After months of rumors that this day was coming, WSOP.com has finally announced that Michigan poker players are now pooled with players on the site in New Jersey and Nevada. Additionally, the site has a new name. The company is ditching WSOP.com in favor of WSOP Online.
WSOP Online first site to pool three states
“This platform upgrade is long overdue and is a big win for our players,” said Caesars Digital Vice President of Online Poker Danielle Barille. “The best is yet to come for WSOP Online tournaments, and we’re thrilled to bring Michigan players into the fold with Nevada and New Jersey, resulting in a better experience, more value, and the biggest prize pools of the year.”
PokerStars combined player pools in December 2022 but this is the first time a regulated online poker state in the U.S. has combined three markets on a single site. Michigan is the biggest poker market in the U.S.
WSOP Online offering 30 online bracelets this summer
The move comes on the eve of the start of the 2024 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. In addition to several live events, the schedule includes 30 online bracelet events, the most ever doled out in a single series. Five of the events will be a hybrid high roller format with the early action played out online and the final table played live in Las Vegas.
Buy-ins for the bracelet events range from $333 to a $10,000 Online Championship. The full online bracelet schedule is available on WSOP.com.
Still waiting on Pennsylvania and West Virginia
While the inclusion of Michigan is a big step forward, there are still states that could be included in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MISGA). Most notably, players in Pennsylvania can play online and the state’s online casino laws allow for compacting, but the governor’s office has yet to act on the matter.
Earlier this year, a lawmaker introduced a bill to push Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to move on the issue, but the bill has not gained any traction.
Elsewhere, West Virginia announced last November that it was joining the MISGA but no online poker site has launched in the state yet. When Delaware Lottery worked with 888, the state pooled its online poker site with Nevada. Since the lottery has switched partners to Rush Street, the state currently does not offer online poker.
