Less than one month ago, Pennsylvania officials revealed the state’s plan to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), allowing poker players to compete against their peers in five other states. That appears to have kicked off a series of moves by US gambling operators eager to take advantage of that potential. How do those new developments change what Pennsylvania poker fans should expect from the shared market when it opens?
There are two main stories to focus on here:
- BetMGM Poker has just announced the sharing of player pools between its New Jersey and Michigan sites.
- In addition, BetRivers debuted its long-awaited new poker product right here in Pennsylvania at the beginning of this month.
The timing of these pieces of news suggests that the companies knew that Pennsylvania online poker was preparing to go multi-state, and they wanted to be ready for it. Once that happens, poker traffic in all states should increase.
The direct impact on Pennsylvania players is that there may be as many as four multi-state poker operators by the time the state’s entry to MSIGA is complete. A few weeks ago, that number was just two.
How Pennsylvania can change the poker landscape amid recent developments
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has been given permission, under the instruction of Gov. Josh Shapiro, to start entering talks to join MSIGA. There has been no update on a timeline, the PGCB told PlayPennsylvania on Wednesday.
Despite that, Pennsylvania’s membership in MSIGA is a matter of when, not if. Of the states involved in the compact, which include New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, Delaware, and West Virginia, Pennsylvania is the largest state by far.
Even without shared liquidity, the Keystone State produced $21.2 million in poker revenue this year, almost the same as the $21.3 million that New Jersey made while networking with Nevada and Michigan.
Michigan does not report poker revenue separately. However, its overall iGaming numbers are in lockstep with New Jersey’s, and there’s no reason to assume poker would be different.
Pennsylvania joining MSIGA benefits poker players and operators
The Keystone State is the most populous of all legal online poker states and has a thriving poker community, online and offline. All of that means it will be a game-changer for the industry once the state can start sharing traffic with other MSIGA members.
Players in Pennsylvania would not have to play each other anymore. At a minimum, they will have a chance to test their talents against others in New Jersey and Michigan. Some will have access to more states, depending on the operator. WSOP also includes Nevada in its network, while BetRivers has the potential to add Delaware, as it is the state lottery’s exclusive iGaming partner. West Virginia is also waiting in the wings, having joined MSIGA but failed to attract any operators thus far.
After several months of waiting, BetMGM finally announced this week the expansion of player and prize pools between New Jersey and Michigan. When Pennsylvania is added, that will only raise the stakes for players, especially in terms of prize money.
BetMGM gets to test out the product in those two states before the Keystone State is ready, which would drive many new players to the app.
PokerStars leads the Pennsylvania poker industry, having generated $11.9 million in year-to-date (YTD) revenue, followed by WSOP’s $4.4 million. BetMGM is third in the market, producing $3.7 million.
Pennsylvania joining MSIGA would benefit PokerStars and WSOP the same way it does BetMGM. While the news is great for all parties, the pecking order would likely remain the same.
Remaining unknowns for PA online poker
There are a few things we know for sure about the Pennsylvania poker industry. That includes the state’s plans to enter MSIGA in the not-too-distant future. That disruption will bring with it some unknowns, however.
While it’s known that PA joining the compact is a win for the industry, it could take some time for operators to begin the pooling process. For example, how long will it take for platforms such as BetMGM, PokerStars, and WSOP to start including Pennsylvania players? Michigan entered MSIGA in May 2022, but it wasn’t until January 2023 that PokerStars became the first operator to begin networking. WSOP took two years to do it, starting in May 2024, and BetMGM took an additional five months beyond that. Clearly, the technological aspects can take as long as the regulatory ones.
Another question is whether WSOP will remain the only operator in Nevada. PokerStars can’t obtain a license there for historical reasons. However, BetMGM has had permission to launch online poker in Nevada for years but has yet to pull the trigger. It’s possible the operator was just waiting for the big domino to drop, namely Pennsylvania joining the compact.
It’s also unknown what BetRivers’ plans are regarding poker. Since it has exclusive access to Delaware, BetRivers can launch in other states and begin networking those immediately or wait until Pennsylvania joins MSIGA.
The question also remains whether WSOP will eventually flip over to the GGPoker platform now that GGPoker’s parent, NSUS, owns the brand.
It’ll be all hands on deck once the Keystone State joins the compact.
