Starting later today, BetMGM Poker is expected to join its competitors in sharing traffic between Michigan and New Jersey. The site has been live in Michigan since 2021 and in New Jersey for even longer, but until now, players have only been able to compete against others from their own state.
BetMGM’s VP of Gaming, Angus Nisbet, confirmed the change in a press release on Wednesday.
This is a landmark day for our poker product as we combine player pools in select markets. With the introduction of shared liquidity, we’ve listened to players’ desire for more games and larger prize pools. By showcasing our best-in-class omnichannel experience – spanning property, sports betting and online casino – we’re committed to providing an unparalleled poker experience for our players.
The company’s poker servers were down for maintenance Wednesday morning before returning to service with the combined pools available.
Michigan’s Multi-State Integration Has Been Slow
Shortly after legalizing online poker in 2020, state lawmakers passed a bill to permit the Michigan Gaming Control Board to enter a compact with other regulators for purposes of multi-state poker. The 2020 gambling bill prohibits other sorts of cross-border compacting, mainly to protect the state lottery from the prospect of multi-state slots jackpots that could rival its top prizes.
It took until 2022 for Michigan to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), however. It wasn’t until January 1, 2023 that the first site—PokerStars—began dealing hands at tables shared with New Jersey.
Delaware, West Virginia and Nevada are also part of MSIGA. However, there are no poker sites operating in Delaware or West Virginia currently, and WSOP is the only operator able to link Nevada with New Jersey and Michigan.
The news of traffic-sharing at BetMGM Poker comes hot on the heels of the departure of Luke Staudenmeier as the Director of Poker at BetMGM. Staudenmeier held the position for exactly three years, from October 2021 until last month, according to his LinkedIn profile. There’s no word yet on his replacement, but a change in leadership could mean more changes for BetMGM Poker players in Michigan, aside from being able to play against their peers in New Jersey.
Busy Times for US Online Poker
Recent months have been unusually exciting for US online poker. Compared to other online gambling verticals, very little happened in the online poker space in 2023 or the first half of 2024. However, in rapid succession we’ve seen the arrival of a new operator, the sale of another, and the expansion of the multi-state poker compact.
Pennsylvania is the most populous state with legal online poker in the US. So, one of the most common questions asked by poker players has been whether and when it would join MSIGA. Finally, official word came down in October that the gears are turning and that it will eventually link up with Michigan and the others, although it might take a while. When it does, the multi-state poker pool will grow by over 50%.
No wonder BetMGM Poker felt that this was the time to develop the technological capabilities to take advantage of that.
Perhaps for similar reasons, BetRivers launched its long-awaited poker product, built on technology it acquired from Phil Galfond’s project, Run It Once. BetRivers also happens to be the only operator with access to Delaware, so players in that state may find their way back into the multi-state pool eventually.
Meanwhile, Caesars has moved in the opposite direction, selling the World Series of Poker brand to international operator GGPoker.
GGPoker already runs the online version of WSOP in Ontario. For the time being, Caesars and its poker technology partner Evoke will continue to operate the tri-state WSOP.com network in the US. However, speculation is that this, too, will eventually go over to GGPoker and its owner NSUS, which has held a supplier’s license in Pennslyvania since 2021.
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