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Best Poker Sites in Arizona 2025
Online poker has fans all over the USA, and Arizona is no exception. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly allowed in the Grand Canyon State, so there’s no legal website to play online poker in Arizona with real money. Yet, there are a few ways to enjoy your favorite game. Our team has researched the state’s situation with poker legality to understand whether it’s possible to play safely. All the information we discovered is presented below. We’ve also put together a list of the best poker sites for Arizona poker players to spare you the trouble of finding one yourself.
Where to play online poker for real money in Arizona
The online poker market for Arizona is so limited that your only options are offshore and sweepstakes poker sites, but even then, it’s difficult to choose a reliable poker site. Such websites often raise doubts in terms of security, don’t offer any promotions at all, or have a small selection of poker tables. After reviewing most of the available options, we’ve selected the top US poker sites worth your time and attention.
| AZ poker site | Bonuses | Rakeback |
|---|---|---|
| BetOnline Poker | 100% up to $1,000 | VIP |
| ACR Poker | 100% up to $2,000 | 27% flat or up to 65% |
| Ignition Poker | up to $3,000 | up to 20% |
| CoinPoker | 150% up to $2,000 | 33%+ |
| Everygame Poker | 200% up to $1,000 | 36% |
BetOnline
BetOnline is one of the most popular online poker rooms available to players from Arizona. Joins the Chico network and offers stable traffic in cash games up to NL/PLO1K$ limits, regular tournaments with a guarantee of up to $200,000. One of the highlights of the poker room is a solid amount of play at 9-max tables.
Beginners can count on a welcome bonus of 100% up to $1000, from other offers from BetOnline it is worth highlighting several races for different types of poker and an exclusive deal with rakeback from our site.
The ability to use cryptocurrency (16 coins in the cashier) for deposits makes the poker room especially attractive to players who value privacy.
CoinPoker
CoinPoker is the top 1 poker site with a game on cryptocurrency (USDT), ideal for players from Arizona who are looking for anonymity. Deposits and withdrawals are made in CHP and USDT.
Coinpoker offers cash games in Hold'em, PLO, PLO5 with a wide range of bets from $0.01/0.02$ to $1K/$2K. The most popular are 7-max tables..
Welcome bonus of 150% up to $2,000 gives 50% rakeback! The following promotions are available in the poker room on a permanent basis: weekly rakeback of 30% and leaderboards for cash and MTT.
ACR Poker
ACR Poker is part of the Winning Poker Network and has been accepting players from Arizona for many years. The poker room is known for the largest tournament guarantees available to players from the USA: $50M Online Super Series XL and the Venom tournament with a guarantee of up to $10M.
In addition to Texas Hold'em and classic Omaha with stakes up to $100/$200, fast poker Blitz, PLO5, 7 Card Stud are popular in the Americas Cardroom.
A big plus of ACR is a well-established system of deposits and withdrawals using cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC).
The ACR Poker's bonus program is aimed at regular players and consists of:
- 100% first deposit bonus up to $2,000.
- Loyalty programs with rakeback up to 65%.
- Two weekly rake races for ring games and SnG tournaments..
How to play poker online in Arizona: step by step
Once you find an online poker site to play, you must go through a registration procedure, which is fairly standard for all poker rooms. Here’s what you need to do:
- Go to the poker website you selected and read the terms and conditions to make sure it’s open for Arizona players.
- Create your account by filling out the registration form, which usually requires your name, email, password, phone number, and address.
- Download and install the poker client. Most websites offer poker clients that you need to install.
- Verify your account. Some poker rooms require KYC verification to start playing anyway, so it’s recommended to complete this procedure before you make a deposit.
- Top up your account, pick a table with your favorite game, and start playing.
The main thing is to start carefully, following the rules of responsible gambling.
Online Poker in Arizona
Like many other states in the US, Arizona didn’t legalize online poker. Local grinders can play on offshore sites or try sweepstakes poker. However, it still leaves online poker somewhat half-legal.
Many players are wary of offshore poker rooms. But it’s important to choose the right website. On this page, you can find a list of sites with more than 20 years of experience and a positive reputation.
Alternatively, you could move to one of the states where poker is legal, like Nevada or New Jersey. However, before making a rash decision, you may want to try sweepstakes poker, which we’ll go over in detail below.
Is online poker legal in Arizona?
Since online poker isn’t listed among the permitted forms of gambling in Arizona, it’s illegal. There are no official bodies entitled to issue gambling licenses, so you won’t find any state-licensed poker platforms.
Arizona law doesn’t specifically mention online poker as a prohibited type of activity. However, the provisions of the law that relate to this topic (Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 13, Chapter 33: A.R.S § 13-3301, A.R.S § 13-3303, and A.R.S § 13-3304) make it clear that gambling or its promotion is illegal. Getting profit from such activity will be considered a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Offshore poker sites work with international licenses, which make them accessible for Arizona players. On the one hand, the state doesn’t prosecute those who play there. On the other hand, it won’t protect your interests if something goes wrong, for example, they refuse to give you your winnings.
The state also doesn’t prosecute or punish home or social poker, but only if it’s a truly "home" game. That is, there must be no advertising for the event, participants must play in the privacy of a home, and the host must not make money on it, unless they win.
The only legal way to play online poker in Arizona is through the sweepstakes-based poker sites, as you don’t directly bet money but use sweep tokens, thus exploiting a loophole in the law.
Sweepstake poker
Sweepstake poker sites are websites that position poker as a game for fun, not profit. The trick is that you don’t play with real money. Instead, you purchase coins, which can later be redeemed. The system is very simple. You register on the site and receive two types of coins as a bonus:
- Gold coins (GC), which you can use for betting, but only for fun, as you can't redeem them for cash.
- Sweeps Coins (SC), which you can bet during specific tournaments or cash games and later redeem for real cash or gift cards, if you have enough of them (commonly at least 50 SC).
You can only purchase non-redeemable gold coins. The point of buying them is that the bundle often includes SC, or you can win SC by using GC. Among the sweepstakes poker sites available in Arizona are Global Poker, Stake US, and ClubWPT Gold.
When will online poker be legal in AZ?
There are no signs that Arizona plans to legalize online poker anytime soon. Many took the legalization of sports betting as a positive sign, but that's where it ends for now. Despite Arizona's healthy tax revenue from sports betting last year, there are no bills on the books that address online poker.
Online poker falls squarely under the definition of gambling, as a risky activity to win a prize. Gambling is prohibited, as is its promotion. So, in order to legalize online poker, Arizona will have to reconsider its attitude towards gambling in general.
Payment methods
Depending on the rules of the casino you choose, you will be given a specific list of payment methods that you can use to deposit or withdraw funds. The fact that online gambling is effectively illegal in Arizona narrows this list down considerably for you. For example, you will not be able to use e-wallets.
Often, sites offer credit and debit cards or bank transfers. But for this, you need to check the terms of your bank and its payments, because gambling-related payments can be blocked. A good option (the only one in many casinos) is cryptocurrency, transactions with which no one can limit you.
Where can I play live poker in Arizona?
Arizona laws allow players to access live poker tables in four cases:
- If it is a tribal casino. Tribal casinos can offer both cash and tournament formats. Good examples are Talking Stick Resort with 69 tables and Lone Butte, which will offer both tournaments and cash games, while places like Desert Diamond with 36 tables offer only cash games.
- If it is a social or home game. It could be a game with a neighbor or with your friends. The main thing is that the event itself isn’t organized to make money, and takes place in private.
- If it is a poker club. In Arizona, you can find offline poker clubs, the legal status of which is not defined. They position themselves not as casinos, but rather as sports facilities, holding tournaments and competitions. There are a lot of legal uncertainties with this option.
- If it is a charity event. The regulation of charity events is very close to home poker. Social charity poker is possible only if it is organized by qualified non-profit organizations and follows strict rules, such as limited frequency.
Many poker card rooms offer fewer than 10 tables, like Hon-Dah Casino or Casino Del Sol. So it is probably better to look for bigger options with more tables, accommodation, and other benefits like non-smoking rooms.
Arizona's poker and gambling history
The history of poker in Arizona has its ups and downs. Looking back, it can be divided into three distinctive periods:
- Early 1910s – 1980s: since its inception, the state of Arizona has maintained a strict anti-gambling stance. Of course, as it was a period of speakeasies, you could find places with poker tables, like Prescott’s Palace Saloon, but all of them were illegal.
- 1980s – 2000s: in 1987, a new law introduced a “social gambling” exemption, which unintentionally legalized poker, blackjack, craps, and roulette in bars and saloons. This, and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) of 1988, which allowed tribes to negotiate compacts with states, practically legalized poker tables. Venues like Tommy's Full House exploded with activity all over the state.
- 2000s – present days: While online poker remains unregulated, tribal casinos flourish, and the sweepstakes poker model becomes available to Arizona residents. Sites like Global Poker and ClubWPT use virtual sweep coins redeemable for prizes, which is technically allowed by law.
Only time will tell what the near future holds for Arizona poker fans.
Best poker players in Arizona
Nick Pupillo is the most decorated poker player from Arizona. Nick has three WSOPC rings, and in the summer of 2023, he won his first WSOP bracelet in Event #52: $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw.
In total, the player has over $6M in prize money and over 400 ITM hits!
In terms of prize money, the leadership is held by 2 little-known players who were lucky enough to become runner-ups of the World Series Main Event:
- Steven Jones Jr won $6,500,000 in 2023. In his entire career, he has won just over $7M.
- Jordan Griff won $6,000,000 in 2024. In all other tournaments since 2019, he has earned only $80K.
Conclusion
Overall, despite online poker being illegal in Arizona, local players still have several options. You can always visit offline casinos like Talking Stick Resort or Desert Diamond, or play on sweepstakes websites. Another alternative is offshore poker rooms, but use them at your own risk. There will hardly be any other option since there’s no sign of changes in Arizona’s gambling laws shortly.
Responsible gambling
These organizations can provide you with much-needed recommendations if you’re looking to learn more about responsible gaming:
- Arizona Department of Gaming: Visit the website to learn about signs of addiction and how they can help.
- Arizona 211: Dial 2-1-1 and open up about your problem.
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