passed to regulate Daily Fantasy Sports. DFS firms must follow certain rules and pay a fee of 10.5% of their gross revenue from New Jersey customers.

The newest form of wagering to hit the regulated NJ ecosystem is sports betting. In May 2018, the verdict in the Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court case overturned a longstanding federal ban on new state-legalized sports betting opportunities. Starting in June 2018, sportsbooks began to appear at the state's licensed casinos and racetracks, and the first online sportsbooks opened for business in August.

To help in summarizing the detailed history of gambling and poker, our team at Professional Rakeback has created a visual timeline, covering every gambling-related event to take place in the state of New Jersey. The completed timeline in its entirety can be found below.

Famous New Jersey Poker Players

As perhaps the second-most popular state for poker and other gambling games in the country, it's no surprise that New Jersey has seen its share of local cardsharps go on to achieve fame and glory in their poker careers.

Phil Ivey

Perhaps the best-known among them is Phil Ivey who was actually born in California in 1977 but moved to New Jersey when he was just three months old. As a young man working at a telemarketing firm, Phil would venture to Atlantic City while still underage to play at the poker tables. The fake ID he used listed his name as Jerome, leading to one of his first nicknames: No Home Jerome.

Often frequenting the now-shuttered Trump Taj Mahal, Phil was known to play solidly in 7 Card Stud cash games up to the $100/$200 level. However, he soon brought his game to Vegas where he encountered success. Indeed, during his first World Series of Poker in 2000, he bested Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston heads-up in the $2,500 PLO event, scoring his first bracelet and $195,000. This was just a foretaste of things to come for Phil.

Over the years, Phil has collected 10 WSOP gold bracelets and 70 cashes for $7.1 million in WSOP tourney earnings. He's tied for second place (along with Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson) in the number of bracelets won, behind Phil Hellmuth who has 16. Ivey's success in live tournaments is by no means restricted to the WSOP; his wins in World Poker Tour, Aussie Millions, and other events are enough to push his total live tournament earnings above the $32.3 million mark.

As fearsome as he is in tournaments, he may be even better in cash games. Phil's renowned for being able to play multiple forms of poker well and is a regular in the $4,000/$8,000 “Big Game” at the Bellagio. Phil has also played a fair bit online both under his own name while a Full Tilt pro and under the screenname “Polarizing” later on.

In recognition of Phil Ivey's success in the game, he was elected in 2017 to the Poker Hall of Fame. Today, he's regarded by many fellow players and observers as the best currently active poker player in the world.

Other notable New Jerseyites who have excelled in the world of poker include online phenom Tom “durrrr” Dwan, who hails from Edison, 2010 Card Player Player of the Year Thomas Marchese of Parsippany, and 2017 WSOP Main Event winner Scott Blumstein who is from Morristown.