After a failed bill, social media campaign and months of advocacy from players, Pennsylvania is set to enter the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). That means The Keystone State will soon join a shared playing pool with others states in the compact, including Nevada, Delaware, Michigan and New Jersey.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro last week directed the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to begin negotiating the state into MSIGA, PlayPennsylvania first reported.
In a letter to the gaming board, Shapiro, a Democrat, requested that the gaming board “begin the process of negotiating the Commonwealth’s entrance into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement” in an effort “to remain competitive in the gambling sector.”
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Long Road to Joining MSIGA
Online poker advocates have long sought to get Pennsylvania, the fifth most populated state in the country with almost 13 million residents, to join the multi-state compact.
State lawmakers pushed a bill earlier this year that would’ve initiated the process to join MSIGA, but it failed to pass through the legislative body.
The legal push included a #GrowPAPoker campaign on social media to raise awareness about the benefits of shared liquidity. Several outlets, including PokerNews and Pokerfuse, joined forces to push the campaign.
What’s Next?
Though the process for joining MSIGA is underway, it could be months or longer before shared liquidity reaches Pennsylvania.
West Virginia became the fifth state to join MSIGA in November 2023 but has yet to launch online poker. Unlike in West Virginia, however, several ring-fenced poker sites are already live in Pennsylvania, including PokerStars PA, WSOP PA, BetMGM Poker PA and Borgata Poker PA.
There have been other recent developments to the US online poker landscape. Delaware’s three online poker sites went offline in December 2023 as it was rumored that Phil Galfond’s Run It Once (RIO) was approaching a US launch. The launch, under the name BetRivers Poker, is expected later this year.
For more on poker in Pennsylvania, tune into regular updates from PokerNews’ own Keith Becker.
Editor & Live Reporter U.S.