Interstate Online Poker and MSIGA Explained: How It Works

Interstate poker is critical to the health of online poker in the United States. When two or more states enter a liquidity-sharing agreement, operators can seat players from different states at the same tables. Multi-state player pools create bigger tournaments, better prize pools, and busier cash games.

The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) serves that purpose in the US online poker market. Five states are MSIGA members, and any poker site active in at least two member states can share tables across state lines.

Interstate Poker Sites

Multi-State Poker Sites

One of the critical components for multi-state poker to work is for poker sites to operate in more than one state. Single-state poker operators can only serve players from that jurisdiction.

Several poker sites operate in at least two states:

BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker is available in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It can share players between Michigan and New Jersey, but Pennsylvania hasn’t yet joined MSIGA (although Pennsylvania is in the process of joining). There’s also a good chance BetMGM Poker will expand to West Virginia next.

BetMGM is the flagship poker site of the Partypoker US Network, which also includes Borgata Poker and Partypoker.

WSOP Poker

WSOP Online is available in Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. The WSOP Online network offers shared tables in three of those states, with Pennsylvania being the odd one out due to not yet joining MSIGA.

When Pennsylvania joins MSIGA, WSOP PA can quickly launch shared tables for its customers there. However, Pennsylvania has not indicated how long it will take to complete the process of joining MSIGA.

There’s also a chance WSOP Poker will expand into West Virginia, opening the possibility of liquidity sharing between WV and MI on the new Poker 8 software.

In the best-case scenario, WSOP Poker launches shared tables in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Checking those boxes would allow WSOP to share players across a combined pool comprising MI, NJ, PA, NV, and WV.

PokerStars

PokerStars operates in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. It shares cash game and tournament players between Michigan and New Jersey. When Pennsylvania joins MSIGA, PokerStars can add PA to the network.

Company officials have indicated they’re also considering entering West Virginia, which would further expand the PokerStars US network.

Borgata Poker

Borgata Poker is only available in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but it benefits from shared player pools as a member of the Partypoker US Network.

Party Poker

Party Poker only operates in New Jersey but also benefits from shared player pools through the Party Poker US Network.

Why MSIGA Is Important For US Online Poker

Players hoping for a return to the glory years of online poker have been disappointed by the slow rollout of online poker one state at a time. Absent federal legislation legalizing poker across the country in one fell swoop, individual states have taken it upon themselves to pass laws legalizing poker within state lines only.

The biggest challenge facing the industry today is overcoming the quintessential catch-22 of poker: traffic and liquidity.

Busy poker sites attract new players. Slow poker sites do not. Bridging that divide is made particularly challenging by the Federal Wire Act, which prohibits poker sites from accepting customers across state lines and limits every poker site’s potential player pool to a single state.

Interstate compacts overcome the challenge of limited player pools by allowing poker sites in regulated states to share liquidity.

As additional states sign similar player-sharing agreements, the potential pool of players will expand significantly and increase liquidity for operators across the board.

History Of Interstate Online Poker In The USA

Legal interstate online poker in the USA dates to 2014, but several years passed before the concept gained enough momentum to make a substantial difference for players. Nevada and Delaware got the ball rolling in 2014 when their governors signed a player-sharing compact and established the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.

Over a year passed without action, and poker sites in Delaware and Nevada began sharing tables in March 2015.

New Jersey joined MSIGA in 2017 when then-Governor Chris Christie signed an updated liquidity-sharing compact with Delaware and Nevada. New Jersey poker sites began sharing tables with Delaware and Nevada the following year.

New Jersey’s addition was a turning point for MSIGA. Previously, the DE-NV agreement did little to move the needle for online poker traffic and liquidity. Both states combine for fewer than four million residents. DE Lottery Director Vernon Kirk once noted that the DE-NV compact only resulted in a “moderate increase” in online poker revenue for his state’s operators.

New Jersey and its nearly nine million residents singlehandedly tripled MSIGA’s potential player pool.

Several more years passed before MSIGA reached its next milestone. In May 2022, Michigan became the fourth state to join MSIGA. With a population of almost 10 million, Michigan’s addition marked another significant MSIGA expansion. WSOP Online was the first poker site to take advantage of the situation when it added Michigan to its shared liquidity pool in May 2024.

West Virginia became the newest MSIGA member in 2023. West Virginia’s (pop. 1.7 million) addition wasn’t hugely impactful for MSIGA, but it was critical to making online poker viable in West Virginia.

In late 2024, Pennsylvania officials revealed plans to join MSIGA. The addition of Pennsylvania (pop. 12.8 million) will mark another significant milestone in the evolution of online poker in the USA.

Will Additional States Join MSIGA?

Pennsylvania remains the only state with active poker sites that hasn’t yet joined MSIGA. With a population of nearly 13 million, Pennsylvania’s addition would provide the biggest boost yet to interstate poker.

Fortunately, Pennsylvania is now in the process of joining MSIGA. It’s hard telling how long it will take for Pennsylvania poker sites to launch shared tables, but the entire process has taken roughly one year in other states.

West Virginia and Connecticut have also legalized online poker, but neither state has active operators. Both would be small markets on their own, with populations of 1.8 million and 3.6 million, respectively. However, West Virginia will likely attract its first poker sites now that it has joined MSIGA.

Interstate Online Poker FAQ