Pennsylvania officially enters the shared online poker market
On 24 April 2025, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro officially signed the state into the U.S. Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for online poker. As one of the states with the highest gambling rates in the U.S., Pennsylvania’s participation marks a significant milestone for the MSIGA initiative: over 150,000 Pennsylvanian poker players are now part of the shared poker network.
Established in 2014, the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) provides a legal and technical framework to connect poker players across state lines. While each state retains sovereignty over its own regulations, MSIGA allows for shared player pools, improving liquidity while maintaining robust player protection standards.
Improved liquidity and larger tournaments
MSIGA already links Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, and West Virginia. With Pennsylvania now on board, MSIGA connects a total of over 38 million Americans. Pennsylvania alone contributes 13 million residents and a thriving online gambling community.
Poker players were among the first to advocate for Pennsylvania’s inclusion. For them, MSIGA means access to larger and more frequent tournaments, greater prize pools, and more competitive games. “Poker players universally wanted PA to enter the multi-state market,” the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board explained. Their reasons? “To enhance competition among players, provide access to larger prize pools, grow the poker industry, support smaller operators, and reduce unregulated play.”
A step forward for interstate regulatory cooperation
With a larger player pool comes greater responsibility. Fortunately, MSIGA brings solutions to the table and promotes shared intelligence among member states. By pooling their data and regulatory resources, states can more effectively detect patterns of collusion, multi-accounting, and even bot activity. This cross-border collaboration makes it easier to spot anomalies and take action to protect the integrity of online poker.
Economic momentum
“The amount of tax revenue generated by legalized gambling in the Commonwealth is nearly $2.7 billion annually,” the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board stated. Online poker alone brought in over $30.6 million in revenue for Pennsylvania in 2024—surpassing New Jersey’s $29 million. These numbers are expected to rise sharply now that Pennsylvania has joined MSIGA.
“This is a commonsense step to support hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians, grow our economy, and bring in more revenue to support our schools, our seniors, our small businesses, and more,” declared Governor Shapiro.
Challenges and regulatory complexities
If MSIGA offers so many benefits, why haven’t more states joined? The answer lies in the regulatory complexity involved. Joining MSIGA requires aligning state regulations with those of other participants. When Michigan joined, for instance, the Michigan Gaming Control Board’s regulatory standards had to be reconciled with those of existing MSIGA states and operators—resulting in a much slower and more complicated rollout than expected.
Some states are also reluctant to cede any control over sensitive issues like player protection and the prevention of underage gambling. Political inertia and regulatory caution often outweigh the perceived benefits.
Could Pennsylvania trigger a domino effect?
Pennsylvania’s entry into MSIGA might encourage other states to follow suit. Pennsylvania, which has one of the largest player bases and an already well-established gaming industry, could trigger a domino effect among hesitant states.
There’s no doubt that the process of integrating into the multi-state network will be closely monitored by regulators and legislators in other states that have yet to be convinced. “Three of our neighbours are already part of this agreement – and with this action today, we’re making sure Pennsylvania remains competitive in a rapidly growing online market,” Governor Shapiro said confidently.
