On January 1, PokerStars will be combining the liquidity pools of its New Jersey and Michigan players in tournaments and regular play. It’s a move that US-facing online poker operators have been working towards since the post-Black Friday re-birth and could prove to be a driving factor in the online poker segment.
Shared liquidity is a concept that’s been strangely lagging behind the legislative land rush that is today’s US online gaming market. The idea is that players in one regulated state should be able to play players in other regulated states. It’s a concept that’s beneficial to both players and operators, but just hasn’t caught much traction, until now.
The move to shared liquidity comes in the wake of a 2019 court case that reduced the scope of the Wire Act of 1961 after Trump administration officials sought to expand it to include online poker. The fact that it took several years for PokerStars, or any other operator, to take advantage of the ruling speaks volumes about the current state of online poker in the US.
PokerStars US Managing Director, Severin Rasset celebrated the shared liquidity move in a recent press release saying, “Michigan and New Jersey joining forces is great news for our players in these two states, and poker, more generally, as it promises a better experience and even more value, all with the confidence provided by a trusted, licensed operator.”
Players in Michigan and New Jersey can celebrate their new connection in a special tournament on January 1 that also offers a $100,000 prize.
Rasset was optimistic about the future of shared liquidity adding, “We worked closely with the regulators of New Jersey and Michigan, and we hope that more will follow this great example.”