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On Thursday, Corey Sharp of PlayPennsylvania reported that the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirmed to him that some of the state’s online poker rooms will be sharing traffic with other states in a matter of weeks, potentially before April is out. According to Sharp, all that remains for multi-state play to begin in Pennsylvania is a final update from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
In other states, there has often been a significant lag between entry to the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) and the actual launch of shared liquidity. However, from the sound of things, at least some of Pennsylvania’s operators are ready to go almost immediately.
The inclusion of players from Pennsylvania would represent a major upswell for current multi-state poker pools due to Pennsylvania’s population. Players should be aware that various online poker brands in the commonwealth might launch multi-state games on different schedules.
PCGB shares update on multi-state poker
Per Sharp, PGCB Communications Director Doug Harbach “shared that networked poker under the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) would ‘launch within the next couple of weeks.'” Harbach added that he expects some of the currently licensed platforms in Pennsylvania to begin sharing liquidity between states immediately after Shapiro finalizes the change.
However, Harbach did not specify which of the licensees would be among the first to offer seats in multi-state games. Five licensees currently offer intrastate games in Pennsylvania:
- BetMGM Poker
- BetRivers Poker
- Borgata Poker
- Pokerstars
- WSOP.com
Among those platforms, BetMGM Poker/Borgata Poker (Borgata is a BetMGM brand) and WSOP.com seem best-positioned to offer the largest volumes of multi-state games quickly. BetMGM currently shares liquidity between Michigan and New Jersey.
WSOP.com does the same in addition to Delaware and Nevada. PokerStars is live in Michigan as well while Pennsylvania is the maiden market for BetRivers Poker.
For all of these brands, adding players from Pennsylvania to interstate pools could represent a massive expansion of the scope of such games.
Pennsylvania players signal significant boost
Pennsylvania ranks among the top five most-populated states in the United States, with an estimated population than nearly matches the populations of Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey combined. That player base helps make Pennsylvania the most lucrative market for regulated online casino play in the US currently.
For example, Pennsylvania iGaming revenue in February of $261.5 million bested New Jersey’s $228 million and Michigan’s $222.6 million. While online poker represents a small percentage of those winnings, this development could escalate that action.
Operators like BetMGM Poker and WSOP.com are likely to not only offer more events but bigger prize pools for players to share in. Regulated multi-state online poker games are about to reach a new level due to Pennsylvania’s inclusion and players in other states will benefit.
