Online poker players in West Virginia can now compete against players from other states like Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, and New Jersey. The West Virginia Lottery has announced the state’s participation in the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), which allows for online poker games among players from the participating jurisdictions.
West Virginia Lottery Director John Myers expressed his satisfaction with the decision, stating that iGaming providers in the state will now have the opportunity to offer multi-state poker to players. This expansion is expected to increase the pool of participants and allow players to compete for larger winnings.
Operators in West Virginia who want to offer multi-state poker will need to submit a letter of intent to the state Lottery and obtain approvals from both West Virginia regulators and regulators in the other member states. This will enable them to launch the multi-state gambling facility.
The MSIGA was originally established in 2014 when Nevada and Delaware entered into the first deal of its kind. Subsequently, New Jersey joined in 2017, with Michigan becoming the latest member in 2022. The agreement allows patrons within the geographic boundaries of the participating states to engage in legal forms of online gaming.
The agreement is managed by a Delaware corporation called Multi-State Internet Gaming Association LLC, and is currently used by Michigan, Nevada, West Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey to offer online poker to players in these states. This arrangement represents an opportunity for operators and regulators to transcend physical boundaries and share in the benefits of online gaming that would otherwise be restricted to land-based casinos.
In West Virginia, there are only five land-based casinos offering live poker, with Hollywood Casino having the largest poker room with 16 tables. With the signing of the MSIGA, players in West Virginia will now have the opportunity to engage in multi-state online poker, allowing them to test their skills against players from other member states.