Social Gambling Rules

Alabama makes being a player in unlawful gambling a Class C misdemeanor, but Ala. Code § 13A-12-21(b) gives players a defense if they were in a "social game in a private place." The…

Alaska treats unauthorized gambling as a violation, but AS 11.66.200(b) hands anyone charged an affirmative defense if they were "a player in a social game." AS 11.66.280(10) defines…

Arizona law defines "social gambling" in ARS § 13-3301(9) and excludes it from criminal liability under § 13-3302(A)(2). A private game qualifies only if no player collects more than…

California law exempts private home card games from gambling regulation entirely. Penal Code § 337j(e)(2)(D) excludes any card game played in a private home or residence from the…

Colorado's criminal code doesn't reach purely social gambling. C.R.S. section 18-10-102(2)(d) carves any game, wager, or transaction incidental to a bona fide social relationship out…

Connecticut treats gambling as a crime by default, but C.G.S. § 53-278b(a) exempts natural persons from prosecution for any game, wager, or transaction incidental to a bona fide social…

Delaware's gambling code, 11 Del. C. §§ 1401-1432, never defines a 'social game' or exempts private, no-house-cut betting the way some states do. Its advancing-gambling offenses target…

District of Columbia law sets no dollar threshold or family/friends carve-out for private betting games. D.C. Code § 22-1704 bans any "gaming table or gambling device" used to play for…

Florida law exempts small-stakes card and tile games from gambling crimes under Fla. Stat. § 849.085, but only under strict conditions: winnings per hand can't exceed $10, the game…

Hawaii bans nearly all gambling as a misdemeanor under HRS 712-1223, but 712-1231 lets a defendant assert social gambling as an affirmative defense at trial -- requiring equal-terms…

Idaho Code section 18-3801 defines gambling broadly and lists exactly five things it does not cover: skill contests, valid business contracts, additional-play-only games, incidental…

Illinois law makes it a crime to play any game of chance or skill for money unless the activity fits one of fifteen narrow exemptions listed in 720 ILCS 5/28-1(b): the state lottery…

Indiana's gambling statute makes no exception for private social games. IC 35-45-5-2 criminalizes anyone who 'knowingly or intentionally engages in gambling,' a Class B misdemeanor…

Iowa Code § 99B.45 lets individuals gamble against each other in card and parlor games, including poker, without a state gambling license, but caps it hard: no one may win or lose more…

Kansas carves out no exception for private, in-home, or friendly wagering. K.S.A. 21-6403(a) defines "bet" broadly, then lists ten specific exclusions -- business deals, contest…

Kentucky's penal code doesn't outlaw a card game among friends. KRS 528.010 defines a "player" as someone who gambles solely as a contestant or bettor without taking a cut, and it…

Louisiana lets each parish's police jury ban card gambling under La. R.S. 33:4852, but that same statute exempts any private card game held in a private home among family and any…

Maine's unlawful gambling statute, 17-A M.R.S. § 954, only punishes a person who 'advances' or 'profits from' unlawful gambling activity, not the act of playing itself. Section 952(8)…

Maryland exempts small-stakes social play from its gambling ban through the "home game" law at State Government § 9-1C-01. Adults 21 and older may host mah jong or card games with…

Massachusetts bans gaming for money only in a public conveyance or public place, or in a private place where the player is trespassing. G.L. c. 271, § 2 does not reach cards, dice, or…

Michigan's penal code makes no exception for private, social, or "friendly" gambling. MCL 750.301 criminalizes accepting money contingent on an uncertain event's outcome: full stop…

Minnesota's gambling statute excludes "a private social bet not part of or incidental to organized, commercialized, or systematic gambling" from the legal definition of a bet. Under…

Miss. Code § 97-33-1 makes it a crime to play any game "for money or other valuable thing" or to wager on any game or event: no dollar threshold, no carve-out for a private game among…

Missouri does not carve out a safe harbor for backyard poker or friendly bets. RSMo 572.010(8) defines a 'player' as someone who wagers without profiting beyond personal winnings, and…

Montana defines any wager contingent on chance as gambling and bans it unless a statute specifically authorizes it. The only social-game exception covers bridge, cribbage, hearts…

Nebraska's gambling statute defines the offense so broadly that a private poker night or friendly bet counts: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-1101(4) exempts only lawful business deals…

Nevada's gambling laws exempt one narrow category from licensing: card games played in a private home or residence where nobody profits from running the game, with winnings going only…

RSA 647:2 makes gambling a misdemeanor statewide unless a game falls under a listed exemption. The only carve-out for casual social gambling is a poker game hosted at a private…

New Jersey's Code of Criminal Justice defines a 'player' as a person who gambles only as a contestant or bettor and collects nothing beyond personal winnings, without otherwise…

New York's Penal Law never criminalizes playing a private card game or betting pool: it only criminalizes advancing or profiting from gambling. Penal Law § 225.00(3) protects anyone…

North Carolina's gambling law, N.C.G.S. § 14-292, makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor for anyone to bet money, property, or anything of value on a game of chance, whether the wager is…

North Dakota lets a private card game or friendly wager run without a permit as long as no player's stake on a single hand, game, or event tops $25, per N.D.C.C. § 12.1-28-02. Cross…

Ohio's gambling statute bans operating a "game of chance conducted for profit," defined in R.C. 2915.01(E) as one "designed to produce income for the person who conducts or operates"…

Oklahoma carves out no exception for a private card game among friends. 21 O.S. § 941 makes it a Class C2 felony to open or conduct poker, roulette, craps, or any dice or card game for…

Oregon does not legalize card rooms or social gambling statewide. ORS 167.121 lets counties and cities pass their own ordinance authorizing and licensing social games, games with no…

Pennsylvania's gambling code has no social-game or private-residence exception. 18 Pa.C.S. § 5513 makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to let people 'collect and assemble for the…

Rhode Island's core gambling statute, R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-19-1, makes it a felony to set up, promote, or draw any lottery, chance game, or device "publicly or privately." Unlike many…

South Carolina's 1802 gaming law, Section 16-19-40, makes it a crime to play cards or dice for money in a private home, kitchen, or barn -- there is no exception for a friendly poker…

South Dakota's general gambling statute draws no line between a friendly poker game at home and a casino. SDCL 22-25-1 makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to place or accept a wager, or to…

Tennessee's gambling statute contains no exemption for private, social, or friends-only wagering. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-17-501(1) defines gambling as risking anything of value on a…

Texas Penal Code § 47.02(a) makes betting at cards, dice, or any game of chance a Class C misdemeanor. Section 47.02(b) supplies a defense: gambling that happens in a private place…

Utah Code § 76-9-1401(8) defines "gambling" as risking anything of value on a chance-based outcome tied to an agreement that someone will receive value: a definition with no exception…

Vermont sets no social-gambling carve-out. 13 V.S.A. § 2141 fines any person who 'wins or loses money or other valuable thing by play or hazard at any game', friendly poker night…

Virginia's general gambling ban does not reach a private game of chance held in someone's home. Code § 18.2-334 exempts games of chance in a private residence from prosecution under…

Washington law defines a "player" under RCW 9.46.0265 as someone who gambles on equal terms with no profit beyond personal winnings. A private card game among friends is legal without…

West Virginia's gaming statute draws no line between a casino floor and a kitchen table: betting money on any game of chance "at any place, public or private" is a misdemeanor under W…

Wisconsin's gambling code has no carve-out for private social games. Wis. Stat. § 945.01(1) defines 'bet' and lists eight exceptions, business deals, contest prizes, bingo, pari-mutuel…

Wyoming's gambling statute carves the family poker night and the office Super Bowl squares pool out of the crime entirely. Wyo. Stat. section 6-7-101(a)(iii)(E) excludes any game or…