Doug Bonjour is a veteran sportswriter with more than a decade of experience, including in the realm of sports betting. He’s written for the New York Times, Associated Press, CBS Sports and Hearst Connecticut Media...
Read Full BioMulti-state online poker may soon become legal in Pennsylvania, allowing players to compete with their peers in Michigan, New Jersey, and even Nevada.
Gov. Josh Shapiro still needs to give final approval. However, the state’s Gaming Control Board (PGCB) told PlayPennsylvania that networked poker under the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) would launch “within the next couple of weeks.”
“We continue to work internally and with online poker operators to get the shared liquidity market up sometime in April,” Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Communications Director Doug Harbach said. “The agreement would, of course, be signed prior to that launch.”
For Pennsylvania — the United States’ fifth-most populous state — joining MSIGA would ostensibly mean higher player and prize pools for participants.
Keystone State a Big Player in iGaming
Five operators currently offer online poker in Pennsylvania: BetMGM, BetRivers, Borgata, Pokerstars, and WSOP.com.
With a population of approximately 13 million people, Pennsylvania has separated itself as one of the most lucrative markets in the US for regulated iGaming. The Keystone State generated $2.1 billion in revenue in 2024, a 25.25% increase from 2023’s total of $1.7 billion.
That is nearly on par with New Jersey and Michigan, which reported revenue of $2.39 billion and $2.2 billion last year, respectively. Only four other states have legal iGaming: Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
Poker Could Be Key Economic Driver in Pennsylvania
Shapiro’s stance on the MSIGA is no secret. The Pennsylvania governor expressed his support last October in a letter to the PGCB, requesting that they “begin the process of negotiating the Commonwealth’s entrance into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.”
Unsurprisingly, Shapiro cited finances as a key factor.
“Pennsylvania should capitalize on our status as a leader in legalized gaming, and join this compact, which would bring in additional revenue for the Commonwealth and allow players more gaming options,” he said. “My administration is prepared to do our part to help Pennsylvania compete in the gaming sector and continue to build a strong economy that works for everyone.”
For now, Pennsylvanians can only play online poker against other state residents. This has been the case since online poker was legalized statewide in 2017.
With larger player pools, tournament prize money will also likely increase.
