Montana has one of the strictest stances towards online poker in the country. The state doesn’t regulate any real-money online poker operators and has recently effectively restricted even sweepstakes online poker sites.
This means that the only alternative for Montana poker players to play their favorite variations is to sign up with offshore sites.
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Leading crypto site On this page, we’ll delve deeper into the regulatory landscape of the Big Sky Country state and share our top recommendation for the best offshore poker site for Montana players.
Can I Play Online Poker in Montana?
Yes, you can play online poker in Montana, albeit only on offshore poker platforms. Montana doesn’t have any state-licensed operators you can choose from. Moreover, since the state recently clamped down on sweepstakes poker platforms, this is also no longer an option for Montana online poker players.
Montana Online Poker Facts
| Available options | Offshore sites |
| State-regulated poker sites | Not available |
| Age limit for Montana online poker | 18+ |
| Best MT poker site | CoinPoker |
Best Online Poker Sites in Montana
Unfortunately, Montana poker players don’t have many online poker sites available to them. That said, we’ve done thorough research to bring you the top option for playing real-money online poker in Montana:
CoinPoker – The Best Pick for Montana Players
CoinPoker is currently the premier choice for Montana players looking to play real-money poker. This cryptocurrency-focused online poker platform offers No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Pot Limit Omaha 5 games. You can find heads-up, four-handed, and seven-handed tables on its platform.
The site has also prepared a generous 150% welcome bonus of up to $2,000, available to all new players. Regulars can take advantage of a 33% rakeback offer if they choose to utilize the platform’s CHP coin.
CoinPoker offers action-packed and soft games, with daily & monthly cash game and tournament leaderboards. The former offers a $1,000 daily prize pool, while the latter offers a $15,000 prize pool.
Free Poker vs Real-Money Games
Sweepstakes poker sites operate differently from traditional real-money poker rooms. In standard real-money games, players deposit funds directly and wager them for cash prizes. These sites require state-level gambling licenses and are only legal where online gambling is regulated.
Sweepstakes poker, however, uses a dual-currency system that separates gameplay from direct monetary wagering. Instead of buying chips with cash value, players purchase virtual Gold Coins for entertainment and receive free-to-play Sweepstakes Coins as a promotional bonus.
Sweepstakes Model Explained
Here’s how the sweepstakes model works in practice. Let’s say a player purchases a 200,000 Gold Coin package for $20 on a sweepstakes poker site. Along with those Gold Coins, which are for fun play only, the player receives 20 Sweepstakes Coins as a bonus.
These Sweepstakes Coins can be used to play real poker tournaments or cash-style games. If the player wins and their balance grows to 200 Sweepstakes Coins, they can redeem that amount for $200 in cash prizes.
This system ensures the game is technically free to enter, as Sweepstakes Coins can also be obtained through daily logins, mail-in requests, or social media giveaways. This keeps the operation legal under sweepstakes laws rather than gambling statutes. This system has worked in Montana in the past, up until the state specifically decided to put an end to sweepstakes betting.
Regulation Landscape in Montana
The regulatory environment for online poker and internet gaming in Montana is quite strict. As of now, there is no licensing framework in the state for real‑money online poker platforms. Traditional online casino-style gambling, where real money is deposited, wagered, and redeemed, is explicitly prohibited under state law.
Moreover, a significant change emerged in 2025 for sweepstakes poker sites as well. On May 12, Governor Greg Gianforte signed Senate Bill 555, which broadens the definition of “internet gambling” in Montana to include any platform that “allows consumers to place a bet or wager using any form of currency, and makes payouts of any form of currency.”
Because the sweepstakes‑style model uses virtual coins or dual‑currency systems that are redeemable for prizes or cash, SB 555 effectively banned these sweepstakes poker platforms for Montana residents starting October 1, 2025.