Pennsylvania in negotiations to join MSIGA
October 16, 2024 6:42 pmIt appears the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) could soon have a new member.
Regulators from Pennsylvania have begun negotiations to join the agreement following a directive from Governor Josh Shapiro to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. In a letter to the Control Board the Governor directed the board to “begin the process of negotiating the Commonwealth’s entrance into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement … to remain competitive in the gambling sector.”
Why is Pennsylvania in negotiations to join MSIGA?
Online poker players and advocates in Pennsylvania have long called for the state to join the MSIGA. This included a social media campaign dubbed #GrowPAPoker to raise awareness of the benefits of shared player pools. Pennsylvania lawmakers attempted to get the state into the MSIGA earlier this year with the introduction of a bill in the House but it failed to pass. With the Governor now involved those previous attempts may finally bear fruit.
The MSIGA is currently made up of five states, including Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and West Virginia, which was the most recent state to join in November 2023. From those five only Michigan, Nevada, and New Jersey are currently sharing players as Delaware’s three online poker sites went offline in December, and West Virginia has yet to launch online poker.
Once Pennsylvania official signs on to the MSIGA it could quickly begin sharing players between states as it is home to several online poker sites that are active in other MSIGA states including PokerStars, WSOP.com, BetMGM Poker, and Borgata Poker.
With a population of nearly 13 million Pennsylvania would be a sizable addition to the MSIGA.