Tennessee Online Poker Sites

Tennessee is a near dead zone for gambling, but online poker remains popular and residents remain hopeful. If you’re looking for casino gambling or poker then keep driving when you reach Tennessee because you won’t find any legal options inside the state borders.

The only legal gambling allowed in Tennessee is lotteries, horse race betting and oddly, due to a bill passed in 2019, online sports betting.

Is Online Poker Legal or Illegal in Tennessee?

There is no legal online poker in Tennessee and judging by how harshly they view live gambling of any kind that’s unlikely to change any time soon. Under current state laws it is illegal to operate online poker sites in Tennessee. However, none of Tennessee’s gambling laws mention online or internet gambling for state residents.

Tennessee laws define gambling as “risking anything of value, including real money, for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, or any games of chance associated with casinos, including, but not limited to, slot machines, roulette wheels and the like.” Since most poker player see poker as a game of skill and not a game chance, they believe poker doesn’t fall under that definition.

This has not been tested in court so there is no legal precedent of how Tennessee views poker. Offshore online poker sites do allow residents of Tennessee to play on their sites, something they do not allow all states to do, so take that as you will as well.

Is Any Gambling Legal in Tennessee?

There are a few forms of gambling that are legal in Tennessee but it is a very short list. There are no casinos or poker rooms in the state and that will not change in the immediate future as they are illegal in the state. So, if you can’t go to a casino or play poker in Tennessee what can you do?

In 2003 lottery was made legal in Tennessee, with the first draw taking place in 2004. Lottery sales are extremely popular in the state and are a revenue source for education and schools.

In 2010 disastrous flooding led to the legalization of more gambling in Tennessee. Following the flooding Tennessee legislators allowed charitable gambling, limited to bingo and lottery-type events.

In 2019 Tennessee surprised everyone by legalizing online sports betting. The law allows Tennessee residents to wager on sporting events online or through mobile apps. Live sports betting remains illegal. No online sports betting sites or apps have launched yet, with the third quarter of 2020 the target date for the first to hit the market.

Tennessee Laws Pertinent to Online Poker

There are no laws in Tennessee that specifically mention online gambling, online poker, or internet poker. Since live poker, or more specially offering live poker is illegal in Tennessee it would lead many to assume that online poker would also be illegal by proxy.

Under 39-17-501 in the Tennessee criminal code, it states;

“Gambling is contrary to the public policy of this state and means risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, or any games of chance associated with casinos, including, but not limited to, slot machines, roulette wheels and the like.”

Under the Tennessee criminal code it also states,

A person commits an offense who knowingly induces or aids another to engage in gambling, and:

(1) Intends to derive or derives an economic benefit other than personal winnings from the gambling; or

(2) Participates in the gambling and has, other than by virtue of skill or luck, a lesser risk of losing or greater chance of winning than one (1) or more of the other participants.”

This part of the criminal code makes it illegal to operate casinos, casino games and poker games in the state. Again, online poker is never referenced, leaving poker players to try and determine if poker, as a game of skill falls under these laws, and whether offshore poker sites can be affected by them as well.