Pennsylvania Gaming Board Says Multi-State Poker is Just Weeks Away
Pennsylvania is on the verge of joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) and online poker players could be playing in shared liquidity markets within weeks, according to state gaming officials.
PokerNews has been closely following the years-long fight to bring shared liquidity to Pennsylvania. Last month, PokerNews PA ambassador Keith Becker reported that state gaming officials anticipated Pennsylvania would join MSIGA by the second quarter of the year, which Becker speculated would be in April.
An April launch looks promising as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirmed to multiple outlets that shared liquidity was in the horizon. The PGCB told PlayPennsylvania on Thursday that MSIGA could "launch within the next couple of weeks" and later confirmed as much to Pokerfuse.
On Friday, PGCB Director of Communications Douglas Harbach told PokerNews that "the PA Gaming Control Board does expect some of the current operators to offer play through the multi-state agreement with(in) the next two weeks."
Shared Liquidity Coming to PA
Several online poker platforms currently operate in Pennsylvania in a ring-fenced market, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP), PokerStars, BetMGM Poker and the recently launched Bet Rivers Poker. It isn't immediately clear which operators will choose to expand to the shared liquidity market.
PokerStars US has a shared liquidity market that includes players from Michigan and New Jersey. The PokerStars PA client recently wrapped up its Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) with winners including two-time bracelet winner Zach ”KennyTheRipper” Gruneberg. The series awarded nearly $2.5 million in prize money.
Meanwhile, WSOP has a shared liquidity market that includes New Jersey and Nevada.
With its population of 13 million, online poker advocates see Pennsylvania joining the MSIGA as a significant victory for the cause.
Keith Becker is an American poker player based out of Pennsylvania. A former member of PokerStars Team Pro Online, Becker is now a PokerNews Ambassador and Streamer. Becker has been streaming poker on Twitch since Day 1 of regulated poker in Pennsylvania and has led a grassroots movement for PA to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
