NeBlask · US market

PokerStars and the US market: no state licence

Q: Why is there US demand for PokerStars without a licence?

Demand here is search queries, not play. 15.3K searches a month from the US, the 10th of the brand's 54 markets. A query is not access, and it is not a deposit.

Q: Does a GC-BE licence work in the US?

No. Belgian Gaming Commission issues permits inside its own jurisdiction; in the US that is done by state regulators, and a licence from elsewhere does not stand in for theirs.

Q: How many complaints are there about PokerStars?

NeRating holds 18 complaints about PokerStars. These are player submissions, not a verdict on the operator, and they are not tied to the player's country — each one is broken down in NeRating.

Q: What is the Trust Score of PokerStars?

73/100, grade B. It is a summary of open signals — licences, domains, complaints, presence on platforms. The methodology page says how it is counted.

PokerStars is in no state register we hold — the brand holds licences from GC-BE, GGL and DGOJ, and they carry no weight in the US. Demand from the US is 15.3K searches a month, the 10th of the brand's 54 markets. We could not establish access from the US.

no state licence

15.3KUS queries per month

1.0%brand demand — US

18complaints in NeRating

73/100Trust Score · grade B

Records are published by state regulators themselves; the absence of a record in our database does not mean absence of a licence — we read the registries of four states — New Jersey (DGE), Pennsylvania (PGCB), Michigan (MGCB) and Delaware (Delaware Lottery) — whilst online casino is legal in seven. A map across all 52 jurisdictions is on the state legality page. NeBlask does not provide legal advice.

Brand's licences and why they are not valid in the US

Registry records · 8 licences

For PokerStars 8 licences: Belgian Gaming Commission, Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego. None of them grants the right to accept players from the USA: in the USA gambling is licensed by state, and no foreign licence is recognised here. There are no entries for the brand in the registers we read.

Access from US

No data

We have no access check result. Therefore the page neither claims the brand accepts players from the USA nor that it blocks them.

Apps in storefronts

App Store and Google Play · 9 October 2026

Application PokerStars available in US storefront, publisher — Stars Mobile Limited. It also exists in the European storefront. Reviews — 24,118, updated 22 September 2026.

App Store →

Demand from US

15.3Kqueries per month, June 2026

10USA rank among brand's markets

-0.9%vs previous month

54markets for the brand

USA share in brand demand is small. Model estimate of demand by branded queries, not revenue. Entire market — demand for casino and betting in US.

Player complaints

NeRating · latest 4 October 2026

In NeRating 18 complaints on PokerStars. Most often — other. Complaints are collected from open sources and are not tied to the player's country: this is not US statistics.

18 complaints on PokerStars in NeRating →

Nearby in US market

CoinPoker in the US Rabona in the US mBit Casino in the US Pin-Up in the US Paf in the US Betfair in the US

Frequent questions

Is PokerStars legal in the US?

PokerStars is in no state register we hold. The brand is licensed by GC-BE, GGL and DGOJ; those licences do not operate in US states, because licensing here sits at state level. We draw no legal conclusions.

Why is there US demand for PokerStars without a licence?

Does a GC-BE licence work in the US?

How many complaints are there about PokerStars?

What is the Trust Score of PokerStars?

Page sources: public state regulator registries, NeBlask search demand index and NeRating complaints. Check dates are shown at each block. How metrics are calculated — in NeBlask methodology, link in section submenu.