1. Best Poker Casinos In Florida Gulf Coast
2. Best Poker Casinos In Florida Casinos

You’ll find no shortage of live poker rooms in Florida. There are more than 25 of them that offer various poker cash games and tournaments. You can even play World Poker Tour (WPT) tournaments.

So, it’d be nuts for us to suggest that playing poker online is the only option. It’s not. That said, there are many benefits real money online poker offers that live poker does not. And you can enjoy these perks so long as you join one of the best Florida poker sites.

Find the best Florida poker tournaments with our comprehensive list of daily and weekly poker tournaments. Browse through our list of poker tournaments to find the times, days, buy-ins,.

Best Casino Hotels in Florida on Tripadvisor: Find 5,102 traveler reviews, 2,015 candid photos, and prices for 5 casino hotels in Florida, United States. Southern California features the largest poker palaces in the world, including the immense 200-plus table Commerce Casino, the 110-table Gardens Casino (formerly the Hawaiian Gardens, the 90-table. The minimum gambling age is 18 at all Indian casinos for bingo or poker and 21 for electronic gaming machines. Pari-mutuel casinos There are eight pari-mutuel casinos in Florida. That wraps up our Florida online poker guide. We answered your most common questions, gave you some excellent reasons why you should play real money poker online, and showed you the best Florida poker sites. All that’s left for you to do is choose a poker room to join, create your account, and make a deposit.

We’re going to talk about the perks of using the top poker sites in our guide below. We’ll also discuss the biggest reasons why you should play poker online in Florida.

After that, we’re going to answer the most common questions we’re asked about playing real money poker in Florida. This includes where you can play live dealer poker, the types of MTTs you can play online, and more.

But before we get to any of that, we’re going to take a minute to talk about the best Florida online poker sites we recommend.

You expect live poker rooms to be safe and spread a fair game. Why would you expect anything different from your online poker site?

You shouldn’t. You should join only the highest-rated poker sites for Florida.

You can try to find a site on your own, but this can take you weeks and hundreds of dollars, if not more. Wouldn’t you rather find a safe site now without spending a dime?

That’s why you should join one of the FL poker sites we endorse.

We’ve researched and tested dozens of online poker sites, weeding out the weak links.

The remaining sites, the best Florida poker sites, are the ones you see on this page.

Those are just words, though. So, let’s dive a little deeper. The next section will show you what we look for and consider in every online gambling site we review, rate, and endorse.

We won’t recommend a real money gambling site until we fully review them. The first area we start with is their company.

Here are the questions we try to answer during this phase.

Do they have a gambling license?

We make sure the site has a current and valid gambling license. And we check to see if they’ve ever had it suspended or revoked and why.

Do they have a good reputation?

It’s important that the room has a reputation for treating players fairly and paying them quickly.

Do they have a variety of US-friendly banking options?

Our favorite option is Bitcoin, but credit and debit cards, money transfers, and bank wires also work.

How do they offer customer support?

We want to see whether they offer live chat, phone, and/or email support. And we test at least one option to see how well their support responds.

This is important. We won’t recommend a poker site (or any type of gambling site) that doesn’t meet our standards during this phase.

Once we’re done here, we move on to their poker room. Here are the questions we ask during this phase.

Do they have any poker promotions?

We look for standard offers like a deposit bonus and cashback, as well as unique promos like leaderboards and huge guaranteed tourneys.

What poker games and variants can you play?

Poker sites that offer more than just Texas Hold’em or just guaranteed tournaments gets extra credit with us.

What stakes can you play for?

We prefer sites that offer microstakes starting at $0.01/$0.02 or $0.02/$.05 per hand and tournament starting at around $1. And we look to see what the highest stakes you can play for is and whether those games see any action.

How much traffic does the poker site get?

We want to know how many people, on average, visit the site to play for real money. The more players, the better.

How is their software?

We test their games to see if they lag or have any bugs. We want to see if the graphics are easy on the eyes. This is important since you’ll be staring at them for hours.

What features do they have?

We look for options like four-color decks, odds calculators, hand histories, and the ability to change how the tables and cards look.

The answers we come up with tell us whether we’ll have a good time playing here or not.

This wraps up our review phase. All the questions and answers we used and found are published to our website so that you can learn the nitty-gritty for all the major real money US poker sites online.

We then take the best of the best and rank them in order, starting with the ones we suggest you join first. The finished product is what you see on this page.

That’s a brief overview of our process. As you can see, we don’t promote just any online poker site for FL. A lot of time, money, and effort goes into our recommendations.

And that’s how you know you can trust our recommendations for the best Florida poker sites.

Five Reasons to Play Poker Online in Florida

Here are five reasons why you should play poker online in Florida.

Online poker rooms offer promotions just like land-based cardrooms. You’ll find guaranteed tournaments, leaderboard competitions, bad beat jackpots, cash races, and more.

But there’s one promotion you can only get online — the deposit bonuses.

A deposit bonus is an offer where the site matches a percentage of your deposit. For example, claim a 100% match bonus and the poker room will give you $1 for every $1 you deposit.

A deposit bonus is as close to free money as you’ll ever get if you’re a breakeven or profitable player.

Another reason to play online is so that you can multi-table. That’s how you play more than one table or tournament at the same time. Many of our recommended FL poker websites let you play 3-4 cash games and 10-15 MTTs at the same time.

Why is this a good thing? It can help prevent boredom. Good players fold more hands than they play. Playing more than one table gives you more playable hands per hour.

Another reason to multi-table is to increase your hourly rate. Even if your win-rate or ROI takes a slight dip, you’ll still earn more money per hour because of the volume of hands you’re playing.

You also get through variance faster. It’s totally normal to lose 20 MTTs in a row. This might take weeks to accomplish playing live. But you can get through this in a matter of days or a couple of weeks online.

Every live poker room in Florida offers Texas Hold’em. Some even offer games like Omaha, Stud, or Pineapple. But that’s it.

The variants are largely the same too. You can play guaranteed MTTs, knockout tourneys, deep stacks, turbo blinds, and that’s about it.

Online poker rooms don’t have to worry about space, so they can offer a larger variety of poker games and variants, even if they’re not popular. This means you’ll find additional games like Five-Card Draw and Razz, as well as variants like heads-up, double or nothings, hyper turbos, and more.

This is huge.

If you have ever played live poker, you know how much it can cost. MTTs are usually $50 to $200, not including rebuys or add-ons. Cash games will set you back $200 to $400 for one buy-in (and you should bring two to three buy-ins with you).

Not everyone can afford this. And if you can’t, and you play anyway, you won’t play your best because you’ll play scared poker. You’ll play not to lose rather than play to win.

This is another reason why we recommend you play online poker in Florida. You can find cash games for less than $0.10 per hand. And you can play MTTs for less than $5.

You can start with a bankroll as little as $5 to $20, which is impossible to do live.

Another reason why we like online poker so much is the software. It makes playing poker so much easier. There’s less work for you to do.

Here’s how software helps.

• It tells you how much each bet is and how much money is in the pot.
• You can use a four-color deck so that it’s easier to spot flushes and draws.
• You can pick a permanent seat at the table.
• Many poker rooms have a “quick seat” feature so you don’t have to scour the lobby for games.
• Poker software allows you to download your hand histories so that you can study them later.
• You can replay past hands, which is helpful if you’re a forgetful person.
• Good poker software allows you to jot down notes and tag other players.

Overall, online poker is great for so many reasons. Especially when you stick with the top FL poker sites that we recommend. It’s convenient, budget-friendly, offers a variety of action, and so much more.

We can’t think of a good reason why you wouldn’t want to play online.

No, you can play poker legally in cardrooms and casinos throughout the state.

There’s also no law that prevents you from playing real money poker online in Florida.

There are several cardrooms, casinos, racetracks, and racinos that offer poker in Florida. Here are a few examples.

• Big Easy Casino (Hallandale, FL)
• Casino Fort Pierce (Ft. Pierce, FL)
• Daytona Beach Racing and Card Club (Daytona Beach, FL)
• Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
• TGT Poker at Racebook (Tampa, FL)
• The Casino at Dania Beach (Dania, FL)

There are many more venues, too, and of course you can play online at any of our top-rated FL poker sites.

Yes, both the Hollywood and Tampa Hard Rock locations offer poker.

Between them, you’ll find more than 90 poker tables where they spread Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud. They also host WPT regional tournaments.

It depends on the games and stakes you want to play for. It also depends if you’re a recreational player who wants to play on anonymous tables or if you want to play on regular online tables.

Our advice is to sign up at a few of our recommended poker sites for Florida and get a feel for them yourself.

Anonymous tables use numbers or some other method for identifying players instead of screen names.

Sites that use anonymous tables don’t allow you to use heads-up displays like Poker Tracker, and you’re not allowed to take long terms notes either. Poker rooms do this to prevent stronger players from targeting the weaker ones.

We recommend using Bitcoin for the following reasons.

• Anonymity
• Fast payment processing
• Low minimum and high maximum limits
• No fees
• Nearly every real money US poker site accepts it

If you don’t have or don’t want to invest in Bitcoin (or any cryptocurrency), we recommend you use credit and debit cards.

This depends on the site and the banking option you use.

Most FL poker sites will pay Bitcoin out the same day once they approve the cash-out (which can take a couple days). Bank wires can take five to seven days once approved. Checks can take as long as 15 business days.

Real Money Online Poker in Florida

That wraps up our Florida online poker guide. We answered your most common questions, gave you some excellent reasons why you should play real money poker online, and showed you the best Florida poker sites.

All that’s left for you to do is choose a poker room to join, create your account, and make a deposit. Then, you’ll be ready to play your favorite cash games and MTTs from wherever you are in Florida.

Gambling is a huge source of income for the state of Florida. Tax revenue
from slot machines alone totaled over $70 million in 2016.

But not all types of gambling are legal in Florida.

Online Florida gambling sites, roulette, craps, daily fantasy sports and some
other games are illegal in Florida.

This page covers all these topics, and more.

Online Gambling and Florida Law

Is Online Gambling Legal in Florida?

No written laws pertain specifically to online gambling in Florida. There’s
not a clear answer to this question, but our best guess is that online gambling
is illegal in Florida.

Section 849.08 of the Florida Statutes says this about gambling:

“Whoever plays or engages in any game at cards, keno, roulette, faro or other
game of chance, at any place, by any device whatever, for money or other thing
of value, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as
provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.”

Thus, playing any game of chance online is illegal.

Most people now consider poker a game of skill. You might think that this
would make poker legal in Florida. You’d be wrong, though.

Section 849.14 covers games of skill.

Here’s what it says:

“Whoever stakes, bets or wagers any money or other thing of value upon the
result of any trial or contest of skill, speed or power or endurance of human or
beast, or whoever receives in any manner whatsoever any money or other thing of
value staked, bet or wagered, or offered for the purpose of being staked, bet or
wagered, by or for any other person upon any such result, or whoever knowingly
becomes the custodian or depositary of any money or other thing of value so
staked, bet, or wagered upon any such result, or whoever aids, or assists, or
abets in any manner in any of such acts all of which are hereby forbidden, shall
be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree”

Based on this, games of skill like poker are also illegal.

This section of the Florida Statutes doesn’t reference devices like
computers, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply.

Can I Get Arrested for Gambling Online in Florida?

Online gambling is illegal in Florida. Our advice is to obey the law no
matter where you live.

This does not, however, prevent us from discussing levels of risk involved
with various activities.

No one has ever been arrested or prosecuted for playing online casino games
at Florida gambling sites. The only arrests we know of related to online
gambling were in Oklahoma, and these were related to online sports betting.

Risk levels for players are consistently low. We recommend several offshore
gaming companies who would probably be thrilled to serve customers in Florida.

There’s a legal risk, but it’s small.

Are Daily Fantasy Sports Legal in Florida?

No, daily fantasy sports are not yet legal in Florida.

In 2015, a state senator and representative started a campaign to legalize
daily fantasy sports.

It hasn’t gotten far, but heavy pushes to legalize daily fantasy sports in
Florida are still happening. We wouldn’t be surprised to see it legalized in the
future.

Are Offshore Gambling Sites Safe?

The key to finding safe offshore gambling sites is research. We offer several
recommendations on our site based on our own research, but you should do your
own due diligence, too.

You should research how long the site has been in business and where they’re
licensed.

To keep a business open, you need a steady stream of customers. Finding a
site that has been in business for a considerable length of time means they’re
liked enough to have repeat customers.

You should consider where a site is licensed since different jurisdictions
have different standards. You should look for sites that are licensed in
jurisdictions with stricter regulations, such as the United Kingdom.

Think about the following, too:

How Do I Choose a Good Online Gaming Site?

• Game Variety

What kind of casino games do you want to play? Not all online
casinos offer all casino games. Some players prefer live dealer action, while
others are only interested in having a wide variety of slot machines to choose
from. It’s dumb to sign up for an online casino that only offers slots if you’re
interested in playing card games.

• Tournaments

If you’re interested in tournaments, be sure to check out the
sites tournament section. This is where you can find information like the type
of tournaments they hold, the qualifications for each tournament and the
tournament schedule. Not all online casinos offer tournaments.

• Bonus Terms & Conditions

Almost all online gaming sites offer sign-up
bonuses. Read the conditions of the bonus. You need to know how much you must
wager and what other qualifications you must meet in order to get the bonus.

• Read Reviews

Reading reviews from the members of the site is the tried and
true way to get uncensored information. Everything you read on the site that’s
written by them is simply advertising to you in order to get you to sign up.
Learn how to distinguish between real reviews and those written by shills.

Look for pages that review both the pros and cons of the site from online
gamblers like you.

• Customer Complaints

Try doing an internet search with the name of the site
and the word “complaint.” You might be able to find some complaints or issues
with the site posted various places around the internet along with how the site
handled the complaint. Keep in mind, too, that not all player complaints are
legitimate. Read everything with a grain of salt and a certain amount of
cynicism.

• Deposit Options

Visit the cashier’s page on each site to find the deposit
options available. If they don’t have an option you’re familiar with or
comfortable using, there’s no reason to sign up for the site.

• Contact Customer Service

The point of contacting customer service is to see
their level of professionalism and to see how quickly they get back with you.
Even if you don’t have a real question, send them a simple question. For
example, ask how long it takes to get your funds when you transfer your winnings
to your bank.

You can tell a lot about a company’s customer service by how they respond to
a question from a potential customer.

• Restricted States

Some offshore gambling sites have a restricted list of
states they can’t service. It’s important to check if your state is on this list
or not. You theoretically could end up signing up for the site and winning some
money, but they won’t legally be allowed to pay it to you.

Many of the offshore casinos we recommend on this site are happy to do
business with customers from Florida. Start your research by reading our
reviews. We think you’ll find them more complete and comprehensive than any
you’ll find on our competitors’ sites.

Also On This Page

More Gambling Laws in Florida

• Casino Games (Legal With Restrictions)
• Card Rooms (Pari-Mutuel Only)
• Sports and Race Betting (Pari-Mutuel Betting Legal)
• Lottery (Legal)
• Bingo (Legal)
• Social Gambling (Legal With Restrictions)

Casinos: Legal With Restrictions

Casinos can have card rooms that include poker and dominos. They’re also
allowed to offer other games like slot machines, blackjack and baccarat.

But craps, roulette and keno are illegal in Florida.

According to sections 849.08 and 849.11 games of chance are illegal in
Florida.

Here’s what they say:

“849.08Gambling. – Whoever plays or engages in any game at cards, keno,
roulette, faro or other game of chance, at any place, by any device whatever,
for money or other thing of value, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the
second degree

849.11Plays at games of chance by lot. – Whoever sets up, promotes or plays
at any game of chance by lot or with dice, cards, numbers, hazards or any other
gambling device whatever for, or for the disposal of money or other thing of
value or under the pretext of a sale, gift or delivery thereof, or for any
right, share or interest therein, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second
degree”

Card Rooms: Pari-Mutuel Only

According to section 849.086 of the Florida Statutes, card rooms are legal at
casinos and pari-mutuel facilities such as racetracks.

Here’s what it says about card rooms:

“It is the intent of the Legislature to provide additional entertainment
choices for the residents of and visitors to the state, promote tourism in the
state, and provide additional state revenues through the authorization of the
playing of certain games in the state at facilities known as cardrooms which are
to be located at licensed pari-mutuel facilities. To ensure the public
confidence in the integrity of authorized cardroom operations, this act is
designed to strictly regulate the facilities, persons, and procedures related to
cardroom operations. Furthermore, the Legislature finds that authorized games as
herein defined are considered to be pari-mutuel style games and not casino
gaming because the participants play against each other instead of against the
house.”

Here’s what the Florida Statutes says about methods of wagering at card
rooms:

“No wagering may be conducted using money or other negotiable currency. Games
may only be played utilizing a wagering system whereby all players’ money is
first converted by the house to tokens or chips which shall be used for wagering
only at that specific cardroom.”

According to the Department of Business & Professional Regulation website,
only poker and dominoes are allowed in cardrooms.

Here’s what it says:

“Only poker and dominoes are authorized for play within Florida’s licensed
cardrooms. Authorized games are played in a non-banking manner, which
means that the house is not a participant in the game and the players compete
only against each other.”

Sports and Race Betting: Pari-Mutuel Betting Legal

Pari-mutuel betting is legal in Florida on horse races, dog races and other
activities – but only if they take place in a pari-mutuel facility.

According to section 550.155 of the Florida statutes:

“Wagering on the results of a horserace, dograce, or on the scores or points
of a jai alai game and the sale of tickets or other evidences showing an
interest in or a contribution to a pari-mutuel pool are allowed within the
enclosure of any pari-mutuel facility licensed and conducted under this chapter
but are not allowed elsewhere in this state, must be supervised by the division,
and are subject to such reasonable rules that the division prescribes.”

Here’s a question and answer from Department of Business & Professional
Regulation website regarding greyhound betting online:

“Q. The Internet offers wagering on greyhound races in Florida and other
states; is this legal?

A. The Florida Attorney General is of the opinion that this type of activity
is illegal. The only place that pari-mutuel wagering can be carried out in
Florida is at a pari-mutuel wagering track or fronton.”

Lottery: Legal

Florida has a state regulated lottery.

According to the Florida Lottery website:

“The Florida Lottery is responsible for contributing more than $31 billion to
education and sending more than 750,000 students to college through the Bright
Futures Scholarship Program. The Florida Lottery reinvests 98 percent of its
revenue back into Florida’s economy through prize payouts, commissions to more
than 13,000 Florida retailers and transfers to education. Since 1988, Florida
Lottery games have paid more than $52.4 billion in prizes and made more than
1,900 people millionaires”

Games include:

• Powerball
• Mega Millions
• Florida Lotto
• Cash4Life
• Lucky money
• Fantasy 5
• Pick 5
• Pick 4
• Pick 3
• Pick 2
• Millionaire Raffle
• scratch offs that range from $1-$25 games

Bingo: Legal

Best Poker Casinos In Florida Gulf Coast

Bingo for profit at casinos as well as bingo for nonprofit charities are both
legal.

Here’s what section 849.0931 of the Florida statutes has about authorizing
bingo games for nonprofits:

“None of the provisions of this chapter shall be construed to prohibit or
prevent charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organizations engaged in charitable,
civic, community, benevolent, religious, or scholastic works or other similar
endeavors, which organizations have been in existence and active for a period of
3 years or more, from conducting bingo games or instant bingo, provided the
entire proceeds derived from the conduct of such games, less actual business
expenses for articles designed for and essential to the operation, conduct, and
playing of bingo or instant bingo, are donated by such organizations to the
endeavors mentioned above. In no case may the net proceeds from the conduct of
such games be used for any other purpose whatsoever. The proceeds derived from
the conduct of bingo games or instant bingo shall not be considered solicitation
of public donations.”

Social Gambling: Legal With Restrictions

According to Section 849.085 of the Florida Statutes, certain games are
allowed at home.

Here’s what it says about these games known as penny-ante games:

” (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it is not a crime for a
person to participate in a game described in this section if such game is
conducted strictly in accordance with this section.

(2) As used in this section:

(a) “Penny-ante game” means a game or series of games of poker, pinochle,
bridge, rummy, canasta, hearts, dominoes, or mah-jongg in which the winnings of
any player in a single round, hand, or game do not exceed $10 in value.

(b) “Dwelling” means residential premises owned or rented by a participant in
a penny-ante game and occupied by such participant or the common elements or
common areas of a condominium, cooperative, residential subdivision, or mobile
home park of which a participant in a penny-ante game is a unit owner, or the
facilities of an organization which is tax-exempt under s. 501(c)(7) of the
Internal Revenue Code. The term “dwelling” also includes a college dormitory
room or the common recreational area of a college dormitory or a publicly owned
community center owned by a municipality or county.

(3) A penny-ante game is subject to the following restrictions:

(a) The game must be conducted in a dwelling.”

According to the above information, penny-ante games such as poker, rummy,
etc. can take place in a residential area if each hand or round doesn’t go over
$10.

Gambling Venues in Florida

All casinos in Florida, which are listed below, are located on Indian
reservation land.

Games found at these casinos include:

• Texas holdem
• Bingo
• Slot machines
• Blackjack
• Baccarat
• Casino war
• Mississippi stud
• Pai Gow poker
• Spanish 21
• Let it ride
• Three card poker
• Omaha

Card rooms, slot machines and pari-mutuel betting are available at some
racetracks throughout the state that are not listed below.

1) Miccosuke Resort & Gaming

500 SW 177th Ave

Miami, FL 33194

Phone number: (305) 222-4600

2) Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee

506 S 1st ST

Immokalee, FL 34142

Phone number: (239) 658-1313

3) Seminole Casino Brighton

17735 Reservation Rd

Okeechobee, FL 34974

Phone number: (863) 467-9998

4) Seminole Casino Coconut Creek

4 – 5550 NW 40th St

Coconut Creek, FL 33073

Phone number: (954) 977-6700

5) Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood

1 Seminole Way

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314

Phone number: (866) 502-7529

6) Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa

5223 Orient Rd

Tampa, FL 33610

Phone number: (813) 627-7625

7) Seminole Classic Casino Hollywood

4150 N State Rd 7

Hollywood, FL 33021

Phone number: (954) 961-3220

History of Gambling in Florida

Slot machines and jai alai games are legalized.

Florida repeals the one-armed bandit’s slot machines only two years after they’re legalized.

The Seminole Tribe opens Florida’s first high-stakes Indian bingo hall where bingo jackpots are over $100.

“Cruises to nowhere” are simulcasting are introduced.

Seminole casinos introduce poker to their game floors.

Card rooms are legalized at pari-mutuel facilities.

Officials seize more than 350 illegal video slot machines that are found in west-central Florida countries.

Tracks and jai alai frontons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties are approved to have slot machines. The Seminole tribe opens two new locations in Tampa and Hollywood called Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

The Governor signs an agreement that allows Las Vegas-style slots, baccarat, and blackjack games to be held at the 7 Seminoles tribal casinos. The legislature approves domino games, instant bingo, and regulated poker tournaments to be held in card rooms. They also raise bet limits from $2 to $5 and allow increased hours for slot machine operators.

No-limit 24 hour a day poker games and video lottery terminals are approved at dog and horse tracks by the legislature.

Internet cafes used as fronts for gambling games are banned.

Additional Resources

This link takes you to a list of the current pari-mutuel wagering
establishments that hold an operating license for the 2017-2018 year.

This link takes you to the Florida lottery websites information page.

The Future & Your Views

Florida tribal casinos offer bingo, poker, blackjack and several other casino
games for residents to enjoy.

If you want to play roulette or craps, you’ll have to take a cruise ship that
heads to international waters or visit another state.

The only change to Florida gambling laws we see happening soon is daily
fantasy sports. There has been a push to legalize it recently.

Legalizing Florida gambling sites could be in the future, but there hasn’t
been much of a push for it.

Best Poker Casinos In Florida Casinos

Florida law enforcement hasn’t arrested anyone for gambling online, so it’s a
low-risk activity. Only you can decide what your risk tolerance is. Our advice
is to obey the law.

If you decide you’re okay with the risk, consider playing at one of the
Florida gambling sites we’ve researched and vetted here.