The Takeaway: I Am Writing A Post About Online Poker Today Because I Want To
In some good news, Pennsylvania joins the interstate agreement for online poker. Gambling news roundup: Legal challenge to Florida sports betting; Nebraska online sports betting dies.
I’ll be honest, sometimes I get tired of talking and writing about prediction markets. So let’s talk about something else, at least for one day. (Don’t worry, there’s still plenty about Kalshi etc. in the roundup.)
We almost never talk about poker here in the US anymore. For a time, PokerStars, Full Tilt, etc. were part of a massive industry serving the US. Then the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act passed Congress in 2006 and presaged the beginning of the end. And then there was Black Friday in 2011 that was the actual end of online poker, at least as a big business in the US.
But fast-forward to today, and there’s good news!
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PA expands online poker player pool
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement on Wednesday, allowing for player pools to be shared across state borders where online poker is legal. PA is the sixth state to join the agreement.
More from the PA Gaming Control Board:
This expansion of online gaming for poker creates more choice and freedom for an estimated 150,000 online poker players in Pennsylvania and expands the pool of online poker players by more than 50%. With the Commonwealth’s entry into MSIGA, Pennsylvania becomes the largest state in the shared market that now covers over 38 million Americans.
The Commonwealth joins New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan as participants in MSIGA, allowing the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to work with its online operators and the other state gaming agencies to ensure that Pennsylvania’s approximately 150,000 online poker players are provided with the same assurances offered through other online gaming options by using a fair and thoroughly tested platform. This expansion will also afford larger prize pools without requiring an increase in buy-in amounts.
“This is a commonsense step to support hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, grow our economy, and bring in more revenue to support our schools, our seniors, our small businesses, and more,” said Governor Shapiro. “Three of our neighbors are already part of this agreement – and with this action today, we’re making sure Pennsylvania remains competitive in a rapidly growing online market.
According to the PGCB, the start will be Monday, and the launch “will include BetMGM and PA Borgata Online with others expected to join soon.”
MGM confirms the launch
More from a BetMGM press release:
BetMGM, a leading sports betting and iGaming operator, announced that Pennsylvania has joined the BetMGM Poker shared player pool, merging with New Jersey and Michigan. Starting on Monday, April 28 at 9 a.m., poker players from the three states can compete on the same platform and will have the opportunity to compete for the largest prize pools in the history of BetMGM Poker. ‘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 Poker is ready to celebrate the growth of our shared liquidity network throughout the spring and summer in a variety of ways.’
The state of US online poker
This is a welcome step forward for online poker in the US, both for the industry and for players. Bigger pools means a more vibrant industry and a better user experience.
I got my start in the gambling industry through playing poker and creating poker content, and I am constantly rooting for success stories. We’re not going back to the salad days of poker before Black Friday in 2011. But, hopefully, we can continue to add states and get a decent player pool going in the US in the regulated ecosystem.
It’s frustrating in retrospect that poker was lumped in with gambling activities, when there’s a great argument that it’s a game of skill in today’s world (but yes, it’s still gambling). As fantasy sports has expanded as a game of skill largely outside of gambling regulation and regimes, poker has had to wait for states to legalize online casinos. Unfortunately, as we sit here, the prospects for more legalization of online gambling seem poor in the short term. We can hope for progress in future years.
People still want to play online poker, even if it’s not the same as it was.
There are offshore poker sites that are easily accessible to Americans.
There are sweepstakes poker sites (see Global Poker) that serve dozens of states.
Anyway, for one day, there’s good news in online poker. Hooray! And people say I am too negative.
Gambling news roundup
Online sports betting deal between the Seminole Tribe, Florida faces new challenge (South Florida Sun-Sentinel): “More than a year after the Seminole Tribe started offering online sports betting, a new lawsuit alleges that voter approval was needed to allow such gambling. Protect the Constitution LLC filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Leon County circuit court, alleging a state deal that allowed online sports betting violates a 2018 constitutional amendment that required voter approval of ‘casino gambling.’ ‘Today, online sports betting occurs throughout the state of Florida,’ the lawsuit said. ‘But no citizens’ initiative has ever been held to provide authorization. And the people of Florida have never been allowed to exercise their constitutional right to decide whether sports betting should be authorized throughout the state.’”
“The lawsuit identified Protect the Constitution as a Delaware company and said each of its members ‘offers products in the state of Florida and has suffered harm, including reduced revenue, as a result of the legislation purporting to authorize ‘casino gambling’ throughout the state.’ Filed by Jacksonville attorney W. Bradley Russell, the lawsuit did not name Protect the Constitution’s members.”
Florida sports betting has already withstood one legal challenge; it’s not clear how much of a threat this lawsuit might be to Hard Rock’s monopoly for legal sports betting in the state.
Broker or bookie? Robinhood's mix of betting, investing concerns advisors (Investment News): “Financial advisors are grappling with cross-industry disruption from Robinhood, the popular stock-trading app for millennial and Gen Z investors that has branched into robo-advising, RIA custody services and controversial sports prediction markets. ‘I think Robinhood is trying to do too much,” said Andrew Herzog of The Watchman Group, a Texas-based RIA. ‘I'm just leery of putting those two things together—betting markets and calling yourself some sort of financial app. That's a dangerous mix.’”
Kalshi Fires Back At New Jersey With Reply In Federal Court (Event Horizon): “Kalshi led its reply to the US District Court for the District of New Jersey by noting that a Nevada court had granted its request for a preliminary injunction under ‘almost identical issues.’ ‘Defendants here barely acknowledge this decision, but it confirms that a preliminary injunction is warranted. Kalshi should not be required to incur irreparable harm while it litigates here after another federal court granted preliminary relief,’ the brief continued.
I had to do a double take at this part of Kalshi’s brief: “To take another (closer-to-home) example: When Saint Peter’s University in 2022 made a historic run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, its run had millions in financial implications for the school, its community, and its conference. These are actual and significant financial consequences; they easily qualify as ‘potential’ economic consequences under the CEA. 7 U.S.C. § 1a(47)(A)(ii).”
I guess we’re to believe it would have been a good idea if the school, its athletic program or its conference could bet on St. Peter’s opponents as a hedge? Yikes. It’s even wilder when you consider the person who wrote this used to be New Jersey’s attorney general.
Nevada also filed a motion to dismiss Kalshi’s complaint on Wednesday in a different federal court case, which you can read below if you want. Shoutout to :checks notes: me for making the footnotes as Nevada notes that Kalshi has described its product as sports betting:
Finally, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission roundtable on prediction markets is supposed to be in just six days in Washington, DC. Panelists are lined up and have bought their plane tickets. However, there’s increasing doubt in some corners that the roundtable will happen next week, or at all. The roundtable still has not been announced. When I asked the CFTC for information, here’s what I got back: “No announcement has been issued. We’ll keep you posted on any developments.” What’s it all mean? It’s leading to a lot of speculation. At a minimum, it’s becoming extremely weird that the CFTC hasn’t even confirmed the event is happening less than a week out.
Nebraska online sports betting bill stalls in state legislature (SBC Americas): “A legislative effort to bring online sports betting to Nebraska is done for the year. On Wednesday, Sen. Eliot Bostar ended his legislative attempt to authorize a constitutional amendment that would have put online sports betting on the ballot for the 2026 general election. Bostar’s measure, LR20CA, was introduced in January and later passed out of the General Affairs Committee after garnering bipartisan support.”
Eyes turn to Hawaii to see if something can get done to expand the map for legal sports betting. Gov. Green Reiterates Hawaii Sports Betting Support (Legal Sports Report): “A Hawaii sports betting bill is still waiting for its date with a conference committee, but Gov. Josh Green is ready to approve the legislation. Green said this week, per Hawaii News Now, that he will not veto a Hawaii sports betting bill if it reaches him. However, he does need the bill to include proper safeguards. ‘Look, as long as there’s some safeguards with gambling addiction services and so on, if the Legislature goes to the full way and passes it, I’ll likely let it become law,’ Green said. A conference committee is needed because the House and Senate passed different bill versions. The legislative session runs until May 2.”
Caesars Entertainment Launches NBA Triple Double Power Combo on Its Online Casino Platforms (press release): “Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) (‘Caesars’) today announced the launch of a brand-new slot game for its marquee online casino platforms entitled NBA Triple Double Power Combo. The slot, created in collaboration with Games Global, was made possible through Caesars’ standing as a Proud Partner of the National Basketball Association and marks the first time that Caesars’ online gaming platforms have featured official NBA branding and logos in a slot title. NBA Triple Double Power Combo is now live for the 2025 NBA Playoffs exclusively across Caesars Palace Online Casino, Horseshoe Online Casino, and Caesars Sportsbook & Casino in New Jersey, Michigan, and Ontario. “With the NBA Playoffs in full swing, NBA Triple Double Power Combo is the ultimate destination for basketball enthusiasts on our online gaming platforms,” said Matt Sunderland, Senior Vice President and Chief iGaming Officer at Caesars Digital. “Whether you're a die-hard fan or just love the thrill of the game, this exciting new title offers can’t-miss gameplay inspired by the intense action on the NBA hardwood during Playoff season.”
Also Thursday, Caesars announced that the first exclusive launch from its expanded partnership with AGS officially went live today. Shamrock Fortunes, a Triple Coin Treasures title, is now live online for the first time exclusively in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ontario via Caesars’ online platforms.
Caesars continues to put resources into the online casino portion of its portfolio; time will tell if that will pay off in more market share.
Screenshot of the NBA game:
EDGE Boost Announces Responsible Gaming Partnership with Birches Health (press release): “EDGE Boost by EDGE Markets, one of the first debit card products designed specifically to support responsible gaming, today announced its partnership with Birches Health, a behavioral healthcare organization specializing in gambling disorder prevention and treatment. This partnership signifies yet another layer of protection for those gambling using EDGE Boost, a debit card built for more responsible gaming activities. Through the partnership, Birches Health will provide Responsible Gambling content on the EDGE Boost app and website, prompting all users to make safe and responsible decisions while gambling. Birches Health will use idPair technology to anonymize EDGE Boost user data for analysis and input for responsible gambling research and technology.”
"Our mission has always been to provide a safer and more responsible environment for users to engage with gambling,” said Seni Thomas, Founder and CEO of EDGE Boost. “Partnering with Birches Health allows us to take that commitment further, and provide immediate access to expert resources and education at the moments our users need them.”
“At Birches Health, we share the same vision as the EDGE Boost team: make the gaming experience all around safer for those who partake,” said Elliott Rapaport, Founder of Birches Health. “Treatment options and educational content are now easily accessible to anyone using EDGE Boost. We are taking steps to build a more sustainable and responsible gaming industry in the U.S.”
