Multi-State Online Poker Coming to Pennsylvania

While online poker is not as popular as iGaming and sports betting in the U.S., it still has a substantial following in states where it has been legalized. That would include major online gambling hubs like Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

To help promote nationwide online poker play, Michigan and New Jersey have legalized multi-state poker gambling by signing a Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). This agreement allows a state's residents to play online poker with residents in other states where the same agreement has been signed.

For some inexplicable reasons, some states have neglected to sign such an agreement. That leaves the residents in those states with only being able to play online poker with fellow residents. Good news for Pennsylvania online poker-playing enthusiasts. The state has finally decided to sign an MSIGA, allowing its residents to gamble with other authorized players.

PGCB Confirms Multi-State Traffic Sharing

This past week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirmed that they will be entering into an MSIGA sometime later in April. This will allow PA poker players to play in Multi-state cash games and poker tournaments against players in other authorized states. This ensures PA players will be able to compete against better competition for larger cash prizes.

This information was given to Corey Sharp of PlayPennsylvania. He wrote that the only thing that needed to be done now was to get a final signature from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. That should not present any problems.

Once the Governor signs off, PA poker players will be allowed to start participating in multi-state poker games. At this time, it is not clear which poker room operators will be permitted to the needed licensing. The current list of licensed online poker operators in PA includes:

• BetMGM Poker


• BetRivers Poker


• Borgata Poker


• PokerStars


• WSOP.COM

It's worth noting that BetMGM Poker and its affiliate Borgata Poker would be well-positioned to offer multi-state access in PA, given they are already offering such access in Michigan and New Jersey. Note: WSOP.com offers similar access in Delaware and Nevada while PokerStars already has an MSIGA in Michigan.

PA is Rising in Online Gambling Status

Pennsylvania already holds the distinction of being one of the top online gambling states in the U.S. As a matter of fact, the state ranked number one (1) in the nation for iGaming (casino) revenue in February 2025, coming in at a robust $261.5 million. Admittedly, online poker was only a small portion of that number, but multi-state access should lure in new players, boosting the state's overall iGaming revenue. That assures the state will rise in the nation's online gambling ratings.

This is great news for PA online poker players. Oh, it also figures to benefit the state, which will be able to draw more tax revenue for its coffers. It's quite possible that this could be the catalyst that will drive other states to take similar actions. Only time will tell where all of this activity is headed.