Pennsylvania WSOP, have already announced they are networking Pennsylvania players with peers in other markets.
It has taken the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) around six months to enter the compact, which culminated with an announcement last week. Pennsylvania’s addition to MSIGA is only going to make the vertical stronger.
Caesars Entertainment, which owns WSOP, is already live in Pennsylvania and pooling players from New Jersey, Michigan and Nevada. It is the first operator to network from four different jurisdictions.
Danielle Barille, Vice President of Online Poker at Caesars Entertainment, said in statement on Monday:
“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.
“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.”
BetMGM launches networked poker in PA
The day the PGCB announced its entrance into MSIGA, BetMGM made clear it would be ready to go this morning, pooling players from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan. Angus Nisbet, BetMGM’s VP of Gaming, said in a statement last week:
“Pennsylvania represents the largest state to the shared player pool and turbocharges our poker platform. This expanded player pool will allow us to deliver more games and bigger tournaments to our players.
“BetMGM Poker is ready to celebrate the growth of our shared liquidity network throughout the spring and summer in a variety of ways.”
BetMGM ambassador and former Pennsylvania resident, Darren Elias, also spoke of the importance of the Keystone State ing MSIGA. He said:
“It’s been amazing being part of the tremendous growth of BetMGM poker throughout the years. 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. I can’t wait to and get in the mix.”
The operator is holding a tournament right of the bat with a $0 buy-in. The $35,000 GTD C-Note starts at 7:05 p.m. ET with a $5,000 package to the winner.
It is also hosting the BetMGM May Millions from May 8-11, which is slated to be the biggest weekend series in the history of BetMGM Poker. The tournament features 18 total events, including a $2,500 Super High Roller and a $1,000 Championship with a $400,000 GTD and a championship freeroll.
WSOP’s online bracelets
WSOP is featuring multiple events throughout the spring and summer to celebrate Pennsylvania’s entrance into MSIGA. The first online bracelet event starts on May 31 with a total of five live final tables, with the final event beginning on July 15. The bracelet will have an online leaderboard for players, with $30,000 in prizes distributed.
Every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday of the series, the operator is putting a gold bracelet up for grabs with the following events:
- June 8: $333 Triple Treys No Limit Hold’em
- July 9: $5,300 WSOP Online High Roller Championship
The schedule is highlighted by six Mystery Bounty tournaments with $5.5 million in guarantees.
WSOP is also offering exclusive satellites to qualify for land-based tournaments for as low as $1. These satellites consist of daily single-table with massive promotions, such as the guaranteed 25-seat Main Event mega-satellites on June 29 and July 1.
Those events feature 25 $10,000 Main Event Seats, which is guaranteed for every event. There will also be a hybrid format for 1o online bracelet events with final tables to be in Las Vegas at the WSOP.
The next question that arises is when PokerStars is going to start networking players from Pennsylvania.
Regardless, Pennsylvania poker players must be thrilled that two prominent operators are already up and running, with several tournaments coming down the pike.
