Is WSOP Finally Going Live in PA?
Good news for online poker players: The largest online poker site in the world, WSOP, could be live in Pennsylvania within the next few months.
888 Holdings Senior Vice President, Yaniv Sherman, stated in an interview that the launch of WSOP in PA is being prioritized and the target is to be live in the state by May or after.
There are other goals for the year, including launching WSOP in Michigan, but PA users are expected to get access to WSOP first.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approved Caesar’s poker license, in partnership with 888 Holdings, back in September 2020.
However, players have yet to see a second poker site live in PA.
Currently, PokerStars is the only operator in the state to offer online poker since it launched in 2019.
It also has an online casino, which users can access from the same site/app.
The expectation is that WSOP will be available to PA players before its WSOP 2021 tournament rolls around.
This would mean that PA poker players could participate in the brackets.
Not the First Time PA Players Have Heard About WSOP Going Live
While it would be great news if WSOP did manage to launch in the state by May, this isn’t the first time players have been led to believe the new poker site would be live soon.
In the fall of 2020, promotional emails were sent out by WSOP and the Harrah’s Casino logo could be seen displayed on the site.
Unfortunately, not much happened after this, with little being said about WSOP. That is until the poker site announced its upcoming tournament in January 2021.
In the WSOP Online Circuit Series, players in both New Jersey and Nevada are eligible to compete in the tournament, made up of 12 rounds.
It’s the only legal shared poker pool in the country.
This time when the announcement was made, WSOP shared that a 13th round might be added due to the “pending launch in a newly regulated market.”
Once again though, players were left waiting for a launch that has still, yet to happen.
Poker8 Software Could Also Debut in Pennsylvania
Poker8 is a platform designed by 888 to upgrade its poker software. Ideally, WSOP would launch on the new Poker8 platform in PA.
The launch of Poker8 was delayed for a long time across the globe, then recently went live in the U.K.
At the time, Guy Cohen, 888 Holdings’ Senior Vice President of B2C, said:
“We’re thrilled with the initial roll-out of our Poker 8 platform which includes a number of exciting and innovative new features to make the 888poker experience even more enjoyable.”
As of right now, Poker8 is not live in America but is expected to debut when WSOP goes live in Pennsylvania.