Short version. An offshore poker site is a real-money room based outside the US that takes American players without a US licence. The established ones have paid players for many years. None of them gives you a regulator to turn to, and that is the risk you are accepting.
What "offshore" means
Six states license online poker: Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia. Everywhere else, no site holds a state licence. Offshore rooms fill that gap. They are run by companies registered in places such as Panama and Curaçao, they accept sign-ups from most states, and they move money mainly by cryptocurrency.
They are not the same as sweepstakes sites, which use prize coins, and they are not the same as the state-licensed rooms run by names like WSOP, BetMGM and BetRivers.
Are offshore poker sites legal?
The sites are not licensed in any US state. What that means for you as a player depends on where you live, and we are not lawyers.
- Federal law is aimed at gambling businesses and the banks that process their payments, not at individual players.
- Most state gambling laws are written the same way, with operators as the target.
- Some are not. Washington makes playing online a felony, which is why we list no sites there. Utah makes it a misdemeanor.
Your state page says what the law is where you live.
The offshore rooms that take US players
| Room | Network | Tables | Rakeback | States it blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACR Poker | Winning Poker Network | Screen names, HUDs allowed | 27% flat, or Elite Benefits | 9 |
| Black Chip Poker | Winning Poker Network | Screen names, HUDs allowed | 27% flat, or Elite Benefits | 9 |
| BetOnline Poker | Chico Poker Network | Built-in basic HUD | Races and leaderboards | 1 |
| Ignition Poker | PaiWangLuo | Anonymous, no tracking | None; anonymous tables | 5 |
| Bovada Poker | PaiWangLuo | Anonymous, no tracking | None; anonymous tables | 18 |
There are only three player pools here. ACR and Black Chip share one, and Ignition and Bovada share another. BetOnline is on its own network. Which is easiest to beat is covered on the softest sites page.
What can go wrong
A site can leave your state
Bovada has been leaving US states one by one since 2024, after letters from state regulators, and now blocks 17 states and Washington DC. Players in a newly blocked state have been told they can only withdraw what is left as crypto. The timeline is here.
A site can fail
It has happened. In April 2011 the US government seized the domains of the biggest sites then serving Americans. Full Tilt Poker turned out not to have its players' money, and American players waited years to be repaid. Nothing like it has happened to the rooms on this page, but nothing structural prevents it either. No deposit insurance applies.
The games may not be clean
Every online room has bots. ACR's network closed bot accounts and refunded $200,000 to players in 2019. In January 2026 a high-stakes professional posted a video that appeared to show a bot farm running on Ignition and Bovada. The details are on the ACR and Ignition pages.
Nobody referees a dispute
The licences these rooms hold are light-touch. If your account is closed or a payout is refused, you are dealing with the company and nobody else.
How to limit the risk
- Keep a small balance. Treat the site as a place to play, not a place to store money. Cash out winnings as you go.
- Use a crypto wallet you control. It is the fast route in and out. See crypto poker sites.
- Use your real name and details. A mismatch with your ID is the most common reason a payout stalls.
- Read the withdrawal page before you deposit. Minimums and methods change.
- Pick a room with a long payment record. Years of paying players is the best evidence you have.
Which one to choose
- Tournaments and rakeback: ACR, or Black Chip for the same tables.
- Soft cash games: Ignition, or BetOnline if you also bet sports.
- Poker plus a sportsbook, if your state is still open: Bovada.
Tournament players and regular grinders. Winning Poker Network. Rakeback: 27% flat, or Elite Benefits.
Visit ACRACR's tables with a smaller site's promotions. Winning Poker Network. Rakeback: 27% flat, or Elite Benefits.
Visit Black ChipSofter cash games; sports bettors. Chico Poker Network. Rakeback: Races and leaderboards.
Visit BetOnlineCasual players who want anonymous tables. PaiWangLuo. Rakeback: None; anonymous tables.
Visit IgnitionPlayers who also bet sports. PaiWangLuo. Rakeback: None; anonymous tables.
Visit BovadaCommon questions
What is an offshore poker site?
A real-money poker room based outside the United States that accepts American players without holding a licence from any US state.
Are offshore poker sites safe?
The established ones have paid players for many years. None is overseen by a US regulator, so there is no one to appeal to if a site closes, leaves your state or refuses a payout.
Is it illegal to play on an offshore poker site?
It depends on your state. Most gambling laws are aimed at operators, but Washington makes online play a felony and Utah a misdemeanor. We are not lawyers; check your state's page.
Which offshore poker sites accept US players?
ACR Poker, Black Chip Poker, BetOnline, Ignition and Bovada. Each blocks a different set of states.
How do offshore poker sites pay out?
Mostly by cryptocurrency. Other methods are sometimes offered and change often.