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WSOP to Launch Online Poker in Pennsylvania July 12

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
Jennifer Newell

For the first time, the World Series of Poker set a date for its online poker platform for the US market will launch in Pennsylvania. Years of hints and hopes finally transformed into an actual site launch and a date of July 12 for it.

The Pennsylvania market has been the slowest – by far – of the American states to legalize state-licensed online poker and then launch sites. The initial delays were due to red tape, we say diplomatically. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed the bill into law on October 30, 2017, which legalized online gaming. And the first online casinos didn’t launch until the summer of 2019. Even then, online poker wasn’t ready.

In November 2019, PokerStars launched its online poker site with Mount Airy Casino. It did quite well, immediately surpassing player traffic in New Jersey on the very first day. PokerStars remained the only state-licensed poker site in Pennsylvania until April 27. BetMGM and Borgata Poker, both operating on the partypoker platform, launched separate sites in coordination with Rivers Philadelphia and Penn National Gaming.

But now, according to the WSOP itself, it will launch its Pennsylvania site on Monday, July 12.

What We Know

The WSOP tweeted that “WSOP.com is coming soon to PA. The #1 poker site in the nation will be launching on July 12.”

We know that the WSOP site is partnered with Harrah’s Philadelphia, despite that casino closing its poker room in the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic.

We know that the site will be using the “new and improved poker client.” That client is the new Poker 8, which is the new 888poker platform around the world. In May of this year, the company noted that the eventual Pennsylvania – and Michigan – rollouts would happen via Poker 8.

In addition, as far as anyone knows, WSOP Pennsylvania will not yet be connected to the WSOP sites in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. That is the only online poker operator signed to the multi-state online poker network as of yet, but the Pennsylvania governor has yet to include his state. This means that the current WSOP 2021 Online running in New Jersey and Nevada will remain confined to those states. Pennsylvanians will not be able to participate from their home state.

Seems Like the Real Deal

For nearly three years, the WSOP has been hinting at its Pennsylvania site launch.

When Caesars Entertainment first announced its Pennsylvania partnership with Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in August 2018, it seemed like a positive sign. Caesars Interactive VP Melanie Gross said then that the company was “very bullish” about offering online gaming to their guests. She also noted that they would “hit the ground running in Pennsylvania.”

Caesars launched its online casino in PA in April 2020. The pandemic had already shut down live poker across the United States – and most of the world – and players were flocking to online poker sites. It was an ideal time to launch.

In late September 2020, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board granted the interactive gaming license to 888 Atlantic. That indicated some type of readiness…but PGCB Communications Director Doug Harbach told Pokerfuse at the time that the WSOP had provided no potential launch information.

Nothing happened for the rest of 2020. As the new year began, the WSOP announced its 2021 WSOP Circuit online series. It would be available for players in Nevada and New Jersey…and possibly another one. “An additional 13th online circuit event is earmarked pending launch of the WSOP-dot-com service in a newly regulated market.” That sounded promising, no?

By May, Pokerfuse obtained information about a new WSOP PA client in the works.

The intent to launch in the first half of 2021 was running out of time. Yaniv Sherman, head of US operations at 888poker, had told Pokerfuse the company was working hard to launch “in the first half of the year, hopefully sooner…”

Obviously, that didn’t happen. But this week’s announcement about a July 12 launch was the most specific information to come from the WSOP regarding the Pennsylvania market. It looks like a solid bet that it will launch on that date, especially if the PGCB is on board and prepared to participate in testing on the first days. The semi-live launch will go full only with the regulator’s stamp of approval.

Reasons for Hope

As mentioned, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to doubt the WSOP at this point, considering the specificity of its announcement.

While the bad news is that the launch is too late for Pennsylvania players to participate in the WSOP 2021 bracelet events happening throughout the month of July, they might at least be able to play for WSOP Circuit rings sometime this year. This is dependent upon Governor Tom Wolf signing on to the multi-state poker network. And since the intent all along was to connect some of the sites across state lines, it could be on the horizon soon.

Pokerfuse obtained a statement from the PGCB that it would facilitate with poker operators if the governor and attorney general approved the compact. And the Michigan Gaming Control Board spokesperson indicated that they are “interested” in the interstate agreement. Again, this has been the plan since the beginning.

After the WSOP joins the PA lineup, their entrance to the Michigan market is likely close behind. In that case, it might be easier to update the multi-state agreement all at once with Michigan and Pennsylvania governors. Look for that not long after the Michigan site goes live. There is a chance for it to happen in 2021. And this would not only join the WSOP sites but the PokerStars and partypoker-supported sites (BetMGM, Borgata Poker, etc.) as well.

Players will benefit from more online poker options in Pennsylvania and Michigan. Competition improves the state of the market for players. But the eventual interstate liquidity will be the key to truly expanding the US online poker market.

For now, the launch next week will bring welcome bonuses and introductory tournament series. Players can expect some good value as the WSOP PA site becomes a reality.

 

 

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