Preparing for the Online Poker Launch in Pennsylvania

Preparing for the Online Poker Launch in Pennsylvania January 11, 2019 January 11, 2019 Carolyn J Dawson https://www.poker-online.com/author/carolyn
Posted on  Jan 11, 2019 | Updated on  Jan 11, 2019 by Carolyn J Dawson

pennsylvania online pokerThe state of Pennsylvania will soon be launching its online poker options for residents to access. Yet, there are several questions that still exist, regarding the market’s launch and its onwards development from there.

On Wednesday, various commissioners from the Gaming Control Board of Pennsylvania met to be able to discuss several matters pertaining to online poker and casino gaming in The Keystone State. It was at this meeting that the Executive Director of the Board, Kevin O’Toole made the announcement that the MGM Grand will provide online poker to Pennsylvania under the status of Qualified Gaming Entity (QGE).

One of the main questions that remains though, is whether or not Pennsylvania will merge with other online poker offerings, as part of the interstate network. The existing network consists of players from Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware, and it’s quite an important factor to poker gamers within the US as to whether Pennsylvania will enter. The lack of player liquidity has been quite an issue for the interstate network so far. Should Pennsylvania become a part of this, it could actually double in size.

For the moment, Pennsylvania has not made any clear comment as to whether it definitely will or won’t make moves to join. Approval would need to be sought from lawmakers and regulators in all four states for such a move, so until some kind of agreement is made, the state won’t be entering it – at least, not straight away.

Other Questions About the Online Poker Sector in PA

Some people have been questioning why there won’t be any online poker gaming taking place at land-based casinos in The Keystone State. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos don’t look upon the possibility of online poker gameplay within their establishments with much favour. This will be quite a difference between Pennsylvania and other states with legal online poker options.

Furthermore, some players have been querying which online poker brands will be accessible from within the state. The Mount Airy casino will be providing online poker options as part of the PokerStars network, while Harrah’s will provide WSOP, 888Poker ands Caesars poker offerings. Finally, PartyPoker will get in on the action with a sub-licence at Valley Forge casino. To add to these established brands, a few newcomers will also insert themselves into the poker offerings in the state.

For the time being, there hasn’t been any word given on the types of deposit and withdrawal methods that these online poker platforms will accept and support. This information will only become available to residents of the state once the sites go live.

With online poker’s launch in Pennsylvania being quite imminent, everyone is waiting to see how strong the uptake is and whether the state will move towards being a part of the interstate network. Time will tell exactly how successful the online poker market in Pennsylvania is, and whether or not it will be a factor in the changing of laws in other US states.

Carolyn J Dawson is a professional freelance poker writer. She specialises writing content about poker/ bingo / blackjack/ etc. as well as breaking poker news. Carolyn has been freelancing for us over a number of years and writes high quality articles. Visit her google + page here