Exactly a year ago, executives from BetMGM’s parent company told Nevada regulators that the long-awaited launch of the online poker platform in Nevada was still “one year away.”
Well, that year has come and gone, and the status of BetMGM Poker in the Silver State remains as uncertain as ever.
For years, there has been speculation that BetMGM is on the verge of launching online poker in Nevada. We’ll admit — we’ve added to that speculation more than once, especially after a company representative stated the launch was coming “soon” back in 2021, albeit without offering a concrete timeline. Yet, nothing has come of it, and WSOP Online remains the only regulated online poker option available to players in the state.
MGM Resorts Interactive, the digital arm of MGM Resorts International, which owns 50% of BetMGM, was first licensed in November 2012 to operate online poker in Nevada. Since then, it has repeatedly sought and received waivers from the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) to delay launching its platform.
These waivers are effectively extensions, allowing MGM to hold onto its interactive gaming license without going live. But each year, MGM has returned to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) asking for yet another reprieve — and so far, it’s been granted every time.
Last year, the company secured its 14th such waiver. While the NGC has grown increasingly frustrated with the prolonged delays, it has continued granting extensions, acknowledging MGM’s ongoing engagement and plans for launch.
But the clock is ticking once again. That 14th waiver expires on April 24, the date of the next NGC monthly meeting.
Now or Never?
So the question is: Is BetMGM actually ready this time?
Pokerfuse reached out to the operator for a comment, but BetMGM has declined to comment on the matter. If BetMGM doesn’t launch poker in Nevada this year, it will have to return to the NGC to request a 15th waiver later this month — and this time, there’s a real chance the commission may not grant it.
With that said, there is reason to believe 2025 could finally be the year. Last year, company executives claimed they had “everything lined up” for launch.
“In terms of being prepared for [a poker] launch, we have everything lined up,” Chandler Pohl, vice president and legal counsel for MGM Resorts International, told the regulators last year. “It’s just a matter of getting to that point where we go forward.”
BetMGM already holds a license to use its PartyPoker software in Nevada, the same platform powers BetMGM Poker Michigan and BetMGM Poker New Jersey, and its parent company was granted an extension for that license in May 2024. Launching in Nevada would allow BetMGM to connect those existing pools into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), creating a tri-state network.
Even more enticing: Pennsylvania, another market where BetMGM Poker is already live and is the current largest online poker market, is on the cusp of joining the multi-state compact. If that happens, BetMGM could operate a four-state shared liquidity network spanning New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania — putting it on equal footing with WSOP, which is also positioned to run a four-state network once PA joins the compact.
Still, with all that said, it’s entirely possible BetMGM could delay its Nevada launch yet again, as it has done for over a decade. It is worth noting that Nevada only permits online poker, not online casino, a vertical where BetMGM has traditionally seen strong performance alongside sports betting. That may explain why poker has not been a top priority for the company.
Could This Be The Year?
Whether Pennsylvania’s imminent entry into the interstate compact for shared liquidity will finally prompt BetMGM to go live in Nevada remains to be seen. The company may now be in a better position to prioritize poker after focusing heavily on other verticals.
There is at least some indication that plans are in motion. In an interview with Poker Industry PRO shortly after the launch of BetMGM’s shared liquidity network in November 2024, Angus Nisbet, VP of Gaming at BetMGM, hinted at a possible Nevada launch. While he noted that the company “continues to work closely with regulators,” he also dropped a subtle hint, stating: “BetMGM is the Sportsbook born in Vegas. It’s where BetMGM Poker belongs.”
Nisbet has a point. MGM, which owns half of BetMGM, also owns a significant portion of the Las Vegas Strip, including ARIA, the iconic venue that hosts the ARIA Poker Classic and the BetMGM Poker Championship. The Championship is set to return for its fourth consecutive edition in 2025, once again running alongside the rival World Series of Poker (WSOP).
This year, the high-stakes BetMGM Poker Championship will kick off on June 30 and wrap up on July 4, overlapping with the opening days of the WSOP 2025 Main Event. As in 2024, the tournament will feature a $3 million guaranteed prize pool and a $3,500 buy-in. Online qualifiers are already underway through BetMGM Poker clients in the three US states where it operates.
With thousands of players flocking to Las Vegas for WSOP 2025, the summer presents a prime opportunity. A well-timed launch of BetMGM Poker Nevada could be the perfect way to capitalize on the seasonal surge in poker traffic.