Indiana online poker could become available in the very near future. That would be an incredible addition to the state’s gambling lineup.

A new bill would legalize Indiana online casinos, and internet poker would be a big part of that expansion.

Poker is already a popular gambling option in Indiana. Adding online play into the mix would give Hoosiers more options than ever before.

Indiana online casino bill would legalize online poker

Indiana’s new online casino bill would let Hoosiers play online versions of classic casino games like poker. It would be as simple as firing up an app on your smartphone or a website on your computer.

Right now, that bill is still working its way through committee in the state’s House of Representatives.

However, the hope is to get things moving quickly. If everything goes according to plan, then online casinos will open for business on Sept. 1, 2025. Indiana gamblers will be able to play online poker from day one if that happens.

The current version of the bill would allow for all sorts of different internet poker games. That includes automated video poker, live dealer games and interstate play between gamblers in Indiana and other states around the country.

Play interstate online poker in Indiana

If Indiana legalizes online poker, then players in the state will likely be dealing with a fenced-in model during the early days. In other words, poker players in the state will only be able to play against other Hoosiers, at least for a limited amount of time.

That’s a common way for online poker states to kick things off.

Michigan is a great example of how this can change over time. The state’s legal online casinos opened in early 2021, and it took nearly two years for the industry to open up to include gamblers from other states.

Mixing the player pools leads to bigger tournaments and prizes for online poker players.

There are already interstate poker systems in place around the country, but Indiana would have to make some changes in order to get in on that action.

For example, Indiana will have to sign on with the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement. That’s essentially a universal set of rules and regulations that different states agree to share to before they pool their online poker resources together. Other legal online poker states like Michigan and New Jersey already fall under the agreement.

If Indiana legalizes online poker, then joining the interstate poker party will likely be a matter of time. At least for now, things are on hold until the state’s online casino bill becomes law.

Indiana legal internet poker games

Assuming that things go well for the state’s online casino bill, Hoosiers will have all sorts of online poker options to pick from soon.

Automated video poker will be one of those options. Indiana gamblers can already find these games scattered around at the state’s casinos.

Playing live dealer online poker games will be one of the enticing options for online poker lovers. These games simulate a realistic poker experience by having an actual real life dealer run the game through the internet.

These dealers would be located at various live game studios within Indiana. That will allow online poker to create new jobs in the state, in addition to the money it would help generate to fight problem gambling.

Live dealer games help make the online experience feel closer to sitting at a poker table in person, which has greatly increased their popularity compared to other types of games.

Of course, all of this depends on how things go with Indiana’s online casino bill. If the legislation fails, then Hoosiers will have to wait another year before the state will have a chance to make online poker legal. Hopefully for Indiana residents, the bill will pass this time around and gamblers will be playing internet poker by September.