PokerStars Launches First Regulated Online Poker Room in Michigan PokerStars Launches First Regulated Online Poker Room in Michigan
Key Takeaways
  • It marked the very first regulated online poker room to go live in Michigan.
  • Like in NJ and PA, its Michigan license necessarily requires the operator to ring-fence the player pool.
  • This could change in the near-term, with a bill already signed into law permitting cross-border shared liquidity.

Last Friday, Flutter — the parent company of The Stars Group — launched PokerStars Michigan, going live with casino, sports betting, and online poker into the latest US regulated market.

It was not the first launch for the company in Michigan — in the first wave last week, the operator launched an online sportsbook and casino under its FanDuel brand.

However, it did mark the very first regulated online poker room in Michigan to go live.

PokerStars “grants Michiganders access to its world-class suite of industry-leading daily tournaments,” the operator stated in a press release last Friday. “PokerStars features superior technology [and] security and has become the first choice of players all over the world.”

While the online poker launch was the highlight of last Friday’s news for many, the operator focused more on the launch of its FOX Bet sportsbook.

Calling its partnership with the media corporation a “key differentiator,” Flutter heralded its “unique assets” of Super 6 and FOX and touted its integrated account system across all three gaming properties.

“Behind FOX Bet Sportsbook, PokerStars, and Stars Casino, customers create one account for all three apps, unlocking a wide variety of exciting and entertaining options to supercharge the experience for our Michigan audience,” said Kip Levin, FOX Bet CEO.

It is the third online poker room launched by PokerStars in a regulated US market, following on from its debut in New Jersey five years ago and its launch in Pennsylvania some 15 months ago.