West Virginia shows interest in joining multi-state poker compact
The state is waiting for Michigan to join first, as this would push its operators into action.
West Virginia has signaled that it is willing to join a multi-state internet gaming agreement (MSIGA). The state has reservations, saying it would go ahead on the condition that one of its nine casino operatorswas willing to offer multi-state poker.
A WV representative said an operator would be willing to make this offering only once Michigan became a member of the MSIGA. This would mean operators could connect their player pools across state lines.
The representative said: “We’ve had discussions and at the appropriate time, we will make an application to join the compact.”
Few operators are capable of making such a request to the West Virginia Lottery; of the nine operators live in the state, only two have a multi-state poker platform – BetMGM and Caesars. These two companies can do so through the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
West Virginia deputy director for security David Bradley commented: “If one of our operators came to us and said they wanted to offer multi-state poker, I’m sure we would consider it. Once Michigan joins, I’m sure there will be a lot of interest.”
At present, there are three states in the multi-state compact – Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey – these states can operate through the “shared liquidity” of the WSOP/888 network. However, West Virginia is not part of this network and 888 isn’t live there.
888 has been live in Michigan since September so the onus is currently falling on them. However, West Virginia’s operators may also make a push for the state to join MSIGA. For instance, the Mountaineer Casino in New Cumberland, WV, is partnered with BetRivers and Caesars.
Both of these operators may be inclined to push for the state to join the poker compact. This would allow Caesars to connect with the WSOP/888 US Network – and online poker rooms on WSOP NV, WSOP NJ, and 888poker NJ.
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