Pennsylvania Joins MSIGA

After weeks of rumors, it’s official. Pennsylvania has joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), becoming the sixth state to permit interstate wagering on games of skill, such as poker, across state lines. Delaware and Nevada first conceptualized MSIGA over a decade ago, and it now includes Michigan, New Jersey, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is a notable addition, not only because of its large population, which exceeds 13 million, but also because it is home to an estimated 150,000 online poker players who will now help provide liquidity and competition on platforms that choose to operate under MSIGA in these states. 

In a rather ironic twist, both Delaware and West Virginia residents are legally allowed to play against residents from other states, but they lack online poker rooms that can handle it. So up until now, it has primarily been New Jersey, Michigan, and, to a lesser extent, Nevada residents who have been competing in the multi-state compact. It’s estimated that Pennsylvania may contribute more than 40% of the total number of players once online operators start rolling out rooms that accept residents from Pennsylvania.

And BetMGM has already announced that it will have the first of these interstate rooms up and running on April 28 on both its BetMGM and Borgata platforms, allowing residents from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan to compete head-to-head. This will not only just add players but also build jackpots, increase tournament entries, and generally provide more tables and more game options to increase interest in the poker community. 

Other popular poker sites in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, such as WSOP and PokerStars, have yet to announce their plans. Currently, WSOP Online is the only one of the large interstate poker operators that includes Nevada residents in its offerings, so many professionals who call Las Vegas home will be keeping a close eye on their expected announcement.

But to be honest, even BetMGM left many details unanswered in their announcement, other than that they would be expanding their offerings and tournaments into the summer.

While Pennsylvania was the proverbial big fish, long sought after by online poker proponents as an MSIGA trophy, there are other Northeastern states still being pursued. This includes Connecticut, with a population of almost 4 million, which is another of the legal online gambling states that is perennially close to passing MSIGA. 

This year’s CT attempt, SB 1464, was reported favorably out of the Legislative Conference Office on April 8 and will have a Senate discussion and possible vote on April 25th. While it's still early to tell, the bill has bipartisan support and would likely be signed by Governor Lamont if it gets that far. 

If Pennsylvania's smooth entry into MSIGA leads to stronger player pools and bigger tournament prizes, expect other states still sitting on the sidelines to feel the pressure to act. The next few months could mark a turning point in the long game to build a truly national online poker network.