Good News for Poker as PartyPoker hits Pennsylvania

3 years ago
Good News for Poker as PartyPoker hits Pennsylvania
09:25
05 Nov

Over time, online gaming has been coming back to the US, giving more players the opportunity to enjoy all the fun of online poker. And the latest bit of good news is from the state of Pennsylvania, where PartyPoker has just been approved, making itself available to the locals. It’s been a long time for online gamers to wait for the brand to return to PA, and exciting for locals who can’t all go to Vegas to get their poker fix.


Everybody Loves Poker

It’s one of those card games that everyone knows, even if they don’t know how to play it themselves (but we have plenty of poker help here). They’re still aware of it. It’s depicted as one of the most popular card games, from western films to the stereotypical “it’s poker night with the boys” trope in movies.  But not everybody can find a legalized bricks and mortar casino to go to and enjoy it. So, even though the depiction is stereotypical, we find that playing poker with friends is perhaps the most popular way to get by in the US. Thankfully though, that is slowly changing.


The Demise and Return of Online poker

In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed into law as part of the SAFE Port Act. Now, there are lots of stories behind this, but effectively the US government just drawing a hard line in the sand to cease online gambling. Tracing bank payments abroad was a huge concern, but with cybersecurity a key component of the company and, by association, online gaming businesses, could this really be the reason? Whatever it was, the law was passed, and online gaming stopped.

For a little while, anyway. 

In April 2013, Ultimate Poker went live in Nevada with the first-ever legal, regulated online site in the US. Just a few months later, other states went live, bringing poker brands online in Delaware and New Jersey, with Pennsylvania becoming the fourth state to authorize online gaming. Since then, all the legal and regulatory work happens behind closed doors in each state, but more and more are opening up. You can check this site for more information about how the number of online poker rooms is rising in the US. It’s a great way to see if online poker will be coming to your state soon (if it’s not already there).


Playing in Pennsylvania

As the fourth state to allow online poker in 2017, Governor Tom Wolf put pen to paper on an expansive gaming package. That saw PokerStars bring their games to life in Pennsylvania, but after three years as the sole provider in the state, the competition is now in.

PartyPoker is known over the globe as one of the best online poker sites, so it’s good to have another big brand back in PA. It’s gone through a number of upgrades and enhancements; if you haven’t visited the site recently, prepare for some significant changes. You can also play poker on your cell or tablet too, so wherever you are, you can enjoy the mobile experience.

The PartyPoker deal, announced by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, comes about via an interactive gaming license for BetMGM and Roar Digital. The two pair up in the United States to offer the PartyPoker network to US players, and this is the second state for the partnership (New Jersey was the first).

Since its launch, PartyPoker was and has been the source for all things poker. As well as easy online gaming, it’s famous for its tournaments and cash games. The amount of money generated for competitions is ludicrous as it’s been known for up to $15 million to be won in monthly tournaments. It also entered the poker live events space.

PartyPoker has always been a safe company. It has zero-tolerance for fraud, which is why you’ve never heard any big scam stories about the brand. And when it did pull out of the US in 2006, along with most other online gambling sites, it continued to operate securely elsewhere in the world. Even though it wanted to come back, it’s been biding its time to go through the appropriate channels.

Once the deal goes live, Pennsylvania residents don’t have to set up ‘boys or girls’ poker nights anymore to get their poker fix. They will be able to sit down, relax, and enjoy playing poker online.


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Writer and semi-retired poker pro from Edinburgh (UK).Read more

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