Pennsylvania has become the latest state to join the Multi-State Internet Agreement (MSIGA), a cross-border compact that pools the player bases of several states that support online poker.
Pennsylvania to boost online poker headcount with 150,000 players
The move is an important one and approved by Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor who has long been in favor of the move, as it is expected to help with overall liquidity, limit the influence of the black market, and give the regulated poker industry a boost, as well as boost taxes. Shapiro said:
"This is a commonsense step to support hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, grow our economy, and bring in more revenue to support our schools, our seniors, our small businesses, and more."
The MSIGA was introduced in 2014 by Delaware, which sought to overcome the fact that it was limited in its size and population, but thought about pooling its own online poker base with others from across state lines. The compact was created in collaboration with Nevada, and it has been actively looking to grow ever since.
However, the first years of growth were a snooze fest. In 2017, New Jersey finally agreed to join, and the Garden State was followed by Michigan in 2022 and not least, West Virginia in 2023. However, none of these states has quite the same heft when it comes to raw numbers.
Keystone State has an active player base of online poker players of at least 150,000 people, which will pool into the already existing player base, and help develop the US online poker scene which is competing against influential offshore websites that have been around for decades and offering advantages such as constant cash games and sizeable tournaments.
Pennsylvania’s online poker platforms go live on Monday
Now, though, as more states adopt online poker, the hope is that they will lose momentum. The launch of the MSIGA will be overseen by the state regulator, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
Pennsylvania’s launch into MSIGA will officially get underway on Monday, April 28, with BetMGM and Borgata Online confirmed as the first platforms that will launch onto the new opportunity.
Pennsylvania is also hoping to increase the tax generated from online poker, and by increasing the tournaments and cash game frequency, this is one feasible way to achieve this.
