One year after US casinos shut down, the online gambling boom looks like it’s here to stay. What has made the increase so long-lasting?
The post Apples And Oranges: Why The US Online Gambling Industry’s Pandemic Gains Have Proven So Durable appeared first on Online Poker Report.
After one day of action at BetMGM in Michigan, online players in the state now have another poker option. The expansion of the partypoker US Network offers more hope for a growing US market.
As players head to the new platform, USPoker spoke with BetMGM director of poker Ray Stefanelli about what Michigan players can expect. Players also offered their impressions of the site after the first day of play.
Michigan players have a lot to look forward to at BetMGM. Cash game players will find limits from $0.01/$0.02 to $25/$50. That includes:
Sit and Go players will find heads-up and six-max options in both No Limit Hold ‘em and PLO. Buy-ins range from $1 to $500. Daily tournaments include No Limit Hold ‘em, Limit Hold ‘em, PLO, and Seven Card Stud, from $0.25 to $535.
For players accustomed to the international partypoker software, players can expect a similar experience. In recent months, the international operator has greatly improved its software experience, including mobile.
Stefanelli says players can expect much of that with the US BetMGM experience. However, there are some small differences.
“The platform is powered by partypoker US Network, which means that many of the partypoker software features are available for BetMGM Poker players,” he says. “Due to US market regulation, there are nuances that distinguish the US software from its international counterpart. However, much of it is consistent with offerings that are authorized in other regulated markets.”
The site is kickstarting its entry into the market with some big events. New players are eligible for a $50,000 Invitational Freeroll tournament on April 4.
On April 11, the site also hosts a $109 tournament with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. The event culminates with a live streamed final table on April 12.
As in New Jersey, partypoker US Network is also planning to offer its popular Online Series. The first of those festivals is set for April 18-25 with a tournament schedule complementing the daily event schedule.
There’s no word yet on shared liquidity between Michigan and New Jersey. However, partypoker sees that as the key to success in the US market. The expanding number of states can only add to that.
“While New Jersey and Michigan are both running independently as ring-fenced liquidity pools, shared liquidity is core to the future of poker in the US,” Stefanelli says. “We’re committed to working with regulators to ensure this becomes a nationwide actuality.”
As players jumped into the action at BetMGM, USPoker spoke with several about their experience on the site. Here’s a look at what they thought about their time at the tables so far.
Eric Rayner III, 41, plays poker about 20 hours a week, mostly at night after his children go to bed. He works as a vice president of sales at a home mortgage company and lives in Plymouth.
After the BetMGM launch, Rayner hit the law-stakes cash games. He played some $0.10/0.20 as well as a couple of tournaments. The mobile product continued to draw praise from several players, and that included Rayner.
“Not many people were playing because it was the first day,” he says. “My experience – on my phone it was way better than Stars. On my computer it was okay. I wish it had more options to check or call preflop.”
For Henry Zou, BetMGM’s launch offered quite a score. The 60-year-old from Saginaw is disabled and poker winnings help supplement his disability income. He regularly plays tournaments with buy-ins of $100 or more.
“hammerhank90” kicked off his BetMGM experience by finishing third in the $109 daily $10,000 guaranteed event. That scored a nice $1,250 in his first-ever tournament on the platform. Beyond the win, BetMGM and other sites offer more of an opportunity to play the game he loves.
While he enjoys playing live poker, being confined to a wheelchair can be a struggle. Online poker now gives him another option. Born in China, Zou was stricken with polio at age 1 and moved to the US in 2005. So far he’s pleased with BetMGM.
“It’s been good for me, since I have a disability and in a wheelchair,” he says. “But I still like live games.”
Jennie Allison, 40, lives in Sterling Heights and works in information technology (IT). She played a freeroll, finishing fifth out of about 150. Allison also played low stakes Omaha cash games at $0.01/0.02.
Mostly a live player, Allison chose to give BetMGM a shot but describes herself as just an occasional online player. She enjoyed playing but offered a few small criticisms.
“I did like that the statistics for the tournament were at the top of the screen, without getting them from the menu,” she says. “I didn’t really like the bet and call process. Once I accidentally called someone and had only intended to call the first bet, not the nearly all-in bet. It ended up being a non-issue, but I lost quite a bit of chips in that hand.”
Allison also wished the site showed who had the winning hand a bit longer. She found herself hitting the replay button often in these situations.
One positive for many players is the mobile experience. In several Michigan poker Facebook groups, players expressed compliments for the app’s design and gameplay.
Throughout 2019, partypoker made major efforts to improve the mobile offering. The new platform is designed for one-handed play and also appeals to more social gaming players. So far, that effort appears to be paying dividends with players in Michigan.
The post Michigan Players Offer Insight on First Day at BetMGM; Site Announces Major $109 Event, Upcoming Series appeared first on .
Almost two months after online poker launched in Michigan, players in the state now have a second option. BetMGM went live on Monday, giving players another platform to get in the online action.
BetMGM is part of the partypoker US Network, which now has its second state. In the US, partypoker/BetMGM is operated by Roar Digital, a partnership between MGM and Entain (parent company of the partypoker international platform).
Partypoker US Network also operates in New Jersey with both skins as well as a BorgataPoker.com skin. As of now, BetMGM is the only skin available in Michigan but should bring plenty of game options.
“The launch of BetMGM Poker in Michigan fully rounds out our premier gaming portfolio in the state,” BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said in a news release. “BetMGM’s sports betting and casino offerings have been met with incredible early success in Michigan and we’re thrilled to provide players with another exciting gaming option.”
In Michigan, party/BetMGM operates through a partnership with MGM Grand Detroit. The BetMGM mobile app is available on both iOS and Android and accessible via desktop client as well.
The software client and mobile app allow players to play poker as well as transition to sports betting and casino gaming. As of now, Michigan remains a “ringed-in” poker market, meaning players only compete against others in the state.
A recent ruling in the Wire Act case, however, could pave the way for shared liquidity markets eventually. At Bet MGM, players will find a number of poker variants, cash games of all buy-in levels, tournaments, and more.
The platform also features major tournament series like the popular partypoker US Network Progressive Knockout Bounty Online Series. No word on when the platform’s first tournament series would launch.
BetMGM/partypoker US Network director of poker Ray Stefanelli is pleased to see the company launch in a second state. He believes players will enjoy the product and poker offerings.
“The demand for online poker in Michigan was made clear by players across the state,” Stefanelli said. “BetMGM Poker is proud to offer them a seat at our tables and we’re confident that BetMGM Michigan customers will enjoy an engaging, reliable, and fun poker experience.”
Beyond the online experience, BetMGM also integrates MGM Resorts’ M life Rewards program. Players can redeem gameplay for experiences at MGM Resorts properties throughout the country.
BetMGM is playing catch-up a bit with PokerStars in the Wolverine State. That platform launched
in late January and already produced some nice numbers in its first tournament series.
Many players will welcome the launch of another site to play. Kyle Richardson is a 36-year-old player from Lansing. The recreational player works in the banking industry and has been playing on PokerStars since it launched.
Richardson plays cash games and tournaments a few days a week. So far, he says the online experience has been great and welcomes a new addition.
“I think it’s great that it’s legal now because it will bring more players to poker,” he says. “With online Texas Hold em, it’s great that they have an extremely low stakes option for players who are just getting used to playing. I haven’t tried PartyPoker/BetMGM yet, but I think it will be good to have another platform in Michigan.”
Richard Conn, 34, lives in Perry and has been playing poker for the last 18 years. He drives for Instacart and supplements his income by playing poker.
Conn is pleased to see a second Michigan platform. However, he’s not sure if he’ll immediately give BetMGM a shot.
“For those that are looking for another option in the state, it would be great to be able to play not just on one platform,” he says. “So far I have no reason to jump ship from PokerStars to BetMGM, but if they had some decent starting incentives, it would be worth looking at as a poker player.”
BetMGM is indeed offering some incentive for new players to get in the action. New players are eligible for a $25 bonus and a 100% deposit match, up to $600.
A $50,000 Freeroll Invitational Tournament also runs April 4 for all BetMGM players in the state.
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The pandemic’s proven the World Series of Poker can exist without a physical location. But now, WSOP’s land-based location is up in the air.
The post Rio All-Suites To Become A Hyatt Regency Property, Leaving WSOP’s Future Home Even More Uncertain appeared first on Online Poker Report.
The legal saga surrounding the Wire Act is officially over, meaning legal forms of gambling like online poker, casino and lottery have less to worry about when it comes to federal law.
The post The Wire Act Court Case Is Over: What It Means For Online Poker & Casino appeared first on Online Poker Report.
Connecticut has cleared what was probably the largest hurdle to legalizing online gambling: reaching a fair compromise with the tribes.
The post Full Steam Ahead In Connecticut As Mashantucket Pequot Tribe Reaches Compromise With Governor’s Office appeared first on Online Poker Report.
Gambling analyst Chris Grove says legal online poker in New York could dovetail nicely with the state’s efforts for mobile sports betting.
The post How Legal Online Poker Could Help New York’s Quest For Mobile Sports Betting, And Vice Versa appeared first on Online Poker Report.
BetMGM Poker is the latest gambling app available on the Google Play store, but the casino and sportsbook have yet to appear.
The post BetMGM Poker App Debuts in Google Play, Casino And Sportsbook Still On The Way appeared first on Online Poker Report.
Online poker players in Pennsylvania have been in a tantalizing spot for quite a while now. One online poker room is up and running, PokerStars PA. That has been the case for what will soon be a full year-and-a-half. However, expectations are another or perhaps two or three more online poker rooms may launch soon.
It’s a bit like having been dealt a premium starting hand and building a nice pot preflop. Now you’re waiting to see how things will proceed going forward. Prospects seem favorable, but for the next little while there remains some uncertainty.
One of the new online poker rooms expected to launch in Pennsylvania is BetMGM Poker. BetMGM has already launched online casinos as well as an a BetMGM online sportsbook in PA. In other words, licensing and many other particulars are currently in place for a BetMGM online poker room as well.
Here’s a quick look at what a new BetMGM online poker site should provide PA poker players.
When BetMGM Poker does come to Pennsylvania, it should hit the ground running with an inviting, well-functioning online poker room. After all, the site will arrive with a lot of prior online gaming experience behind it.
BetMGM has now gone live with not one but two online casinos in the Keystone State. In early December, the first BetMGM online casino launched in Pennsylvania via a partnership with the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville.
Then in February, BetMGM launched the Borgata Casino app in Pennsylvania with the Rivers Casino Philadelphia as a land-based partner.
Meanwhile in mid-December the BetMGM Online Sportsbook began accepting its first wagers in Pennsylvania as well.
So far, BetMGM Poker is only live in New Jersey. However expectations are it will soon launch not only in Pennsylvania, but in Michigan as well where the MGM Grand Detroit will serve as a retail partner.
With the Borgata as its brick-and-mortar partner, BetMGM’s first online poker room launched in New Jersey in 2017. Initially the site was known as playMGM, then in 2019 rebranded as BetMGM. In Pennsylvania, BetMGM Poker will again utilize its partnership with the Hollywood Casino to operate its online poker room.
BetMGM is of course owned by MGM Resorts International, which also owns the software developer Entain (formerly known as GVC Holdings). In New Jersey, Entain not only powers the BetMGM Poker site, but also the partypoker NJ and Borgata Poker NJ online poker rooms. They do so under the BetMGM brand (originally ROAR Digital) created via the joint venture between MGM and GVC.
Those three New Jersey sites — partypokerNJ, Borgata Poker NJ, and BetMGM NJ — together form a network that combines player pools, called the partypoker US network. That increased liquidity means bigger tournament fields and more players at the cash tables.
When BetMGM Poker initially launches in Pennsylvania, it will be as a standalone, ring-fenced site with only PA players allowed to play on it. However, much as community cards alter the course of a hand of hold’em, that circumstance could change, and perhaps significantly.
As far as the BetMGM Poker site goes, Pennsylvania players should find plenty of reasons to want to explore it as a new option once it goes live.
The BetMGM Poker site at New Jersey features an attractive design and an intuitive interface. Thinking back to online poker’s early days, you might describe the site as featuring a clean or “classic” look. Rather than complicate the screen with cute animations and other ornaments, all of the details are unembellished and instantly clear at a first glance.
The site can be accessed in multiple ways. On a laptop or desktop, you can play either through a web browser or on a downloadable, Java-based client. Meanwhile the site is also mobile-friendly, meaning you can download apps and play on your Apple (iOS) or Android devices.
Currently the site features no-limit hold’em ($0.01/$0.02 to $25/$50), fixed-limit hold’em ($0.02/$0.04 to $30/$60), and pot-limit Omaha high and hi/lo (same stakes as NLHE).
In the past seven-card stud was also offered, but that has been removed at present. There are NLHE and PLO sit-n-go’s ranging from $1 to $500. The site also features a version of “fast fold” poker called “fastforward” – although there are rarely enough players wanting to play it for that game to run.
The BetMGM Poker NJ site has many regular, featured MTTs like a $109 buy-in Daily $10K (with a $10,000 guaranteed prize pool) and the $535 Mega Tuesday (also with a $10K guarantee). There is a weekly $215 tournament, the Sunday $35K.
There are frequent tournament series on BetMGM Poker as well. In fact, over the past year BetMGM Poker NJ and the other New Jersey sites in the partypoker US network hosted a number of World Poker Tour-branded online events. These included some especially large events with $1 million guarantees. They also afforded players the chance to win entry into future live WPT events.
Also worth noting when previewing a potential BetMGM Poker site in PA are the welcome bonuses.
For the New Jersey site, players receive a $25 no-deposit bonus just for creating an account. Of that bonus, $15 has to be played in either cash games or tournaments. The other $10 is essentially cash going straight into the player’s account, as long as the player plays a minimum amount with it.
BetMGM Poker players in New Jersey also can receive a 100% matching deposit bonus worth up to $1,000. Much like other sites, the deposit bonus comes with a playthrough requirement. BetMGM Poker players participate both in a loyalty program called iRewards and MGM’s popular M Life Rewards program.
In terms of software, BetMGM Poker is more than adequate though for most players probably doesn’t match the standard set by PokerStars’ smooth-running interface. PokerStars has the advantage in game selection at present as well, although a BetMGM Poker site in PA might be able to offer more than what it currently does in NJ.
In New Jersey, the partypoker US network of sites to which BetMGM Poker belongs tends to draw close to the same traffic as PokerStars NJ. Meanwhile the WSOP NJ site routinely tops both by a wide margin, attracting more NJ players in part because it shares player pools with its poker rooms in other states.
However, when it comes to welcome bonuses, BetMGM Poker has an edge over PokerStars. The latter does not offer a no-deposit bonus. PokerStars does offer a 100% matching deposit bonus, though only up to $1500.
Certainly not at the start, although circumstances could change in the future.
BetMGM’s affiliation with partypoker potentially bears some significance. Despite its name, the partypoker US network currently only operates in one state, New Jersey. Theoretically the network could expand to include sites in other states. First, however, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will have to okay PA operators joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA).
The January 2021 ruling by the First Circuit Court of Appeals invalidating the US Department of Justice‘s most recent opinion of the Wire Act of 1961 was good news in this regard. That ruling removed an obstacle that had previously made PA regulators and others less than eager about pursuing multi-state agreements. That said, there is no set timeline at present for Pennsylvania to enter the MSIGA.
For Pennsylvania poker players, then, the likelihood will be once BetMGM Poker goes online, they’ll have another ring-fenced online poker site as an option alongside PokerStars PA. That it itself will be a welcome development, and perhaps later will come an opportunity to play opponents located outside of the state as well.
That is to say, first things first. You can plan ahead, but you can’t play the turn or river until after you first play the flop. Here’s looking forward to those first flops being dealt at BetMGM Poker PA.
Lead image via Dreamstime.
The post A Player’s Guide to BetMGM Poker in Pennsylvania appeared first on Play Pennsylvania.
Partypoker US Network’s latest Online Series begins on Sunday with $340,000 guaranteed. The series runs March 21-29 for players in New Jersey and includes a $125,000 live streamed championship event.
Currently the state hasn’t seen any live major tournament series in Atlantic City live poke rooms. Many players are shifting online to partake in more online events. That’s led to increased revenue numbers and historical traffic highs.
“I generally go to Atlantic City for poker tournaments every few months, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened since pre-COVID,” says Michael LoPresti, a poker player from Lumberton, NJ. “Having some more tournament options online has been nice.”
The Online Series is available to any players physically located in New Jersey’s borders. The partypoker US Network also includes the player pools from the BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM skins.
The $1,060 Main Event is set for March 28 and includes a $125,000 guarantee. The tournament plays out over two days, which includes a live streamed final table on LearnWPT’s Twitch Channel. The platform will stream the action March 29 at 8 pm (ET).
Players of all bankrolls will find three tournament options on the same day. Beyond the Main Event, the site offers a $20 Mini Main Event and a $109 tournament as well.
Most events feature No Limit Hold’em with one Omaha tournament also on the schedule. Players will find traditional bounty events, progressive knockouts (PKO), and even a heads-up tournament. Some highlights include:
Here’s a look at the complete schedule.
| Date | Time | Tournament | Total | Guarantee | Bounty |
| March 21 | 5 pm | #1: $50K GTD SUNDAY SPECIAL NLH | $215 | $50,000 | |
| March 22 | 8 pm | #2: 8-MAX PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT BOUNTY | $320 | $25,000 | $150 |
| March 23 | 8 pm | #3 $20K GTD 8MAX PKO KNOCKOUT BOUNTY | $215 | $20,000 | $100 |
| March 24 | 8 pm | #4: $10K GTD POT LIMIT OMAHA 6MAX | $109 | $10,000 | |
| March 24 | 8 pm | #5: HEADS UP 32 MAX | $320 | ||
| March 25 | 8 pm | #6: $20K GTD 6MAX PROGRESSIVE KNOCKOUT BOUNTY | $320 | $20,000 | $150 |
| March 26 | 8 pm | #7: $20K GTD 40-STACK 8MAX NLH | $215 | $20,000 | $150 |
| March 27 | 8 pm | #8: $25K GTD 8MAX PROGRSSIVE KNOCKOUT BOUNTY | $320 | $25,000 | |
| March 28 | 5 pm | #9: $10K GTD 8MAX MINI CHAMPIONSHIP NLH | $20 | $10,000 | |
| March 28 | 5 pm | #10: $35K GTD $109 1/2 PRICE NLH | $109 | $35,000 | |
| March 28 | 5 pm | #11: $125K GTD 8MAX NLH – DAY1 | $1,060 | $125,000 | |
| March 29 | 7 pm | #11: $125K GTD 8MAX NLH – DAY 2 LIVE STREAMED FINAL TABLE | |||
| Total overall guarantee | $340,000 |
Partypoker is offering several ways to enter the championship event. Each day players can log into the site and get a free spin on the promotional wheel.
Partypoker will award $5 satellite tickets and even give away $1,060 Main Event seat tickets. The site will also be running daily satellites to win a seat into these events. Satellites range in buy-in from $0 to $55.
Players can simply click on the satellite tab in the tournament lobby to see which are events currently running.
Besides hosting the live stream, LearnWPT will also offer free training videos to help players get an edge.
LearnWPT is the official training site of the World Poker Tour. All partypoker players can access these videos.
During the Online Series, players can still look for big Sunday events and daily promotions. This includes weekly Sunday specials including the $10 and $20 Deepstack events with $250 and $500 guarantees
The popular nightly $10,000 guaranteed tournament will also run daily. Here’s a quick look at that event:
★★★ Ready to jump in the action at partypoker US Network? Click here for a site review and exclusive USPoker bonuses. Reviews and bonuses are also available for BorgataPoker.com and BetMGM. ★★★
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