Advertising a home poker game may also be an illegal act by itself. These statutes usually refer to a 'gambling place' or 'gambling establishment'.Īdvertising. If you will be hosting a home poker game you will want to review the relevant statutes. While I do agree that professional gamblers are more likely to participate in games that are frowned upon by the government (high stakes, etc.), this principle is merely a correlation, and not a definition. I'm not sure why anyone would care whether or not someone engages in an activity as an occupation vs. Many states have specific laws that prohibit professional gambling. Usually the statutes will give the legal definition for the term 'gambling' or 'player'. As a player, you should be looking at the laws regarding gambling since these will be the applicable laws which tell you whether or not playing poker will be legal.
Over the past few years there has been a growing social acceptance of poker as a game of skill. Most gambling regulations were created to protect citizens from developing dangerous gambling habits as a result of easy access to gambling establishments.
