Michigan has been approved to join New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement – an online poker liquidity sharing platform. As the most populous state to join the agreement, Michigan brings another 10 million to the equation. Just to put things into perspective, the other three states combined have a total population of 12.8 million.
Over the years, the existing platform struggled as it couldn’t sustain a viable online poker ecosystem. With few players, the tournament prize pools, choice of games and stakes remained limited.
Other states which legalized and regulated online gambling over the years, such as Pennsylvania, hoped to join the agreement but then got scared off when the Department of Justice started zigzagging about its opinion about the 1961 federal Wire Act.
But Michigan, which launched online poker in 2021, has decided to take the risk and issued a statement last week, saying that it has been approved the join the multistate compact.
It’s hoped that Michigan joining this agreement will provide a serious shot in the arm for online poker in the US.
As per Rebecca Satterfield, Manager of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association and the Internet Gaming Manager for the Delaware Lottery: “Multi-State Internet Gaming Association welcomes Michigan to its ranks, along with its nearly 10 million residents, who can now avail themselves of a full array of interactive gaming among the Association’s member states.”
“The Association continues to be forward thinking and welcomes the interest of additional gaming jurisdictions in becoming party to the Agreement.”
