Since Indiana considers poker a game of chance rather thank skill, only land-based commercial casinos, racinos, riverboats, and a tribal casino are all allowed to offer poker. Private poker games at home are illegal.
Last updated: February 22, 2024
There are many places to play live in-person poker in Indiana, aka the Hoosier State.
Poker tables are available at four land-based commercial casinos in the state, as well as one tribal casino, six riverboats, and two racinos. State law also allows charitable organizations like the Elks Club, the Lions Club, the Shriners, and the VFW to offer poker, too. Poker is also available as a sweepstakes.
One place you won’t (or shouldn’t) find poker is in private homes — home games are illegal under state law. That’s because Indiana considers poker to be a game of chance, not skill, and that any play for money is considered gambling. There’s also currently no regulated real money online poker in Indiana, though there are efforts to legalize the activity.
So, although Hoosiers can’t play real money poker at home, they have many options available to make up for the inconvenience.
Yes, live in-person poker is legal in Indiana and can be found at every land-based commercial casino, tribal casino, riverboat, and racino in the state. Poker is also available via charity casinos and sweepstakes. Since poker is considered a game of chance, not skill, by Indiana regulators, only licensed gaming establishments can offer poker to customers — with the exception of charitable organizations like the Elks Club, Lions Club, the VFW, and others.
Live Poker in Indiana: Key Facts | |
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📢 Status | Live in-person poker is offered at land-based casinos, riverboats, and racinos all over the state. Indiana also has sweepstakes online poker. |
📅 Date Legalized | 1995 |
👥 State Population | 6.9 Million (ranks 17th) |
⚖️ Regulated By | Indiana Gaming Commission |
🔞 Legal Age to Gamble | 21+ |
Indiana is home to four land-based commercial casinos, one tribal casino, six riverboats, and two racinos. It also has mobile and retail sports betting. The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) oversees all of these activities, with the exception of the tribal casino.
Most other forms of gambling in the Hoosier State are banned by state statute, but there are a few exceptions. According to Indiana Code 35-45-5, those exceptions include:
Sports betting has been available to Hoosiers since September 2019. Indiana is also home to three tribal casinos, but only one — Four Winds Casino South Bend, which is owned and operated by the federally recognized Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians — operates as a tribal casino under federal law. The other two casinos operate as commercial casinos with oversight by the IGC.
Sweepstakes and social casinos are also legal in Indiana, but they aren’t regulated by the IGC.
Indiana considers poker to be a game of chance, not skill.
According to the state’s illegal gambling statute, “a card game or an electronic version of a card game is a game of chance and may not be considered a bona fide contest of skill.”
Indiana regulators add that “games like poker and euchre are considered gambling if played for money.”
All of which means that poker games, even those at people’s private homes, are illegal in Indiana. The Hoosier State also doesn’t have regulated cardrooms like California or Florida, or private poker clubs like Texas.
Instead, Indiana gave the state’s licensed land-based casinos, riverboats, and racinos — plus the one tribal casino within its borders — express permission to offer live poker. Charitable organizations like the Elks Club, the Lions Club, Shriners International, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), are also allowed to offer live poker to Hoosiers.
The state categorizes unlawful gambling as a Class B misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000.
Live in-person poker is available all over the state, including at three riverboats and a land-based commercial casino in Northwest Indiana, part of the Chicago area. Another three riverboats and two land-based casinos along the Ohio River in the southern part of the state also offer poker, as do two racinos in the central part of the state, near the state capital of Indianapolis.
Organizations like the Elks Club, Lions Club, Shriners International and the VFW are also allowed to offer poker to benefit charity.
The following is a list of the most popular options for playing live poker in Indiana:
Venue (poker variants offered) | Location | Type | Tables |
---|---|---|---|
Ameristar Casino East Chicago High Card Flush |
East Chicago | Riverboat | 42* |
Bally’s Evansville I Luv Suits (coming soon) |
Evansville | Land-based casino | 3 |
Belterra Casino Resort Crazy 4 Poker, I Luv Suits, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
Florence | Riverboat | N/A |
Blue Chip Casino Caribbean Stud, Heads Up Hold’em, High Card Flush, Three Card Poker Progressive |
Michigan City | Riverboat | N/A |
Caesars Southern Indiana High Card Flush, No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pai Gow Poker, Seven Card Stud |
Elizabeth | Land-based casino | 16 |
Four Winds Casino South Bend Bonus Spin Criss Cross Poker, Progressive Stud, Three Card Poker Progressive with 6 Card Bonus |
South Bend | Tribal casino | 12 |
French Lick Casino Resort Crazy 4 Poker, High Card Flush, Three Card Poker |
French Lick | Land-based casino | 25+* |
FW Casino Four Card Poker, Three Card Poker |
Fort Wayne | Charity casino | 13 |
Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana Crazy 4 Poker, DJ Wild Stud, Let It Ride Bonus Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Three Card Sabotage, 2-3-5 Stud Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
Gary | Land-based casino | N/A |
Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg High Card Flush |
Lawrenceburg | Riverboat | N/A |
Harrah’s Hoosier Park Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
Anderson | Racino | 40* |
Horseshoe Hammond Casino Omaha, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
Hammond | Riverboat | 13 |
Horseshoe Indianapolis Casino Crazy 4 Poker, Face Up Pai Gow Poker, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
Shelbyville | Racino | 20 |
Rising Star Casino Resort Crazy 4 Poker, Three Card Poker |
Rising Sun | Riverboat | N/A |
* Includes other table games like blackjack and baccarat.
Hoosiers also have access to some of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the US. Case in point, the famous World Series of Poker (WSOP) holds events at Caesars Southern Indiana and Horseshoe Casino Hammond.
Most of the action at the upcoming WSOP Circuit Event are No Limit Hold’em, but Omaha 8 and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) events are also available.
Tournament (Venue) | Dates | No. of Events (No.) |
---|---|---|
2023-24 WSOP Circuit Event Horseshoe Casino Hammond |
February 29 – March 11, 2024 | 16 |
2023-24 WSOP Circuit Event Caesars Southern Indiana |
May 9 — May 20, 2024 | N/A |
Horseshoe Casino Hammond has weekly tournaments, all No Limit Hold’em (NLH), on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Meanwhile, Horseshoe Casino Indianapolis offers High Hands games on Mondays and Wednesdays, and NLH action for the other five days of the week.
Caesars owns WSOP, Horseshoe Casino Hammond, and Horseshoe Casino Indianapolis, but it does not own Caesars Southern Indiana — there, Caesars agreed to lease its name to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates the casino.
Poker players looking for live action away from the casinos and other gaming properties can also participate in a sweepstakes event, which are often held at taverns and restaurants.
Under the sweepstakes model, play is not considered gambling if it’s conducted for a legitimate purpose and allow some (or all) of the participants to play for free.
One popular example are WPT League (WPTL) North America Poker Tournaments, which has separate regions for Northern, Central, and Southern Indiana. Tournament action is available to WPTL members with no buy-in.
Poker in this format must follow strict rules. Gambling and side bets of any kind are prohibited and no money is ever allowed on the poker table.
WPTL Region (Venue) | Location | Events |
---|---|---|
Southern Indiana (#241) Happy Hour Sports Bar & Grill |
Celestine | none scheduled |
Southern Indiana (#241) Rons Place |
Huntingburg | Texas Hold’em on Sundays |
Central Indiana (#242) Dear John’s PUB |
Indianapolis | none scheduled |
Central Indiana (#242) Hops & Fire Craft Tap House |
Greenwood | none scheduled |
Another option available in Indiana is sweepstakes online poker. While it’s not an in-person option, we recommend it because it offers players the best online poker experience. Sweepstakes poker sites offer Hoosiers a chance to win prizes that can be redeemed for real money.
The sites operate under sweepstakes law. Players can purchase an operator’s digital products and when they do they’ll receive free entries into a sweepstakes — tables that offer prizes that can be converted to real money.
It’s important to remember that you do not need to make a purchase to play sweepstakes online poker. You can receive free sweepstakes entries just by logging into the site daily, during the registration process, or by sending in a postcard.
You can learn more from our in-depth guide to Sweepstakes Online Poker!
Indiana has live poker, but online poker is not available — yet. Efforts to legalize online poker and casino gaming fell short during the 2021, 2022, and 2023 legislative sessions, and a corruption scandal involving a former lawmaker likely derailed any chance at expanded iGaming in 2024.
Nevertheless, industry watchers still expect a launch of Indiana online poker in the next few years. The most recent proposal also called for the state to a multi-state gaming compact to support online poker. The Hoosier State would likely sign the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which includes Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and West Virginia.
Yes, live in-person poker is available at many venues all over Indiana. Land-based commercial casinos, racetracks, racinos, and a tribal casino each offer poker, as do several charitable organizations like the Elks Club, Lions Club, and VFW. Poker games in private homes are illegal because the state classifies poker as a game of chance, not skill, and any play for money is considered gambling. Therefore, only entities licensed for gaming with the state, plus charities, can offer poker.
No, there are no registered cardrooms in the Hoosier State. The registered cardroom model is used to ensure live poker’s compliance with anti-gambling laws in California and Florida, but not Indiana.
Indiana doesn’t have private poker clubs, either. That model is used in Texas, where private poker clubs charge a membership fee in order to avoid violating state law.
Only if you feel like getting in trouble for violating the state’s ban on gambling — and that’s a Class B misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Indiana considers poker to be a game of chance, not skill. And if you’re playing for money, that is considered gambling by the state. In a nutshell: Poker in private homes is illegal.
Indiana’s poker providers have given Hoosiers plenty of variants to choose from. While No Limit Texas Hold’em (NLH) is by far the most popular, other variants include:
2-3-5 Stud Poker | Bonus Spin Criss Cross Poker | Caribbean Stud | Crazy 4 Poker |
DJ Wild Stud | Face Up Pai Gow Poker | Four Card Poker | Heads Up Hold’em |
High Card Flush | I Luv Suits | Let It Ride Bonus Poker | |
Omaha | Pai Gow Poker | Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) | |
Progressive Stud | Seven Card Stud | Texas Hold’em | Three Card Poker |
Three Card Poker Progressive | Three Card Poker Progressive with 6 Card Bonus | Three Card Sabotage | Ultimate Texas Hold’em |
Yes, most of the poker venues in Indiana offer cash games and have tournaments. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit Series holds events at Horseshoe Casino Hammond and Caesars Southern Indiana.
No, real money online poker is not available in Indiana. Supporters of expanded iGaming in the Indiana General Assembly tried to pass bills to legalize online poker (and casino gaming) in 2021, 2022, and 2023.