WSOP has proved to be a big hit among Pennsylvania online poker players, carving out a 30% market share in the nine months since it first launched, the latest data shows. With its big Midwestern debut this week, the operator is in a strong position to repeat this success and grab a significant market share in the Michigan online poker market.
WSOP Michigan dealt its first poker hand on Monday, christening the fourth US state in which the world-famous poker brand has launched legal, regulated online poker. Just like in Pennsylvania, it goes up against the incumbent PokerStars, which was first to market, and BetMGM, which followed on soon after.
Yet, despite being late to the market, there is every reason to believe it will quickly grow its market share. Indeed, its fast follower strategy has worked out well for it so far — and it seems the WSOP is applying the same playbook in Michigan.
- Up to $100 in free play with first deposit*
- Top-quality software
- Compete for WSOP bracelets & rings
WSOP USA: State Launches Timeline
| State | When |
|---|---|
| Nevada | September 2013 |
| New Jersey | November 2013 |
| Pennsylvania | July 2021 |
| Michigan | March 2022 |
WSOP Michigan Launches with Big Bonuses and Next-Gen Software
Can the operator build on this success in Pennsylvania? Its executives certainly think so.
“We are anticipating a very successful launch in Michigan,” said Ty Stewart, WSOP Executive Director, in an exclusive statement to pokerfuse issued upon launch. “We have continued to see our market share grow over the last few months in Pennsylvania. We’ll adapt many of our same promotional strategies.”
The operator has certainly come out of the gates with a strong player offering. The WSOP MI welcome bonus is arguably the best in the market, offering a three-part bonus, which should attract both casual players and higher volume grinders — It currently ranks top in pokerfuse’s Michigan online poker reviews:
- $25 no-deposit bonus for simply signing up to WSOP MI.
- $25 bonus for any first deposit
- $1000 deposit match bonus (using bonus code
FUSEBONUS50)
On top of that, new players can enjoy Welcome Week Freerolls and a Depositor Freeroll with up to $100,000 in prize money.
Wisely, WSOP MI has gone live with 888poker’s next-generation online poker client. This is the same WSOP mobile app and desktop client currently used in Pennsylvania that has still not yet been deployed in Nevada or New Jersey. It offers a much better experience, with a slick, modern interface.
Furthermore, the operator has already stated up-front that there will be online satellites to the live WSOP series this summer, which should be a large draw. Soon, Michiganders will get their very first shot at winning a coveted WSOP gold ring — a Michigan-Exclusive Online Circuit Series with 12 rings for grabs kicks off on April 20 — and. pokerfuse also expects there to soon be an official WSOP Online bracelet series as well, just like we saw in Pennsylvania last year.
In Pennsylvania, Revenue and Cash Games Show Strong WSOP Performance
The latest data, both released from the PA online gaming regulator and from independently-tracked cash game traffic, confirm that WSOP has carved out a PA online poker market share of almost one-third. While PokerStars remains larger, this incumbent had an 18-month head start — in less than nine months, WSOP PA has grown to a sizable presence, demonstrating that it can successfully chip away at PokerStars’ dominant lead.
As reported by Poker Industry PRO earlier this month, the latest data released by the PA Gaming Control Board (PAGCB) show that Caesars Interactive Entertainment generated $878k from online poker in February, enough to claim a 30.5% market share.
Despite the shorter month, this was, by far, the operator’s best month in PA to date, exceeding even that of August 2021, when WSOP ran an official online bracelet series.
It was also the operator’s best month for market share. In fact, its market share has grown consistently over the last six months, from 21% in September, through 24% in November, and finally 30.5% last month.
This growth is mirrored in cash game traffic, monitored daily by independent industry stats tracker GameIntel and available exclusively on the PRO Data platform. Its traffic in February averaged 83 concurrent seats filled — by far, its best month to date and enough for over 25% market share (its reported revenue is slightly higher, due to its even stronger relative performance in tournaments — something one would expect, given the brand).
“We look forward to welcoming Michigan players to our platform,” Ty Stewart told pokerfuse, “providing them with some of the biggest guaranteed tournaments, exclusive WSOP Main Event Seat Satellites, and a generous loyalty program.”
WSOP Michigan is now open for players in the state.
Want to learn more? Looking to download the WSOP MI app and get in on the action? Check out our comprehensive WSOP MI Review »
