New Jersey poker players may have another option soon to play online poker with a bigger pool of players. Kevin Mathers, who is a reliable media source for the US poker industry, recently posted a Twitter screenshot the hints that a BetMGM promotion coming soon may mark the launch of the PartyPoker US Network before the end of March of 2020.
The PartyPoker US Network may mean that the reputable online poker operator has a set date for the site going live in Nevada. The company would only be the second big operator to benefit from the shared pool of players from the states of Nevada and New Jersey.
GVC Holdings, the parent company of PartyPoker, was granted a Nevada gambling license last year. Still, there has not been any further information regarding plans to launch PartyPoker in the Silver State. When checking out the dates of the BetMGM promotion, rumors began to swirl that PartyPoker may be live in Nevada by the end of March of this year. It could go live with the staging of the PartyPoker US Network tournament, which has a $320 buy-in and a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool.
The rumors have not been confirmed but the Nevada PartyPoker launch seems to make sense rather than launching in other states that have separate player pools. If PartyPoker was to launch in Pennsylvania, that state does not share in the same player pool as Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware.
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Recently Michigan legalized online gambling, which includes legalizing online poker, and it may be a half a year before operators can launch there. Just like in Pennsylvania, Michigan does not have player pool sharing.
If PartyPoker does go live in Nevada it would be the end of the monopoly held by the World Series of Poker online gambling service. Since May of 2018, WSOP.com has been alone in allowing Nevada players to play with gamblers from New Jersey, which has a larger pool of players.
WSOP.com operates through the 888poker network and is the top poker website in New Jersey. The sites gives players the opportunity to compete in huge tournaments for big prizes and allows them the chance to win a coveted World Series of Poker gold bracelet from the comfort of their own home. WSOP.com has been the only regulated online poker provider in Nevada since Ultimate Poker shut down in 2014.
If PartyPoker went live in Nevada, it would breathe new life into the state’s online poker industry. Players from NV could use the PartyPoker interface to play in New Jersey online poker tournaments at such sites as BorgataPoker, playMGM, and PartyPoker NJ. On the flip side, New Jersey players could have more tournament options and PartyPoker NJ’s cash-game traffic would increase.
Even with PartyPoker getting ready for the big US Network Tournament, WSOP.com has rung in the new year by adding another series of online poker tournaments. The New Year Kickoff Series will take place from January 19-26 and is comprised of eight tournaments with guaranteed prize pools to the tune of $400,000. The main event has a guaranteed prize pool of $175,000 and the top three finishers will receive WSOP bracelet tournament tickets valued at $400.