Real Money Online Poker in Utah - play is legal in 2023!

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

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

When it comes to real-money online poker in Utah, you may be surprised to find out that there are quite a number of offshore sites that are ready to serve you. Utah online poker is a popular pastime that thousands of players in the state enjoy. This makes sense when we consider that there are no land-based casinos in Utah, so anyone looking to join a game of cards and risk actual cash must of necessity head onto the internet.

It is actually possible for Utah residents to participate in brick-and-mortar poker games, but they must exit the state to do so. Wendover casinos, just across the Nevada border, do host an assortment of tournaments and cash games. However, driving to one of these venues, waiting for a seat to open up, exchanging your money at the cashier, and conducting all the other ancillary activities involved in live casino play cuts down on the time you actually spend playing. It's probably far better to just log into the virtual poker room of your choice and play from home, in your pajamas if you feel like it.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 is often mistakenly believed to apply to internet poker transactions throughout the country. Fortunately, this legislation targets financial entities and gambling companies themselves rather than individual players. Furthermore, there are countless workarounds to this invasive legislation, so funding your account isn't really a problem.

Also, the Federal Wire Act does not criminalize the act of playing online poker either. It deals with those who are in the business of accepting bets across state lines and contains no language directed against poker players. Recent court rulings have found that the Wire Act does not apply to poker anyway.

As long as you do your Utah online poker playing privately and without trying to entice others to join, you seem to be perfectly safe.

While there are a number of geographic areas within the United States that some foreign internet gambling firms shy away from, Utah is surprisingly not among them. You therefore have access to the entire menu of real-money internet cardrooms that anyone from any other state does. There are a couple of them that are perhaps disreputable or dishonest, but we've elected to avoid mentioning any questionable companies. The online cardroom sites that we recommend to you have all been in business for years, and they pay out winnings fairly and speedily.

1

IGNITION

BONUS:

150% up to $1,500

★★★★★

4.5 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE WITH THE MOST TRAFFIC

NETWORK:

PAIWANGLUO

EXTRAS

CASINO

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Ignition Poker is a great choice as it is the largest poker site available to players in Utah. Ignition boasts a wide selection of cash games including NL Hold'em, PLO, and PLO/8 featuring blinds up to $10/$20. Other popular formats on offer include fast-fold Zone Poker, sit-and-gos, randomized Jackpot SNGs, and multi-table tournaments. The Monthly Milly, as the name might imply, is a large monthly tournament featuring at least a $1 million prize pool. Play at Ignition is anonymous to protect recreational players from being targeted by sharks.

Ignition Poker offers a downloadable poker client for Windows and Mac devices. Users who prefer to use other hardware can take advantage of the instant-play version of the poker room. The instant-play software is compatible with any computer, tablet, or mobile device. You can get a poker bonus worth 100% of your first deposit up to $1,000, and your bonus increases to 150% up to $1,500 if you utilize cryptocurrency for your deposit. Check out the attached casino to receive a matching casino bonus.

VISIT IGNITION POKER NOW

2

SB POKER

BONUS:

100% up to $1,000

★★★★★

4.4 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE FOR BAD BEAT JACKPOT

NETWORK:

CHICO

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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SB Poker and its partner sites on the Chico Poker Network represent the third-largest option available to U.S. players. SB Poker offers numerous cash games including NLH, PLO, and PLO/8 with blinds up to $5/$10 in the NLH games. Also on offer is the largest Bad Beat Jackpot available to Utah players, reaching the $1 million mark on occasion. Other offerings at SB Poker include sit-and-gos, randomized-prize SNGs known as Windfall Poker, fast-fold Boost Poker, and multi-table tournaments.

SB Poker is available for download on any Windows or Mac system. Mobile users can also download an excellent mobile application on any iOS or Android device. You will receive a poker bonus equal to 100% of your first deposit up to $1,000. Visit the attached casino and sportsbook to get additional, similar deposit promotions.

VISIT SB POKER NOW

3

BETONLINE

BONUS:

100% up to $1,000

★★★★★

4.3 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE FOR MOBILE GAMING

NETWORK:

CHICO

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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BetOnline and SB Poker operate in tandem as members of the Chico Poker Network, therefore the poker and promotions are largely the same at both sites. BOL has been in business longer than SB Poker although both sites are now respected for their excellent sportsbook and casino offerings. All major sports are available to bet on here including the MLB, NFL, NCAAF, and NBA. The casino spreads a multitude of slots, table games, live dealer games, and video poker.

You can download the poker software and play here using any PC, Mac, iOS, or Android system. You'll also receive a generous poker bonus equal to 100% of your first deposit up to $1,000. The casino and sportsbook offer additional promotions, so be sure to check them out to take full advantage.

VISIT BETONLINE NOW

4

BOVADA

BONUS:

100% up to $500

★★★★★

4.2 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE FOR SPORTS & CASINO

NETWORK:

PAIWANGLUO

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

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Bovada is a partner site to Ignition Poker, so the poker games on offer are entirely the same. The primary benefit to playing at Bovada is that you can wager on sports and horse racing, which is not an option at Ignition. You can choose to bet on football, basketball, baseball, hockey, and a multitude of international sporting events. There are also more obscure wagers here like TV events, eSports, and election results.

The full poker client at Bovada can be downloaded on any PC or Mac. If you would prefer to play on a mobile or tablet device, you can also access a web-based instant play version. You can receive a poker bonus worth 100% of your first deposit up to $500 as well as multiple casino, sports, and racebook offers to choose from.

VISIT BOVADA NOW

5

AMERICAS CARDROOM

BONUS:

100% up to $2,000

★★★★★

4.1 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE WITH FREE BANKROLL OFFER

NETWORK:

WINNING

FREE

$10

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Americas Cardroom is the flagship site on the Winning Poker Network which represents the second-largest U.S.-facing poker network. ACR is well-known for offering an extensive selection of multi-table tournaments across all buy-in levels. The recurring Online Super Series is a special series of tournaments that regularly award seven-figure prize pools. ACR also offers an array of cash games catering to every size of bankroll, fast-fold cash games, sit-and-gos, and lottery-style Jackpot SNGs.

Americas Cardroom offers a downloadable poker client compatible with Windows and Mac systems. ACR also offers a limited mobile version, but unfortunately, many popular games and formats are missing. Sign up and use our exclusive bonus code PRB10FREE to receive $10 with no deposit required. You will also be eligible to get a deposit bonus equal to 100% of your first deposit up to $2,000.

VISIT AMERICAS CARDROOM NOW

6

COIN POKER

BONUS:

100% up to $700

★★★★★

4.0 / 5

BEST UT CRYPTO-ONLY ONLINE POKER SITE

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

EXTRAS

33% RAKEBACK

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CoinPoker is a crypto-centered internet poker room that makes use of USDT, or Tether, exclusively to denominate poker play, but you will have the option of using a few other coins, like BTC and ETH, for deposits and withdrawals. CoinPoker is the largest online site operating exclusively using crypto. There are a number of variants available to play here including standard options like NL Hold'em as well as a few niche formats like Open Face Chinese and 5 Card Omaha. You can take advantage of monthly and weekly leaderboards as you grind at the MTTs or cash game tables.

You can play at CoinPoker using any Mac, PC, Android, or iOS device. You can get excellent bonuses here when you sign up including a 100% bonus of up to $100, a 100% bonus of up to $300, and a 100% bonus of up to $700! Another benefit at CoinPoker is that you can earn 33% rakeback each week so long as you hold CHP, CoinPoker's unique cryptocurrency.

VISIT COIN POKER NOW

7

EVERYGAME

BONUS:

200% up to $1,000

★★★★★

3.9 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE FOR RAKEBACK

NETWORK:

HORIZON

EXTRAS

CASINOS, SPORTSBOOK

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The poker room at Everygame is fairly small when compared to the places we've discussed above but it also offers excellent promotions and value. 36% rakeback is issued as the standard, and additional value can be had by participating in weekly rake races and frequent overlay tournaments. Everygame also offers reload bonuses with regularity, and it boasts an excellent VIP rewards program for high-volume grinders.

Everygame Poker is available for download on Windows devices, but users who wish to utilize other hardware can access the poker room via an instant-play, browser-based version. Visit Everygame today and receive a 200% poker bonus up to $1,000 on your first deposit as well as 25 free slot spins. Explore the attached casinos and sportsbook to receive additional promotional value.

VISIT EVERYGAME NOW

8

SWCPOKER

BONUS:

NONE

★★★★★

3.6 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE SITE FOR UNIQUE POKER VARIANTS

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

EXTRAS

FREEROLLS

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SwCPoker is a Bitcoin-only poker site that is well-recognized for the wide array of variants it spreads. At SwC, you'll be able to play Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, Open Face Chinese, and more. If you aren't yet familiar will all of the available poker formats here, you can jump into frequent freerolls to learn how to play. All cashier functions and poker play at SwC are denominated in Bitcoin.

SwC boasts excellent poker software that works well across a wide range of desktops, laptops, and smart devices. There isn't any initial deposit bonus at SwC, but you can earn up to 50% rakeback based on your volume of play over time.

VISIT SWCPOKER

9

NITROBETTING

BONUS:

100% up to 25 mBTC

★★★★★

3.4 / 5

BEST UT ONLINE POKER SITE FOR BITCOIN USERS

NETWORK:

STANDALONE

EXTRAS

CASINO, SPORTSBOOK

MORE INFO

READ REVIEW

Nitrobetting is a Bitcoin-exclusive betting platform that offers a poker room, casino gaming, and a sportsbook. There are plenty of games to choose from here including Hold'em, Omaha, and Crazy Hold'em. Tournaments and sit-n-goes are also available although the concentrated action tends to be at the cash game tables. You can earn entries into daily freerolls to boost your profits as long as you put in the required volume.

Nitrobetting works directly from within any web browser, so it is fully compatible with numerous OSes including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS systems. Check out Nitrobetting today and you'll be able to get a poker bonus equivalent to 100% of your initial deposit amount up to 25mBTC.

VISIT NITROBETTING NOW

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

All of the rooms we've highlighted have their particular strengths and areas of focus, so it's not really reasonable to designate any one of them as the “best.” You'll have to evaluate your own preferences and the types of gameplay you savor to arrive at a sensible decision. If you're still unsure of the ideal Utah online poker provider for your needs, then the following rules of thumb may be useful to you:

How Do I Receive Withdrawals and Payments?

Each of the poker operators that allow Utah players has a roster of payment methods to permit deposits and withdrawals. Unfortunately, many of them are slow, and they sometimes incur additional fees. Many people choose credit cards as an easy way to add money to their accounts, but these transactions are sometimes blocked by banks, and cards can't be used to get your winnings back from the sites.

Bitcoin is probably the best way to transfer cash to and from online gambling organizations because it's speedy, relatively anonymous, and almost fee-free. If you aren't familiar with Bitcoin, then you can peruse our beginners guide to BTC to find out how to successfully use it for online poker.

Alternatives to Registering Your Poker Account in Utah

Perhaps you may be lucky enough to possess another address in a nearby state, be it your business address, summer home, second apartment, family home, etc. If this is the case, then you may have other online poker options available to you. Here is a list of the states that border Utah and Professional Rakeback's review on each of them: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming. If none of these particular states are relevant to your situation, then you might want to take a look through our detail-packed guide for U.S. online poker fans.

The topic of online poker is one that's unfortunately shrouded in ignorance for the bulk of our populace. If you know anyone, whether a family member or friend, who's fascinated by the game, then perhaps you could do them a kindness by sharing this page with them.

Facts About Utah's Poker Industry

The sections below aim to provide information detailing the legality of playing online poker, state regulation, and the history involving gambling within the state of Utah.

The Legality of Playing Poker Online in Utah

Unlike with many other states, the statutes in force in Utah with respect to online gambling are clear and unambiguous. Unfortunately, they're clearly unfavorable and unambiguously designed to completely ban the pastime. The part of the Utah state laws that deals with this subject is Title 76, Chapter 10, Part 11. In the first section, 1101, of this chapter, we find the definition of gambling:

(2) (a) "Gambling" means risking anything of value for a return or risking anything of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device when the return or outcome:

(i) is based upon an element of chance; and

(ii) is in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.

This is very broad phrasing that certainly includes poker because there's no doubt that the game “is based upon an element of chance.” It also encompasses racetrack betting, wagering on sports, casino gaming, and more. Let's turn to the next piece of the gambling laws in Utah, section 1102:

(1) A person is guilty of gambling if the person:

(a) participates in gambling, including any Internet or online gambling;

(b) knowingly permits any gambling to be played, conducted, or dealt upon or in any real or personal property owned, rented, or under the control of the actor, whether in whole or in part; or

(c) knowingly allows the use of any video gaming device that is:

(i) in any business establishment or public place; and

(ii) accessible for use by any person within the establishment or public place.

From the clause “including any Internet or online gambling” from (a) above, we see that even poker played over the net, using your computer or cellphone, is prohibited. On to the penalties for gambling from the same section of the Utah laws:

(2) Gambling is a class B misdemeanor, except that any person who is convicted two or more times under this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.

There are weightier punishments on the books for those who actually run or promote gambling games within the state as stipulated in other parts of the Utah gambling laws. Every so often, Utah police conduct raids on illegal poker games, but they target commercially run tables that are intended to make a profit. In most cases, there are additional crimes, like money laundering or drug dealing, being committed, and the gambling-related charges are tacked on as extras.

As long as you play online privately at home – without advertising for, promoting, financing, or enticing others to join a site – your risk of getting into legal trouble is slim to none. In fact, a 2013 article in the Salt Lake City newspaper Deseret News reported, “Law enforcement spends little time breaking up home poker games or tracking down online bettors.”

Offline Gambling

Utah is basically a barren desert as far as live gambling in concerned. There are no officially allowed casinos, sports betting, racetrack betting, poker rooms, lotteries, or charitable gaming inside the state.

The few exceptions involve free-to-play games that have prizes attached, which are somewhat common in restaurants, bars, and similar businesses. These establishments are allowed to host bingo and poker with entry granted to customers making unrelated purchases of, for example, dinner. Even this workaround is not foolproof with prosecutors looking carefully to make sure the prices of goods and services are not artificially inflated to effectively create pay-to-play situations.

Utah residents who feel the urge to gamble most often visit West Wendover off of I-80 just across the Nevada border. There are five casinos in Wendover where you can play poker, bet on sports, enjoy keno, sit at a blackjack table, spin the slot reels, and engage in all your other favorite casino pastimes although not every type of betting is present at every single Wendover casino.

Of course, all of these forms of wagering and more can be found online, which is probably the most convenient recourse if you wish to engage in real money gaming from Utah.

State Regulation

Utah isn't the most crowded state in the Union, but then again, it's far from the least populous. Yet, the size of any potential legalized online poker market is minuscule because of the widespread aversion to gambling on the part of most Utahns. Anyway, the existing Utah online gambling laws make it extremely unlikely that we'll see any licensed internet poker open up in the state for a very long time. Speaking of laws, now's a fine moment to discuss 76-10-1102(4), which we skipped over in our overview of the Utah gambling statutes above:

If any federal law is enacted that authorizes Internet gambling in the states and that federal law provides that individual states may opt-out of Internet gambling, this state shall opt out of Internet gambling in the manner provided by federal law and within the time frame provided by that law.

That's right; Utah will automatically and preemptively opt out of any federal bill that might, in the future, perhaps maybe be passed that would permit online gambling. This is quite a remarkable piece of legislation. It's as though the government in Salt Lake City feels that the rest of the country would like nothing more than to trick the state, against its will, into authorizing online gambling, and therefore, this foresighted preventative measure is required. This statute is the nail in the coffin for any hope of a licensing arrangement to bring fully approved virtual card games to the Beehive State.

Utah Gambling History

The discovery of dice crafted from animal bone and other related implements in caves inhabited by the native Promontory culture suggests that gambling was a widespread pastime around the Great Salt Lake in the 13th century. This might have been the high point of Utah gambling because the story in recent centuries has been one of moral disapproval and prohibition.

You see, the area now known as Utah was settled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormons) in 1847. This section of the continent wasn't even a part of the United States at that time, but the U.S. Army prevailed in the Mexican-American war a few years later, and the territory was annexed. The earlier inhabitants had been Native Americans, trappers, and fur traders, and it's pretty likely that they engaged in games of chance on occasion, but gambling came to a virtual halt with the arrival of Brigham Young and his band of religious-minded settlers.

Brigham Young

The newcomers set up what they called the State of Deseret in 1849 although this body was not recognized by the United States or any other government. It existed for but a scant two years; yet Deseret still had enough time to pass an anti-gambling ordinance in 1951. It held that all types of gambling were disallowed, and property used for conducting the games as well as all winnings would be forfeit. An additional fine could be imposed at the discretion of the court. When the Territory of Utah was established, this law was carried over, along with most other laws of the State of Deseret, and it remained in full effect.

We can perhaps gain an appreciation for the feelings of these early Utah residents about gambling by examining Brigham Young's own words on the subject, spoken in 1866:

Let a judge decree that … a gambling saloon shall be established in our city, and we will give him the privilege to get out of the city as quickly as he can.

Due to this attitude, which was held by the majority of Mormons, Utah never went through a “Wild West” phase with saloons and gambling. The was a brief surge in gambling, prostitution and other vices when a silver rush began in the state in the 1860s, but after a few years, corporate interests took control, and the days of wild-living, individualistic miners were over.

Utah became a state in 1896 and has maintained strict laws against all forms of gambling until the present day with just one exception. There was a brief experiment with pari-mutuel racetrack betting that started in 1925, but it aroused much opposition and was terminated in 1927.

Today, about 60% of the population of Utah belongs to the LDS church, and while many of them aren't actively practicing Mormons, the view of gambling among the public is mostly negative. There are no casinos, card rooms, bingo halls, racetrack betting facilities, or any other kind of gaming with real money at stake throughout Utah. Even charitable events featuring games of chance, which are usually permitted even in states that restrict most forms of gambling, are banned.

As you can well imagine, creative businesspeople have sought loopholes around these regulations, and they have had a modicum of success. The Wasatch Poker Tour holds tournaments that pay out prizes, like cash and WSOP seats, but it doesn't charge buy-ins and entry fees. Area bars host the events and put up the money, hoping to recoup their costs through sales of food and drink.

Other businesses provide free bingo games with the purchase of a meal. Because the bingo cards technically don't cost patrons any money (at least in the opinion of the organizers of the games), it's not gambling but rather a free promotion. The powers that be are suspicious of this line of reasoning, and there are frequent skirmishes between officials and entrepreneurs.

Restrictions have been placed on these activities, such as the commandment that all “bingo” food purchases must be sold at the going market rates for the cuisine. Limits have been placed on the number of nights per week that such promos can be run.

These forms of “quasi-gambling” are kind of lame, but they're the only legal options for live money gaming in the entire state of Utah – there isn't even a Utah lottery!

For a more graphical presentation of pertinent events in Utah gambling history, take a look at the timeline below:

Famous Utah Poker Players

Utah has such a tiny poker scene that there are hardly any renowned practitioners of the game from the state. The few Utahans who have had notable success in poker seem to have had to move away from their home state in order to pursue their card playing at a higher level. Such was the case with Jared Griener who was born in Provo and grew up in Sandy just outside Salt Lake City.

Jared Griener

Griener, born in 1986, was competitive from a young age, playing first soccer and then taking up swimming. In high school in Lindon, about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, he took second place twice in statewide swim meets whilst simultaneously earning a 3.97 GPA.

Still, Griener has not yet been introduced to poker. It was only while working a sales position in New York in 2007 that he began to play. Even then, he didn't take the game seriously until a few years later when he was a sales manager and had moved to California.

Jared frequented the Los Angeles poker rooms while selling solar equipment. In 2014, he had a great year during which he scooped up more than $100,000 in live tournament prizes, and so he decided to become a poker pro.

Jared Griener's biggest score came in February 2017 at the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic where he placed third in the $10,000 Main Event for prize money of $431,340. Several other six-figure scores over the years have contributed to his career total of $2.4 million in offline tourney winnings, good for first place among Utah players.

Another notable player who was born in Utah is Tony Miles who hails from Ogden although he moved away from the Beehive State while still a youngster. Miles finished second in the 2018 World Series of Poker Main Event, losing to John Cynn but still collecting $5 million for his efforts.

Other Types of Online Gambling

Although the primary point of our discussion thus far has been poker, there are plenty of other types of online gambling available for players in Utah like slots, table games, and sports betting. There are numerous online operators to choose from which is why our expert team has researched the available options with great care. Below, you can find our best recommendations for internet casinos and sportsbooks. We only recommend sites that we have personally used.

Online Casinos

Utah is known as one of the most gambling-unfriendly states in the Union. This means that if you want casino action, you won't be able to find any venues within Utah's borders to satisfy this need. Fortunately, though, there are countless online casinos waiting to serve you, and they offer slots, blackjack, roulette, and all your other favorites.

In order to guide you away from dishonest operators and toward those that are honorable and reliable, we have evaluated the market and identified three solid choices below.

1. Cafe Casino - EXCLUSIVE BTC Bonus of 350% up to $5,000

2. Wild Casino - Up to $9,000 in Bonuses on Your First 5 Deposits

3. Ignition Casino - First Deposit Crypto Bonus of 150% up to $1,500 + 25% Reloads for Life

There are other outstanding internet casinos that cater to Utah and the remainder of the United States, and you can read our page devoted to helping you find a trustworthy casino online for further information.

Online Sportsbooks

There's no licensed sports betting in Utah, and given the strong religious nature of most of the electorate, there's no immediate prospect of regulated sportsbooks appearing within the state either. Therefore, you'll have to head online to an international bookmaking firm if you intend to place bets on sports from The Beehive State.

The betting sites available range from the reputable and fair to the shady and unscrupulous. By heading to one of our recommended sportsbooks below, you can avoid any unpleasantness that could arise from picking the wrong sports betting home.

1. Bovada Sports - 75% up to $750 on Your First Deposit With Bitcoin

2. Sportsbetting.ag - Crypto Bonus of 100% up to $1,000

3. Everygame Sports - Get up to $250 on First Three Deposits

Other reliable sportsbooks exist that you can bet at. You can read up on them on this page devoted to offshore USA sportsbooks.

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park Near Moab, Utah

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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!