There is some good news for all fans of online poker in Alberta, as PokerStars on FanDuel has made it official that it will be coming back to the province shortly.
As expected, the operator will reenter the newly regulated market under its new branding. While the PokerStars brand continues in the international market, the PokerStars on FanDuel brand has taken over in all of North America: Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ontario, and, soon, Alberta.
The company sent out an official notification earlier today, letting all players know that the poker desktop client and mobile apps will be coming shortly and inviting everyone to get ready for the big day.
PokerStars on FanDuel Joins 888
The regulated market went live in Alberta last week, and 888 was the first operator to offer online poker in the province. Its platform went live on October 13 and, so far, 888 is the only regulated poker site available.
This is about to change, though, as PokerStars on FanDuel Alberta will be entering the mix shortly. While no specifics were revealed in the message sent to the players, the process shouldn’t take too long. The operator has all the pieces in place and plenty of experience from the Ontario launch, so it should be a smooth transition.
Like in Ontario, players will need to create new accounts, and there will be no migration of old PokerStars accounts to the new platform. Everyone is going to have to create a FanDuel account, which they can do already via the casino site.
While the players will have to go through the whole process of opening a fresh account, the positive side of this is that they’ll also qualify for a fresh welcome bonus, which the operator will likely reveal in the near future.
Players who sign up early via the FanDuel Casino app can also take advantage of the casino welcome bonus, subject to the offer’s terms and eligibility requirements. They’ll also be able to receive notifications from the operator, helping them stay informed about the upcoming poker launch.
Is Shared Liquidity in the Cards?
As things stand right now, PokerStars on FanDuel will probably launch as a ring-fenced site, catering only to Alberta players. This is exactly what 888 did earlier this month.
Legally speaking, there is nothing preventing Alberta and Ontario from bringing their player pools together, as Canada’s Supreme Court already ruled this type of agreement wouldn’t break any laws. The Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC) recently told Poker Industry PRO that it is “actively looking at shared liquidity pools within Canada,” indicating that a combined player pool between the two provinces could become reality in the near future.
When it comes to sharing player pools with the international market, Ontario brought the matter before the Supreme Court. During the October 7 hearing, the Court heard arguments from the interested parties, and Alberta intervened in support of Ontario. The decision on the matter is pending, and there is no timeline as to when the resolution might come.
The wording in the email PokerStars on FanDuel sent out to the players indicates that the operator will not wait for shared liquidity. The room will probably go live in the very near future, catering only to Alberta players to start with, and expanding when and if possible.
For all the fans of online poker in the province, this is great news. We expect the launch to be accompanied by a variety of promotions and special tournaments to drive engagement, which should result in quite a bit of value, especially for those who sign up early on.
