How to Play Online Poker in Missouri
To put it simply – Missouri is not a gamble friendly state.
Everything outside of casino walls is considered “gambling” and therefore considered a misdemeanor at best. So for poker players, this means no home games or online poker. If you’re a poker player and looking to play, your only option is to play live. And from the looks of it, you’ll probably need to make a road trip at that.
** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**
Home Poker Games in Missouri
As I mentioned above, home games aren’t really an option. The law covers this in two ways:
- “A person commits the crime of gambling if he knowingly engages in gambling.”
- “Any room, building or other structure regularly used for any unlawful gambling activity prohibited by this chapter is a public nuisance.”
The consequence of having a poker game running in your home is that the court can hold your home for up to one year. During this time, it cannot be occupied — you’d have to move temporarily.
If you were to run poker games and somehow earn from it (fees or rake), you would be charged with promoting gambling in the first degree. This is a class D felony.
Playing Online Poker in Missouri
The law isn’t very specific in regards to online poker. So the argument can definitely be made that online poker is not illegal or that there are loopholes.
However, I would still lean towards the fact that it’s illegal. There are two reasons for this:
- The law I quoted in the first bullet point above. Gambling in general is illegal.
- I tried to open a new account at a couple sites and Missouri wasn’t an option for a state to live in. Sites don’t generally remove states as an option unless there is a problem with playing on their site in that state.
If you already have an account at a site, I can’t say whether your IP will trigger anything, therefore making it so you can’t play. I don’t live in Missouri, so I don’t know. The best way to find out is to try to play for real money. But since it’s likely to be illegal, we suggest that you don’t bother.
However, from my experience, a majority of poker sites will allow you to play for play money. This is assuming of course you already have an account or have found a site that will allow you to create one for play money.
If you’re looking to create a play money account, we suggest trying www.LockPoker.net. They have plenty of play money games running and offer incentives for collecting massive amounts of play chips.
Live Casino Poker in Missouri
Live poker is going to be nearly non-existent in Missouri, at least from what I saw in my research. There are casinos in Missouri, but few (if any) of them offer live poker. So instead, you’re going to have to plan a road trip. Below, I’ve listed 2 casinos that you might consider traveling too if you want to play live poker.
- Sam’s Town Casino (Tunica): Sam’s Town offers holdem, omaha and stud in both cash game and tournament formats.
- Downstream Casino Resort: Downstream Casino has holdem, stud and omaha games in cash game, tournament and SNG formats. Their games run 24hrs a day.
It’s sad that Missouri residents will have to travel so far to play poker. But I suppose if you were to weigh the options of not playing, traveling to play and moving permanently, it’s an easy choice to make.
Related "How To" Posts:
- How to Play Online Poker in Louisiana
- How to Play Online Poker in Kentucky
- How to Play Online Poker in Washington State
Written by Matt Geer