In a blow to its US player base, PokerStars has announced that it will not be joining the shared liquidity pool in Pennsylvania “in the short term.”
Pennsylvania joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) on April 28, with rival operators moving fast to announce they would be welcoming the new state into their player pools.
The April 28 expansion links Pennsylvania with New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan to create a pool of 38 million Americans across six states. And Pennsylvania is the largest of the states in the MSIGA, increasing the overall player pool by around 50%.
In a short statement issued on May 8, it said, “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.”
Bigger player pools equal bigger tournaments and bigger prize pools, but PokerStars players in Pennsylvania will have to wait to enjoy the benefits of shared liquidity, with no announced timeline from the operator, and no reason for the delay beyond ‘current global operational priorities.’
Industry site Poker Industry PRO has speculated that a “pending FanDuel merger” may be responsible. In a recent article 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.”
Rivals get jump as BetMGM and WSOP go head-to-head
Meanwhile, players on other sites in Pennsylvania are already enjoying the benefits of multi-state poker.
BetMGM Poker flicked the switch to a tri-state pool (Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan) at 9am ET on April 28 and celebrated the move with a big freeroll open to all players.
WSOP.com also announced the addition of Pennsylvania to its player pool, becoming the first operator to combine four states (Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Jersey and Michigan). The WSOP also capitalized on the new shared liquidity pool by announcing a four-state online bracelet series this summer. 30 online bracelets will be contested between May 31 and July 15, and they will sit on top of the 100 live bracelets up for grabs in Las Vegas this summer.
BetRivers Poker announced that after launching successfully in Pennsylvania, it would be expanding its offering this year. In a short statement on April 29, it said, “Rush Street Interactive is preparing to launch BetRivers Poker in multiple states following Pennsylvania’s entry into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) and approval of shared player liquidity.”
