Virginia Online Poker
Virginia has been growing its gaming options and has land-based casinos in various stages of opening, but you can play sweepstakes poker online today and claim winnings redeemable for real money.
Last updated: July 15, 2024
Virginia is for lovers 💕, but the Old Dominion is also a state where you can play sweepstakes poker online and your winnings can be converted to real money.
Gaming options have expanded in Virginia over the years. There are currently three land-based casinos in various stages of completion, and two more are planned. Sports betting launched in 2021, but lawmakers and the governor have been at odds over video gaming terminals (VGTs).
At this stage, it’s unclear when a regulated market for real money online poker could emerge in the state, which has 8.7 million residents and ranks 12th in terms of population.
But there is good news — you can play online poker in Virginia today and your winnings can be converted to real money! This guide explains everything you need to know about online poker in the Old Dominion.
We recommend Clubs Poker for sweepstakes poker in Virginia. It’s a new US-based platform that runs on modern software and is packed with features players will love. Clubs Poker has tournaments, ring games, and sit & gos, and offers an online poker experience that rivals the world’s best online poker software.
There are also free-play poker apps and free-play poker sites available in Virginia. We recommend these options for new players to help with things like memorizing the strength of poker hands or learning how betting works in poker games.
Can I Play Online Poker in Virginia?
Yes, you can play online poker from anywhere in Virginia! You also have options on where to play online. You first need to decide whether you want to play poker where your winnings can be converted to real money, or you just want to play a few hands of poker for free.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to win at online poker and your winnings can be turned into cash, we recommend playing sweepstakes poker, which is explained in this guide. On the other hand, if you’re new to online poker or you want to play for free, we recommend free-play apps and sites because you don’t have to spend any money.
| Online Poker in Virginia: Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| 📢 What’s Legal | Social poker, including sweepstakes and free-play sites |
| ✨ Main Highlights | Winnings from sweepstakes poker can be converted to real money |
| 🔮Real Money Online Poker (Regulated) | Legislation could be introduced in 2025 at the earliest |
| 🃏 Available Games | No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and several mixed game variants |
| 🔞 Legal Age | Players must be 18 years of age or older |
| 👥 VA Population | 8.7 Million (ranks 12th) |
The Best Online Poker Sites in Virginia
Virginia is a beautiful state that is also rich in American history. There are plenty of things to see and do in the Old Dominion, and that includes playing online poker. We recommend sweepstakes poker for anyone looking for an experience that resembles playing in a ring game.
Winnings from sweepstakes poker can be converted to real money. “Sweepstakes poker” is an umbrella term used to describe two types of online poker sites allowed under sweepstakes law: subscription-based sites and “modern” sweepstakes sites. Winnings from both types of sites can be redeemed for real money.
Subscription-based sites are not complicated. For a monthly fee, players can enter daily tournaments where the winnings can be converted to real money.
We recommend Clubs Poker, which follows the modern sweepstakes model for online poker. Here are short descriptions of three online poker sites that operate legally under sweepstakes law in Virginia:
Clubs Poker
Clubs Poker is a new online poker site. It follows the modern sweepstakes poker model. Although the poker room is new, we expect that it will grow quickly in popularity for its excellent features, including bad beat jackpots, bomb pots, rabbit hunting, run it twice, and straddles.
Beyond the usual fare of No-Limit Texas Hold’em (NLH) and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), Clubs Poker offers a wide variety of mixed game variants like 2-7 Draw and HORSE. Recreational players are expected to be drawn to the site, so there will be plenty of soft games. Clubs Poker is owned by US-based KHK Games.
Read our full review of Clubs Poker »
ClubWPT
ClubWPT is a subscription-based poker site based in California. The site offers two paid monthly membership tiers and hosts daily tournaments where the winnings can be converted to real money.
Most of the tournaments on ClubWPT are NLH or PLO. Some tournaments also offer players a chance to win entry to events on the popular World Poker Tour. ClubWPT has SNGs and ring games, but the latter are only offered in play money mode. That means ring games don’t offer winnings that can be converted to real money.
Read our full review of ClubWPT »
Global Poker
Global Poker is another site that follows the modern sweepstakes model, where players use real money to buy play tokens (aka Gold Coins), receive Sweeps Coins as a gift, and use Sweeps Coins to enter sweepstakes tables where winnings can be converted to real money.
Australia-based Global Poker offers regular multi-table tournaments (MTTs) that feature large guarantees. The operator also offers special prizes to winners, including custom-made trophies, merchandise, and unique avatars.
Read our full review of Global Poker »
Free-Play Poker in Virginia
You can also play online poker for free in Virginia. There are free-play apps available for download and free-play poker sites where players don’t have to spend any money. Free-play is our recommended choice for new players or for anyone still trying to learn the mechanics of the game.
Zynga Poker, Replay Poker, Governor of Poker, and Poker Patio are some of the more popular free-play sites. Social media platforms like Facebook also offer online poker for free. PokerStars and WSOP, two of the world’s most popular real money online poker operators, also have free-play sites. This is because they’re hopeful that players on their free sites will eventually switch to their “paid” sites, assuming the players live in a state with regulated real money online poker.
It’s important to note that players who play exclusively on free-play sites won’t be able to develop a winning online poker strategy, since there isn’t any real money at stake in free-play poker. Nevertheless, we still recommend free-play sites for anyone new to online poker.
Real Money Online Poker in Virginia
The Old Dominion has gradually added gaming options over the years.
Charitable gaming started in 1973. The Virginia Lottery was created in 1987 and sold its first lottery ticket the following year. Wagering on horse racing was legalized in 1989, but it took two decades for historical horse racing (HHR) to become legal. Gaming parlors with HHR machines first opened in 2019.
Sports betting became legal in the Old Dominion in April 2020, with the first sportsbooks launching in January 2021.
In 2020, the General Assembly passed legislation to allow up to five land-based casinos, but they were subject to voter approval. Voters in Bristol, Danville, Norfolk, and Portsmouth passed referenda in favor of building the facilities, but Richmond voters rejected a casino twice — in 2021 and 2023. Efforts are now being made to let voters in Petersburg decide on whether to build a casino there.
Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly have also been at odds over VGTs (aka skill games). Both the governor’s mansion and the legislature have argued about VGTs for years, but the Supreme Court of Virginia reinstated a ban on the machines in October 2023. Lawmakers sent a bill to Youngkin to reverse the ban, but he vetoed the bill in May 2024, just hours before a deadline to do so.
Considering the ongoing sagas over the fifth land-based casino and VGTs, a state-regulated market for real money online poker in Virginia appears a few years away, at best. That’s not to suggest creation of such a market is an impossibility, rather the state appears to have higher priorities.
Supporters of expanded igaming in Virginia should also be wary that not all operators will back expansion. Cordish Companies, which owns land-based casinos in neighboring Maryland, was adamantly opposed to efforts to legalize online casino and poker in that state.
Cordish is also the gaming operator that Petersburg officials picked to partner with for the fifth and final land-based casino — but did so behind closed doors with no public input.
Multi-State Online Poker in Virginia
Assuming lawmakers in Virginia eventually decide to have the state regulate real money online poker, it would be a smart move for Virginia to join a multi-jurisdictional gaming compact. Membership in such a compact would help online poker grow in the Old Dominion.
One such gaming compact is the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which currently includes Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and West Virginia. Operators in the member states are allowed to combine their player pools. The shared liquidity created by this allows for bigger tournaments, bigger prizes, more tax revenue, and more excitement for online poker.
Virginia ranks 12th in terms of population with about 8.7 million residents. Operators would definitely be interested in launching in the Old Dominion if it were a member of MSIGA — but the outlook is unclear if the state launches as a segregated market, like Pennsylvania (which has four operators, but the Keystone State also has a population of 13 million, making it a much larger market). Also consider that Virginia is a little smaller than New Jersey, an MSIGA state with 9.3 million people.
Poker Sites Likely to Launch in Virginia
At this stage, it’s premature to predict how lawmakers will approach expanded igaming.
Lawmakers could decide to expand the scope of licenses already issued for mobile sports betting. Sixteen such licenses were active in March 2024. The state could also decide to limit the number of expanded igaming licenses to five, which is the number of land-based casinos they agreed to — back in 2020.
Regardless of whether lawmakers think the state should expand five or 16 existing igaming licenses, their decision should be enough to accommodate the top three real money online poker operators in the US — BetMGM Poker, PokerStars, and WSOP. Virginia would also be able to issue a license to BetRivers Poker, a platform currently in development by Rush Street Interactive (RSI).
BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, and FanDuel are already live in the Old Dominion for sports betting. FanDuel and PokerStars are both Flutter brands, but it’s not clear at this stage if they could share a license. Caesars owns WSOP.
We think operators could establish the following networks in Virginia, but keep in mind these matchups are purely hypothetical:
| Operator | Potential VA Partnership | Hypothetical Network Plans |
|---|---|---|
| PokerStars USA | Depending on how VA sets up expanded igaming, the operator would either share the Washington Commanders’ license with FanDuel, find another partner, or get its own license. FanDuel is partnered with the NFL team for sports betting. (Flutter owns both brands). | Look for PokerStars to create a three-state network that includes MI-NJ-VA. |
| BetMGM Poker | The operator holds a standalone license for mobile sports betting. Whether the license would be expanded by VA to include online poker and casino gaming remains to be seen — and would also affect PokerStars (see above). | A four-state network of MI-NJ-NV-VA is possible, but BetMGM needs to combine its MI+NJ player pools and launch in NV. |
| WSOP Online | Would operate under the license of Caesars Virginia, a land-based casino in Danville. Caesars owns WSOP. | Like BetMGM, WSOP would aim for a four-state network of MI-NJ-NV-VA. |
| BetRivers Poker | A poker platform in development by Rush Street Interactive (RSI). Would operate under the land-based license of Rivers Casino Portsmouth. | RSI could make a four-state network of DE-MI-NJ-VA. They could also add WV. |
Virginia Online Poker FAQ
Is online poker legal in Virginia?
Yes, online poker is legal and you can play it from anywhere in the Old Dominion! If you are interested in playing online poker where your winnings can be converted to real money, we recommend sweepstakes poker. On the other hand, if you’re looking to play online poker for free, we recommend free-play apps and free-play sites — two options where you don’t have to spend any money.
Does Virginia have real money online poker?
No, Virginia does not have a regulated market for real money online poker. It’s possible that such a market could be created in the future, but that will depend in part on how the state’s new land-based casinos feel about the issue — some are supportive, others are not. In the meantime, we recommend sweepstakes online poker, which is a legal alternative and where your winnings can be converted to real money.
Is sweepstakes poker available in Virginia?
Yes, modern sweepstakes poker is available in Virginia. Under this model, players use real money to buy play tokens (aka Gold Coins) which have no monetary value and can only be used for play-money games. Players get Sweeps Coins as a gift from the operator. Sweeps Coins are used to enter tables where the winnings can be converted to real money. We recommend Clubs Poker for modern sweepstakes poker.
Are ring games available online in Virginia?
Yes, you will find ring games on Clubs Poker. Since it’s a modern sweepstakes poker site, you will need Sweeps Coins to get a seat at tables where the winnings can be converted to real money.
Does Virginia have subscription-based online poker?
Yes, subscription-based poker is available in Virginia. For a monthly fee, players get access to tables where the winnings can be converted to real money. Subscription poker is a popular choice for players who live in a state without a regulated market for real money online poker — like Virginia.
Are there online poker tournaments in Virginia?
Many types of online poker tournaments are available in the Old Dominion. Clubs Poker hosts daily tournaments in several formats, including bounty tournaments, multi-table tournaments (MTTs), progressive knockout tournaments (PKOs), and sit-and-go (SNG) tournaments.
What types of poker games are available online?
No-Limit Texas Hold’em (NLH) and Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) are the most popular games on Clubs Poker, but players will also find variations of Stud and mixed game variants like 2-7 Draw, 5 & 6 Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and HORSE.
Is PokerStars legal in Virginia?
No, PokerStars does not operate in Virginia. Neither do BetMGM Poker and WSOP, the other top real money online poker operators in the US. If lawmakers decide to establish a regulated market, we expect all of the aforementioned operators will be interested in launching in the Old Dominion.
Will Virginia regulate online poker anytime soon?
At this stage, a regulated market for real money online poker seems a few years away. Virginia is in the process of opening up to five land-based casinos. Three casinos are in various stages of completion, but there have been problems with the other two. The state will likely focus on ironing out those issues — plus tackling the thorny issue of VGTs — before expanding igaming beyond mobile sports betting.
Can I play online poker on offshore sites?
Since online poker sites based offshore do not offer the same level of consumer protection as legal, regulated sites, they are not recommended. Players on offshore sites are at risk of identity theft when they disclose their financial and personal information. Federal officials have warned US citizens not to use offshore sites because they have no legal recourse to collect winnings owed to them.