Sponsored Content | Digital Free Press
Online poker in the United States has hit a new milestone with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirming that some of its online poker rooms will share traffic with other states in a couple of weeks. This new development means that Pennsylvania will be joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) as of April 2025.
In October 2024, Pennsylvania’s Governor, Josh Shapiro, directed the PGCB to examine whether the state could join the MSIGA. Following that directive, the gaming board considered this possibility and asked to join, as directed. With the agreement signed, Pennsylvania will be the sixth state to enter the compact, aligning with New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, Michigan, and West Virginia.
With larger tournaments and bigger games expected to take over the online poker space, players must have a deep understanding of the dynamics of online poker if they want to increase their winnings. To understand these dynamics, players need a good grasp of various statistics that influence gameplay. Players will need to have a go to resource for online poker statistics that can offer them insights on ways to examine and improve their performances. With more games available, many players will be relying on these statistics to develop strategies and make data-driven decisions.
The PGCB has played a crucial role in making this transition happen. Doug Harbach, the organization’s Communications Director, shared that the board has been working closely with online poker platforms to make shared liquidity a reality. By joining the MSIGA, Pennsylvania is helping to build a more connected and stronger online poker community across the United States. Experts see this development as a game-changer, with many saying it could push more states to join in the future.
The inclusion of Pennsylvania in the gaming agreement will have a ripple effect on the online poker community, which will benefit both the gaming companies and players. The current five-member states in the MSIGA have a player pool with a population of about 25.7 million. Pennsylvania will increase the player pool by over 50% with its population of 12.9 million (according to its 2023 census). The increase in players allows gaming companies to reap from this new influx of players.
Players both in Pennsylvania and other states will benefit largely from this development. Platforms such as BetMGM Poker and WSOP are expected to offer more events and bigger prize pools for players to share. With Pennsylvania’s player base added to the existing pool, tournaments will attract more participants, resulting in higher guarantees and more frequent games. Cash game traffic is also expected to rise, giving players more table options and varied stakes throughout the day. Between the 2023-2024 fiscal period, over $2.1 billion was generated in revenue from online gambling alone.
Pennsylvania is expected to join the multi-state pool before April runs out. While the state awaits the final green light from Governor Josh Shapiro, all that is left is for the gaming outlets affected by this addition to make changes to their software to allow those in Pennsylvania and other member states to engage in interstate poker competitions.
