September 2020

West Virginia has been the biggest story of late, thanks to the surprise launch of iGaming in the state. DraftKings was first out of the gates in July, followed by BetMGM in August. More online casinos should be coming soon.

Michigan, meanwhile, is making progress towards its own launch. The next major step will be a public hearing on the regulator’s draft rules. This will take place on September 23.

Pennsylvanians are likewise playing a waiting game, as the out-of-state qualified gaming entities should be receiving their licenses soon. Live dealer gaming is also expected sometime before year’s end.

Rumors are buzzing about a possible online casino partnership between William Hill and Caesars. PokerStars has begun pulling out of certain gray markets, starting with Cyprus, China, Taiwan and Macau. Both of these stories have the potential for new developments this month.

New York’s commercial casinos got the go-ahead to reopen on September 9. It was the last jurisdiction waiting to give such permission. Casinos and COVID will be a story to watch as cooler weather arrives and brings with it the possibility of a renewed surge in infections.

While our coverage occasionally reaches into nearly every corner of online gaming, Online Poker Report has a few primary focus areas.

Regulated U.S. Online Poker

The bulk of our coverage is focused on the markets for regulated, legal, online poker in New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, along with other states in the U.S., including New York and Michigan that are considering regulated online poker.

Our coverage spans regulatory updates, legislative developments, market analysis, and day-to-day news that may be of interest not only to those following the markets, but also online poker players who participate in them.

Online Gambling Regulation in America

Along with specific coverage of online poker, we also explore the broader topic of online gambling regulation in the United States, including casino and lottery games.

Our companion site – LegalSportsReport.com – is where you’ll find our coverage of issues related to daily fantasy sports and legal sports betting in the U.S.. We also cover the consumer perspective on NJ online casinos at PlayNJ.com.

The Global Online Poker Market

Recently, we have started to expand our coverage beyond the U.S. into the global market for online poker, including jurisdictions such as the UK’s regulated online poker market. We made this decision as the leading companies involved in one market increasingly started to mirror companies in another, and as the innovations from – and the challenges facing – the international online poker market became increasingly relevant for the American online poker industry as well.