Pennsylvania poker players can add another site to the list of legal online poker options next Monday. WSOP.com is set to debut in Keystone State on July 12.
WSOP PA joins PokerStars PA and the BetMGM Poker/Borgata Poker PA networks as regulated online poker platforms operating in Pennsylvania. PokerStars PA currently draws the highest traffic for cash games of any regulated US poker site, pointing to the viability of Pennsylvania as an online poker market.
PokerStars PA debuted in November 2019, and enjoyed a monopoly on the regulated Pennsylvania market for nearly 18 months. BetMGM/Borgata Poker went live on April 27, 2021.
The July 12 debut of WSOP PA brings am third legal online poker site to Pennsylvania. The WSOP.com Twitter account broke the news in a July 5 tweet.
That tweet previews “a new and improved WSOP.com poker client”:
HUGE NEWS: https://t.co/Nnepu1Mgzb is coming soon to PA 😍 🚨 The #1 poker site in the nation will be launching on July 12. Expect the best sign up offer, the largest guarantees, and new a new and improved https://t.co/Nnepu1Mgzb poker client. pic.twitter.com/YH5xqbQEYm
— WSOP.com (@WSOPcom) July 5, 2021
WSOP PA Won’t Share Interstate Player Pools For Now
WSOP.com stands as the longest-running regulated online poker site in the US. The brand already operates legal poker sites in Nevada and New Jersey.
WSOP Pennsylvania will offer online poker with a couple of major differences to WSOP’s New Jersey and Nevada platforms. WSOP Nevada and WSOP New Jersey function as a merged platform, allowing players in each state to compete against each other. The network also connects to 888poker’s Delaware network of online poker sites.
The merged WSOP/888 player pools form the only legal interstate online poker network in the US. Known as the All-American Poker Network (AAPN), the current arrangement took its current form on May 1, 2018.
The 2018 merger allowed New Jersey players to compete in official WSOP Online events from their home state. The 2018 World Series of Poker crowned a bracelet winner from a player participating from outside of Nevada in series history.
The 2021 WSOP Online series is currently underway and runs through Aug. 1. WSOP PA won’t offer Pennsylvania players the chance to compete in this year’s online bracelet events, however.
WSOP Pennsylvania will operate as an in-state-only poker site, at least for now. Players with an already-existing WSOP.com account will have to set up a new account to play on WSOP PA.
Outlook On Interstate Online Poker In Pennsylvania
New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware function as partners in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). Under the agreement, each state allows its legal online poker sites to share player pools with sister platforms in other states.
Another state offering legal online poker, Michigan, passed a multijurisdictional online poker bill in January. The bill allows Michigan’s regulated poker sites to enter into the MSIGA, or other interstate online poker partnerships if they wish.
For WSOP PA to join the AAPN, Pennsylvania regulators would have to pass a similar bill. Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Communications Director Doug Harbach told LegalOnlinePoker.com in an April email exchange that many factors would have to be considered before a Pennsylvania interstate poker bill could take shape.
“It is important to note that since a compact would involve a contract with other states and that the contract must adhere to federal law, any agreement must be reviewed by other entities in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Harbach wrote. “So, it is not just a PGCB decision. Also, the poker operators need to agree to the provisions of any agreement.”
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