August 2020

Michigan remains a hot topic this summer, as state regulators are working hard towards a potential October launch for iGaming. There are still many casinos without online partners, so more partnership announcements may be forthcoming in the meantime.

West Virginia is also at the top of the watch list after DraftKings Casino went live in July. That being the case, we could potentially see other sites launching in the near future.

Pennsylvania is now into its second year of regulated iGaming, and most licensed operators have now launched. The two out-of-state qualified gaming entities, Golden Nugget and BetMGM, could receive their permits this month. PokerStars could also be getting some competition soon, as partypoker is expected to launch under MGM’s license.

Meanwhile, the reopening of land-based casinos has stagnated. Roughly 85% of properties were open throughout July, but we could see some close down again in August as COVID-19 cases soar.

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.