The ongoing online gambling expansion in Pennsylvania is set to hit another important milestone this coming Monday when Canadian gambling giant The Stars Group, parent company of major poker brand PokerStars, is set to soft-launch the state’s first online poker room.
After a scheduled meeting of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday, Pennsylvania-focused gaming news outlet PlayPennsylvania reported that it all showed that PokerStars was ready to move forward with a test launch of its operation in the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania legalized online gambling, including poker, in the fall of 2017 as part of a larger gambling overhaul bill that also authorized sports betting several months ahead of the landmark May 2018 SCOTUS ruling that annulled a federal ban on the practice.
However, it took nearly two years before the state’s first online casinos went live. That happened in mid-July when Rivers Casino Philadelphia (formerly SugarHouse Casino Philadelphia) and Parx Casino debuted their online gaming products.
While the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board had previously promised that the July 15 start of regulated iGaming would include all verticals, poker players were disappointed to see that their wait to have the opportunity to play their favorite game online was far from over.
According to PlayPennsylvania, that long wait may be finally coming to an end.
Monday Soft Launch
Reports suggest that PokerStars would soft-launch its Pennsylvania poker website this coming Monday, November 4. As all regulated operations, the online poker room will have to undergo a public test period before its official launch.
The test period aims to determine whether an online gaming or sports betting operation is fit for full launch. Determining whether an operator’s geolocation tools work properly is among the most important goals of the soft launch of a gaming or betting website. Said tools prevent gamblers that are not physically located in Pennsylvania from wagering money on locally authorized gambling websites.
While word is that PokerStars is ready for its November 4 soft launch, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesperson Douglas Harbach said that:
“We have staff prepared to initiate and oversee a test launch this Monday of another online casino gaming site, this one licensed under Mount Airy Casino and their suite of casino-type games. At this juncture, it would include the testing of a poker game.”
However, Mr. Harbach warned that if issues occur prior the planned Monday soft launch, the beginning of online poker testing could be pushed back.
It is still unknown whether the start of online poker in Pennsylvania would include the roll-out of a mobile app or there would be just a desktop option initially.
PokerStars’ parent company has partnered Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mt Pocono to jointly conduct online gaming and sports betting in Pennsylvania’s regulated gambling space. The Stars Group launched its FOX Bet sports betting app last month to become the fifth digital wagering operator in the Keystone State.
The FOX Bet app is the product of the recently announced collaboration between the Canadian gambling giant and FOX Sports, the sports programming division of the FOX Broadcasting Company.
Source: PokerStars Scheduled To Soft-Launch Pennsylvania Online Poker on Nov. 4, PlayPennsylvania
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