Michigan has become the fourth U.S. state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for the purposes of regulated online poker. In an announcement released earlier today, the Delaware-based Multi-State Internet Gaming Association, LLC confirmed that Michigan had been accepted into MSIGA, joining existing member states Delaware, New Jersey, and Nevada.
As with Nevada, Michigan's entry into MSIGA is online-poker only at the present time, while New Jersey and Delaware have the negotiated ability to conduct other forms of multistate online gaming as well. Michigan already passed special legislation in order to consider joining MSIGA, since its original online-gambling statutes initially banned any form of interstate online gambling activity.
Nevada and Delaware jointly created MSIGA in 2014. New Jersey joined the agreement in 2017. Michigan's membership in MSIGA awaits final ratification by the state's legislature.
"The Multi-State Internet Gaming Association welcomes Michigan to its ranks, along with its nearly 10 million residents, who can now avail themselves of a full array of interactive gaming among the association's member states," said Rebecca Satterfield, Manager of the Association and the Internet Gaming Manager for the Delaware Lottery. "The Association continues to be forward thinking and welcomes the interest of additional gaming jurisdictions in becoming party to the Agreement."
The statement appears to be an open invitation to Pennsylvania, above all other states, to join the MSIGA framework. As for Michigan, it could conduct other forms of online gambling besides poker under the MSIGA framework, though, like Nevada, it remains barred by its own state's laws from doing so at the present time.
Michigan's online poker players likely to pool on multiple networks
The Wolverine State's online poker players will find their competitive opportunities quickly increasing in the very new future. At the top of that list, numerically, will be play on WSOP.com, where Michiganders will soon be playing directly against players from the three other MSIGA states.
Michigan's entry into MSIGA could well occur within days, and may be why Michigan was omitted by WSOP.com when it announced its schedules for its late-April online Circuit offerings:
Two other regulated Michigan online-poker operators, PokerStars and BetMGM Poker, also operate in New Jersey. Those two operators may also soon pursue pooled-player services.
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