PokerStars Hoping to Expand to More US States "In Coming Months"
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Following the landmark announcement that PokerStars and FanDuel are merging into a unified North American home for poker, casino, and sports betting, signs point toward potential further U.S. expansion.
While PokerStars is currently licensed in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, online poker is now legal in nine states. Following Maine's recent legalization, calls for PokerStars to enter new markets are growing louder.
The Road to Nevada?
In a recent response to inquiries regarding Nevada, the PokerStars Blog offered a glimmer of hope, pointing to signs that expansion could come sooner than expected.
"As advocates of regulated poker, we hope to expand to more states in the coming months and years"
"As advocates of regulated poker, we hope to expand to more states in the coming months and years. Keep an eye on our channels for updates," the post reads.
The legislative path to legalizing online poker on a state-by-state basis is notoriously difficult, as evidenced by several failed efforts, including California in 2016, North Dakota and Illinois in 2021 and New York in 2024.
However, the "PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel" integration may be the catalyst needed. FanDuel Casino already operates in West Virginia and Connecticut—states where online poker is legal, but PokerStars has yet to launch.
Additionally, FanDuel Sportsbook is legal in some capacity in 27 States.
A Brief History of PokerStars US: The Long Way Back
The current landscape is a far cry from the early 2000s. Founded in 2001, much of its early success was fueled by the "Moneymaker Effect" following Chris Moneymaker's WSOP Main Event victory, won after qualifying via an $86 PokerStars satellite.
What followed was a massive wave of interest in online poker across the U.S. When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006, several major competitors (like PartyPoker) exited the U.S. market. PokerStars, however, remained, eventually overtaking its rivals to become the largest online poker room in the world.
In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed an indictment against PokerStars and its competitors (Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker), seizing their .com domains and freezing player funds on a day dubbed "Black Friday". The DOJ accused the companies of bank fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling violations to bypass UIGEA restrictions
In the aftermath, while other sites struggled to pay back players, PokerStars settled with the DOJ for $731 million in 2012. As part of the deal, PokerStars acquired its former rival, Full Tilt Poker, and provided the funds necessary for the U.S. government to reimburse Full Tilt’s players.
PokerStars immediately worked with state regulators to make a return to the United States. Because there is no federal law legalizing online poker, the site had to launch individually in states that legalized the game.
- New Jersey (2016): PokerStars launched in New Jersey marking its first official return to U.S. soil.
- Pennsylvania (2019): It became the first licensed operator to launch in the Keystone State.
- Michigan (2021): PokerStars expanded into Michigan shortly after the state legalized online gaming.
PokerStars also subsequently launched online poker in Ontario, and undertook several brand deals in the years that followed, including partnerships with Oracle Red Bull Racing and the Detroit Red Wings.
Shared Liquidity to Boost Prize Pools
On January 1, 2023, PokerStars became the first operator to merge its Michigan and New Jersey player pools, allowing players from both states to compete against one another for larger prize pools. This created at the time the largest US online poker network.
However, despite also joining the MSIGA, there was no shared liquidity for Pennsylvania, with PokerStars citing current global operational priorities as the reason for the decision.
That didn't stop 2025's Spring Championship of Online Poker festival in North America from having guarantees of close to $6 million.
The "FanDuel" Integration
As of March 2026, PokerStars is undergoing its most significant transformation yet. Its parent company, Flutter Entertainment, announced the retirement of the standalone PokerStars software in the U.S. and Ontario.
Operations are migrating to a new platform branded as "PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel." This move integrates the poker experience into the larger FanDuel ecosystem, finally bringing Pennsylvania into the shared liquidity network with Michigan and New Jersey. This creates a unified "tri-state" player pool, drastically increasing tournament guarantees and player volume.
Could this move finally be the one to create enough momentum for PokerStars expansion into other states? Only time will tell.
