It’s been nine months since the speculation of FanDuel Poker — the idea that the leading US sportsbook would merge with the iconic international online poker brand PokerStars — first swirled.
On paper, it makes sense. FanDuel has no online poker; PokerStars has no online sportsbook. They are owned by the same company, Flutter Entertainment, but efforts in licensing and marketing in the United States are duplicated. Moving poker over to FanDuel saves money, brings all their US customers onto one platform, and puts it on a level playing field with the competition — most of which already offer online poker next to casino and sports betting.
And it would also explain a lot. Like why PokerStars US has yet to combine its Pennsylvania player pool with Michigan and New Jersey while all its competitors jumped at the chance, and why it canceled USSCOOP last fall, breaking a decade-long tradition. The company is preparing it all for a big branding relaunch.
Yet in the intervening months, there has been scant public progress. Beyond vague hints at “building a broader foundation” for US online poker and something “bigger and better” coming, nothing concrete has developed.
That is, until now. According to a report on PRO today, there are now multiple signals that there is genuine progress behind the scenes, and that a merger between the two brands could be imminent.
The evidence presented is threefold. One, new subdomains on FanDuel.com suggest that there is testing of a poker client in New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania under combined PokerStars-FanDuel branding. Two, new job posts for poker roles at FanDuel have been spotted. And three, a long-time product manager at PokerStars made a move to FanDuel, also apparently into a poker role.
These three developments combined confirm that poker on FanDuel is coming, and the subdomains in particular suggest that testing for the platform is already underway. The fact that the pages appear to mention PokerStars also indicates that FanDuel will be utilizing the PokerStars product rather than something in-house or from another Flutter division.
It is still not clear exactly what a PokerStars-FanDuel tie-in will look like. It could be a whole move from one brand to the other, with FanDuel Poker becoming the only brand in the US. Or it could be some form of “FanDuel Powered by PokerStars” combination. In theory, the company may operate both brands, each a skin on a shared network.
Whatever it looks like, the change will benefit US online poker players in many ways.
First, the company will certainly combine the Pennsylvania site with Michigan and New Jersey. We’re presuming that the reason for the delay is that, with poker moving to FanDuel licensing, there would be no point in seeking authorization for multi-state liquidity in PA until the move takes place. Presumably, once complete, forming a three-state network will be the first priority for FanDuel Poker. Potentially, it could happen from Day 1.
Second, it should mean a renewed focus on the US online poker division overall. As noted, the company postponed COOP last fall, again indicating that the company was in something of a holding pattern regarding its poker product. Once joined up, hopefully it should unlock resources to start promoting and growing online poker again. It will open up the PokerStars online poker platform to millions of existing FanDuel customers, who should now just be a few clicks away from trying out online poker, integrated into the same platform.
We could see a big push when FanDuel Poker launches, with potentially a big new tournament series brand, new signup and reload bonuses, and a refresh of the weekly schedule. We might see expansion and investment into the NAPT.
Longer term, the move positions the company to take advantage of new US markets. For example, take online poker in West Virginia: This state regulated online poker many years ago, but to date just one site, BetRivers Poker, has taken advantage of the opportunity. The market was clearly not large enough to attract a site like PokerStars to seek licensing. FanDuel, however, is already licensed in the state, and already offers online casino games to West Virginians. Expanding this to online poker would be logical. This move won’t be immediate, but it should be on the radar.
Another potential: Online Poker in Maine. The state passed online casino and poker regulation just a few weeks ago, and should attract four licensed online operators. Rush Street has already shown its interest and right now stands as the best hope for online poker in the state. But if FanDuel were to seek licensing, and if multi-state online poker were possible, it would seem a logical next step for the site’s online poker network, and not one available to PokerStars.
Put this together, and it is quite possible that FanDuel Poker could be a five-state US online poker network in a year’s time. And looking further ahead, as more states legalize online poker, having FanDuel as the cornerstone for online poker makes it much easier for the company to expand its network. When a new state — whether it is Virginia, Illinois or another — does pass online poker regulation, the company will be there at the front of the pack for licensing.
Still, despite these positive recent developments, there is still no official word from the company and no clear timeline. The next major financial release is the company’s Q4 and full year results, scheduled for next week: All eyes should be on that to see if there’s any concrete news.
