Update: WSOP.com Launches As Third Michigan Online Poker Operator
Michigan online poker players now have a third option.
World Series of Poker Michigan launched at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 28. WSOP.com joins BetMGM Poker MI and PokerStars Michigan as online poker options.
888 Holdings PLC, the software behind WSOP, launched the product in Pennsylvania in mid-July of 2021.
As the coronavirus pandemic squeezed out many live poker events over the last year-plus, WSOP has added more online bracelet events to the schedule.
Will WSOP.com MI players be able to compete across state lines?
The WSOP launch in Michigan comes before the state enters into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, which would allow players to compete across state lines. The Michigan Gaming Control Board has said the wait is for the other states (Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey) to accept Michigan in.
The board has maintained that it expected to enter into a compact sometime before the end of 2021. That obviously didn’t happen. However, last week the MGCB posted a form on Multistate Internet Poker Potential Tasks and Considerations for Operators and Platform Providers.
“We have not received notification from the current compact states regarding our application’s status. The agency posted multistate internet poker considerations for operators and providers to help them prepare for the possibility of multistate poker competition whenever it may occur. For example, operators and providers may wish to work on internal controls now,” said Mary Kay Bean, Communications Specialist of the MGCB.
Competitions such as the WSOP Online Circuit would be available to Michigan players once the state is accepted into the MSIGA.
In New Jersey and Nevada, WSOP ran 33 Online Bracelet Series events from July 1-Aug. 1 of 2021 and dished out more than $18.2 million in prizes.
WSOP Online Bracelet Series events will begin on June 5 this year and run through July 17. The hopes are that Michigan players will be able to take part this time around.
Caesars’ purchase of William Hill paved way for WSOP Michigan
Caesars owns WSOP, and the gambling brand also recently purchased William Hill. That’s the pathway for WSOP to enter the online market. William Hill has access through a deal with the Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, operators of two Traverse City area casinos.
Online gambling launched Jan. 22, 2021 in Michigan, with PokerStars MI becoming the first regulated online poker site Jan. 29. The MGCB does not separate poker revenue from Michigan online casinos in revenue reports.
The internet gaming industry is on fire in Michigan, reporting nine figures of revenue in each of the past six months. Through February, internet gaming had produced $1.4 billion in revenue, putting the state among national leaders New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
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