We have been invited by the compact and are awaiting paperwork from them to review.
Pennsylvania is making steady progress toward joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for cross-border online poker play, with the first sites offering shared liquidity now expected as early as the first quarter of 2025, pokerfuse can exclusively reveal.
In a statement to pokerfuse on Monday morning, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) Communications Director, Doug Harbach confirmed that Pennsylvania has officially been invited to join the compact and is currently awaiting the necessary paperwork for review.
“We have been invited by the compact and are awaiting paperwork from them to review,” Harbach told pokerfuse. “If we are in agreement and can sign off to formally join, the process will still take a bit more time as we work with the operators and assure that all tenets of the law and PGCB regulations are being met.”
When asked about the timeline for PA operators to go live with shared liquidity, he stated that a launch is likely to occur in the first quarter of 2025.
If there are no delays, this timeline suggests that Pennsylvania online poker rooms with operations in other states — PokerStars PA, BetMGM Poker PA, Borgata Poker PA and WSOP PA — could connect with those other states in the compact before the start of the 2025 World Series of Poker which is scheduled to kick off on May 27, 2025.
MSIGA is currently comprised of five states — Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan and West Virginia. Initially formed in February 2014 between Nevada and Delaware, the compact expanded to include New Jersey in October 2017. Michigan joined in May 2022, followed by West Virginia in November 2023.
Pennsylvania’s addition will make it the sixth state to join the agreement and the largest of all.
States of the MSIGA
| US State | Online Poker Launched | Joined MSIGA | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | Nov 2013 | Feb 2014 | 1.0 million |
| Nevada | Apr 2013 | Feb 2014 | 3.1 million |
| New Jersey | Nov 2013 | Oct 2017 | 9.2 million |
| Michigan | Jan 2021 | May 2022 | 10.0 million |
| West Virginia | - | Nov 2023 | 1.8 million |
| Pennsylvania | Nov 2019 | - | 13 million |
| Total | - | - | 38.1 million |
Few Steps Remain
Before Pennsylvania online poker sites can merge liquidity with their counterparts in other states, a few steps remain. According to the PGCB, the state will first review the compact and may request amendments if necessary.
Any changes are unlikely to cause significant delays; for instance, when Michigan joined MSIGA, minor revisions were made and accepted by other member states within a couple of months. Once the review is completed and all parties are in agreement, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro will need to sign the agreement for final approval.
Once the agreement is signed, operators seeking to merge their Pennsylvania player pools will need regulatory approval. This step is also not expected to take too long.
While the PGCB anticipates a launch by Q1 2025, even if there is a delay extending into Q2, operators should still be ready well in time for the 2025 WSOP, with shared liquidity likely going live before summer.
Which PA Operators to Benefit from Shared Liquidity and How?
For WSOP, Pennsylvania’s entry into the compact would be a significant advantage. WSOP already operates a tri-state shared liquidity network connecting New Jersey, Michigan, and Nevada. Currently, WSOP is the sole regulated online poker provider in Nevada. Adding WSOP PA to the mix would create a four-state network, the first of its kind in the US.
This expansion would allow WSOP PA players to compete for online bracelets alongside NJ, MI, and NV players on WSOP Online, leading to larger tournament pools and improved game offerings.
PokerStars and BetMGM (which includes Borgata Poker PA on its network) would also benefit from Pennsylvania joining the compact. Both operators already run shared liquidity networks linking MI and NJ players. While PokerStars has been operating its network for nearly two years, BetMGM only recently launched shared liquidity.
BetMGM, in particular, is poised to gain a competitive edge. The operator has indicated plans to launch in Nevada by 2025 summer, according to statements made to Nevada regulators earlier this year. If this happens and Pennsylvania becomes a member of MSIGA, BetMGM’s shared liquidity network could connect four states—MI, NJ, NV, and PA—by next summer.
PokerStars, though further from a Nevada launch, would still see significant benefits. Its large Pennsylvania player pool, combined with NJ and MI, could push it to the top of the regulated US online poker market.
Newly launched BetRivers Poker, currently only live in PA, would also have the opportunity to merge its player pool with other states like Michigan and New Jersey once it expands to these states. BetRivers also has access to the Delaware market, which operates a monopoly, enabling it to create a four-state network. However, Delaware, like Nevada, remains a relatively small market.
Regardless, Pennsylvania’s addition to the compact would be a major development, increasing competition across the board.
Long Time Coming
Pennsylvania joining the compact has been a long time coming. For years, discussions about the state joining MSIGA were stalled, either due to the Wire Act case or a lack of prioritization by successive governors.
To push things forward, pokerfuse launched the advocacy campaign #GrowPAPoker earlier this year, urging poker players to contact Governor Josh Shapiro and request action to join the compact.
Thanks to the overwhelming support we received (which may or may not have influenced the governor’s decision), progress was finally made. In October, Governor Shapiro sent a letter to the PGCB, directing the regulator to pursue Pennsylvania’s membership in MSIGA. This crucial step set the process in motion, and later that month, the PGCB unanimously voted at their monthly meeting to begin the process of implementing interstate shared liquidity for online poker in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is the largest state where online poker is legal with a population of over 13 million, and its entry into the compact would have a major impact, creating much larger player pools. For instance, PokerStars PA has traffic comparable to its combined MI+NJ network. Integrating Pennsylvania into the network could nearly double its player base. The same holds true for other operators.
However, PA players will need to wait a few more months before they can join the broader player pool and enjoy the benefits of shared liquidity.
