PokerStars has confirmed there will be no US COOP in 2025 — a decision likely to disappoint many US online poker players. The company says the series will return in a bigger way in 2026. The news first surfaced in the official PokerStars Discord server before being shared on X.
The message, posted by PS_Admin at 11:48 a.m. on September 4, read: “We can confirm we are not running a US COOP this year, while we make important improvements to ensure the series is the best it can be. The event will return in 2026, bigger and better than ever.”
Kevin Mathers reposted the message on X, writing: “Not a good sign for American online poker players as PokerStars announces through Discord (and likely other sources) that they’re canceling the US COOP series.”
PokerOrg reached out to PokerStars who confirmed the news with a short statement that read: "PokerStars (North American) Championship of Online Poker (COOP) has quickly become a highlight for our players, and we’re proud of the community it has built. While we won’t be running COOP in 2025, this is a temporary pause as we prepare for the next phase of its growth. Our priority is to ensure the COOP continues to deliver the scale, quality, and excitement our players deserve. We look forward to bringing the event back in 2026 - bigger and better than ever.
"We understand that while some players are expecting a COOP, and we hate to disappoint, we are working on initiatives for the coming weeks and months that we are confident will surprise and delight our players in North America."
Ontario COOP still running
The 2024 US COOP ran in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania last September, with total guarantees of more than $5.5 million. Players in Michigan and New Jersey competed in shared liquidity events, while Pennsylvania ran its own standalone series, as the state had not yet joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) at that time.
The 2025 US COOP cancellation echoes the developments that followed Pennsylvania’s eventual entry into MSIGA earlier this year.
PokerStars had been expected to announce it would enter the shared liquidity pool back in April 2025, but instead released a brief statement: "PokerStars recognizes and welcomes the importance of shared player pools in enhancing the poker ecosystem, but current global operational priorities mean that joining the Pennsylvania shared liquidity initiative will come at a later date… PokerStars is committed to the long-term growth of the game in the US and globally."
At that time, industry site Poker Industry PRO speculated that a “pending FanDuel merger” may have been responsible. It wrote: “As time stretches on, it becomes increasingly likely that there is more at play, and a leading theory, based on statements in the past from executives, is that the company is planning to migrate PokerStars over to its FanDuel subsidiary.”
COOP 25 is still running in Ontario from September 12–29, featuring dozens of tournaments, a $2 million series guarantee, and buy-ins ranging from $20 to $2,500. Meanwhile, WCOOP 2025 takes place on the global dot-com platform from September 7 to October 1, with $65 million guaranteed.
