Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro threw the weight of his office behind a lawmaker’s efforts to join Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) — a pact that allows online poker rooms to share player liquidity between members.
Last week, Shapiro sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) requesting its members to begin the process of negotiating entry into MSIGA. This follows an effort led by State Rep. George Dunbar, who submitted a bill earlier this year that basically called for the same action. That bill remains in committee.
If negations are successful — and there’s little reason to believe they won’t be — Pennsylvania’s online poker rooms that operate rooms in MSIGA states will be able to put all the players in one place. This is known in the online poker industry as shared liquidity.
The current members of MSIGA are Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Michigan, and West Virginia. And while Nevada, New Jersey and Michigan share players, West Virginia, which joined last November, has yet to see one of its many online casinos to open a room.
Connecticut is the seventh state that allows companies to spread online poker, but like West Virginia and Delaware, its population is too small to support a healthy or profitable operation. This hurdle is cleared by tapping the player pools of larger states through MSIGA.
It’s a near lock that Connecticut officials will also soon begin the process to join MSIGA.
Key to online poker expansion in the US?
Pennsylvania, known as the Keystone State, would be a significant addition to the budding poker network. It already is the home to several well-established online poker rooms, including PokerStars and WSOP.com, which links up players who are in New Jersey, Nevada and Michigan under one virtual roof.
WSOP.com would definitely hook up its sequestered Pennsylvania room if allowed.
Taking an optimistic view, linking Pennsylvania and its population of 13 million up to MSIGA could be the domino that push lawmakers in other states to legalize online poker. Bills that would do just that have repeatedly died in committees in places like New York State, Oklahoma, and Kentucky.
Momentum is undeniable growing, but should be tempered by this: There seems to be a seriously reluctancy from lawmakers to expand online gambling into the casino realm. While nearly 40 states allow online sports betting, only six of those allow online casinos — Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
True or not, poker is often considered a casino game by those who don’t understand it’s a game of skill which is just another roadblock to consider.
Gov. Shapiros letter to the PCGB (H/T: PlayPennsylvania):
“I respectfully request the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board through its statutory authority pursuant to section 1207 Title 4 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, begin the process of negotiating the Commonwealth’s entrance into the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
“In order to remain competitive in the gambling sector, I am expressing my strong support for Pennsylvania to join the MSIGA alongside Michigan, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey and West Virginia.
“Pennsylvania should capitalize on our status as a leader in legalized gambling, and join this compact, which would bring in additional revenue for the Commonwealth and allow players more gaming options.”
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