“We’re very interested in expanding poker into both Ontario and Alberta if and when the time is right”
BetRivers Poker has reiterated its strong interest in expanding into the Canadian market — but only in a scenario where liquidity sharing between Canada and the US becomes possible.
In an exclusive interview with Poker Industry PRO, Jason Senti, Head of Poker at Rush Street Interactive (RSI), said the operator is watching both Ontario and Alberta online poker markets closely.
“We’re very interested in expanding poker into both Ontario and Alberta if and when the time is right,” Senti told PRO. “Canada has a strong poker culture and a deep player base that aligns perfectly with what we’ve built at BetRivers.”
Still, he stressed that any move into online poker in Canada hinges on how cross-border poker networks are structured.
“[A] lot depends on how the regulatory framework develops … whether those provinces choose to allow liquidity sharing with the US-regulated market,” Senti added.
Ontario Court Clears Cross-Border Poker
Senti’s remarks come just days after a landmark ruling from the Ontario Court of Appeal. The province’s highest court confirmed that Ontario online poker players can legally compete in international peer-to-peer games, provided the province maintains full operational control. Four of the five judges agreed that this approach does not violate the federal Criminal Code.
The ruling is significant: it clears a key legal pathway for Ontario to reconnect with global player pools or, more relevant to BetRivers, to potentially link with regulated US states.
But the path forward is far from straightforward. The decision may still be appealed, which could slow progress. Beyond that, Ontario has not yet indicated which direction it intends to take. It could explore returning to international pools, seek partnerships with EU-regulated markets, consider cross-border play with the US, or pursue some combination of these options. Any route will require building an entirely new regulatory framework for cross-border poker, including compliance rules and operational standards, a process that will take time.
The court also noted that Ontario cannot automatically connect with other Canadian provinces unless a formal interprovincial agreement is established.
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Will Ontario Choose US?
Should Ontario ultimately pursue alignment with the US, iGaming attorney Jeff Ifrah says the province could join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), calling that possibility “100% possible.” At the same time, he cautions that Ontario currently appears more focused on EU markets than on MSIGA. For now, the province’s next steps — and timeline — remain unclear.
“Shared liquidity between US and Canadian jurisdictions would make a huge difference for the overall player experience”
What the ruling does conclusively establish is that Ontario operators are legally permitted to let their players compete against opponents outside Canada.
In principle, this opens the door for not just BetRivers Poker, but also WSOP, PokerStars, and BetMGM to merge their Ontario pools with foreign jurisdictions, including MSIGA states: Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. If that ever comes to pass, it would represent a major milestone for North American online poker, though likely years in the making.
BetRivers Poker is currently live in four US states, all sharing the same player pool, and is preparing to launch in New Jersey as its fifth. That expansion will give BetRivers the broadest regulated footprint of any US online poker operator.
If Ontario and Alberta eventually opt into MSIGA and enable cross-border liquidity, BetRivers Poker could quickly extend its network to six or seven jurisdictions, creating one of the largest shared pools on the continent. For now, the outcome hinges on Ontario’s next regulatory steps and whether Alberta, which is scheduled to launch regulated igaming next year, follows a similar path.
“Shared liquidity between US and Canadian jurisdictions would make a huge difference for the overall player experience, and we hope that alignment happens. We’ll be ready to explore those opportunities as soon as the conditions make sense,” Senti told PRO.
