Pennsylvania online poker players gained access to significantly larger player pools and tournament prizes on Monday as both WSOP and BetMGM Poker immediately implemented shared liquidity on the first day of the state's entry into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
WSOP became the first operator to network players across four different U.S. jurisdictions by adding Pennsylvania to its existing player pool from Nevada, New Jersey, and Michigan. The expansion creates the largest regulated online poker network in the United States.
"The addition of the Pennsylvania player pool to WSOP Online comes at the perfect time, and we're ready to give avid poker players in The Keystone State the opportunity to raise the stakes on their poker play," said Danielle Barille, Vice President of Online Poker at Caesars Entertainment, in a statement.
"This expansion enhances the experience for players by building even greater prize pools that are up for grabs all summer long as a part of our jam-packed WSOP Online schedule. We're ready to see who earns our largest online prize pools ever once the first hands are dealt this summer."
The timing aligns with WSOP's recently announced 2025 online bracelet events schedule, which will run from May 31 to July 15. Pennsylvania players will now have access to 30 bracelet events, including six Mystery Bounty tournaments with a combined $5.5 million in guaranteed prize pools.
BetMGM Poker also began pooling players from Pennsylvania with those in Michigan and New Jersey at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 28. To celebrate the expansion, the operator launched a $35,000 guaranteed freeroll tournament for its "$100 C-Note" event on Monday evening, with the winner receiving a $5,000 package to the BetMGM Poker Championship at ARIA Las Vegas.
"Pennsylvania represents the largest state to join the shared player pool and turbocharges our poker platform," said Angus Nisbet, BetMGM Vice President of Gaming. "This expanded player pool will allow us to deliver more games and bigger tournaments to our players."
BetMGM is following up with its largest tournament series ever, the BetMGM May Millions, running May 8-11. The $1 million guaranteed series features 18 events, including a $2,500 Super High Roller and a $1,000 Championship with a $400,000 guarantee.
BetMGM ambassador Darren Elias, a former Pennsylvania resident, expressed enthusiasm about the state joining the network: "Adding a large market like Pennsylvania is a huge milestone in continued expansion and provides the opportunity to compete against more players and for larger prize pools. I used to call Pennsylvania home, and it played an important part in my early poker career."
While WSOP and BetMGM moved quickly to implement shared liquidity, other Pennsylvania operators are expected to follow suit. Rush Street Interactive, the company that operates BetRivers Poker, announced it will soon begin sharing player liquidity, though no specific date has been set.
PokerStars, which currently shares players between Michigan and New Jersey, is also expected to add Pennsylvania to its interstate network in the near future.
Delaware and West Virginia, the other two MSIGA member states, currently do not have active online poker operators despite having regulated online gambling.
Pennsylvania's entry into MSIGA marks a major development for the U.S. online poker market. As the largest state in the compact with an estimated 150,000 online poker players, Pennsylvania expands the total player pool by more than 50%, creating a shared market that now covers over 38 million Americans.
The expanded player pools are expected to benefit both casual and serious players by offering more game variety, higher tournament guarantees, and more consistent traffic across different game types and stakes.