New partypoker powered network joins the Pennsylvania online poker market
Since introducing state-regulated online poker in November 2019, Pennsylvania has played home to a lone poker operator. PokerStars PA has enjoyed a monopoly on the state’s regulated online poker market for the past 18 months, but that era came to an end Tuesday.
BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker went live in Pennsylvania Tuesday morning. The pair of online poker sites share the same player pool, and both bear the “Powered by partypoker U.S. Network” branding that’s become standard on partypoker’s U.S.-based poker platforms.
The BetMGM/Borgata Poker network launch brings the number of regulated online poker networks in Pennsylvania to two. A WSOP/888poker network will also launch at some point, with that site expected to go live before the end of the year.
BetMGM/Borgata Poker PA at a glance
The launch of the BetMGM/Borgata Poker network brings the familiar slate of partypoker’s online games to the Keystone State. Pennsylvania players now enjoy access to a weekly tournament schedule that culminates in the $215 buy-in, $40,000 Guaranteed event each Sunday.
Cash games on the freshly-launched network include No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Fixed Limit Hold’em. Both No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha run at stakes up to $25/$50.
Partypoker’s version of fast-fold cash games, Fast Forward, run at $0.05/$0.10 and $0.25/$0.50. SPINS, the partypoker offering in the jackpot sit & go realm, also debuted on the BetMGM/Borgata Poker network at the time of launch.
The partypoker US Network now operates in three states, with its Pennsylvania sites joining a family of operations that also includes New Jersey and Michigan. None of the partypoker-powered platforms share player liquidity for now, but that could change if Michigan’s passage of a multijurisdictional online poker bill gives any indication.
Here’s a look at the status of regulated interstate online poker networks in the U.S.:
U.S. regulated online poker networks
| Network | States Operating | Online Skins | Merged Player Pools? |
| WSOP.com/888poker | Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware | WSOP.com (Nevada and New Jersey) 888 New Jersey, 888 Delaware | Yes* |
| Partypoker US Network | New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania | Partypoker (New Jersey) BetMGM Poker (New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania), Borgata Poker (New Jersey, Pennsylvania) | No |
| PokerStars USA | New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania | PokerStars (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan) | No |
Only the WSOP/888 network currently shares player pools in the U.S. Michigan has an interstate online poker bill in place, which allows the state’s regulated online poker networks to merge with other networks if they wish.
Pennsylvania doesn’t have such a bill, and state legislators would have to pass an interstate poker law for any Pennsylvania network to join other player pools.
Featured image source: Twitter
