Months after Michigan Signed MSIGA, Interstate Poker Is Still Yet to Kick Off

By Scott Bowen,
Editor at online-gambling.com

Scott Bowen Editor at online-gambling.com

Scott Bowen is a casino expert and editor with many years of experience in the gambling industry. He is one of the most valuable members of our team at online-gambling.com. Bowen specializes in writing on a variety of subjects, including roulette, blackjack, video poker, sports betting, and more.

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Last updated: July 27, 2022

Some months ago, online poker regulators of the tenth largest state within the U.S – Michigan, signed the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). This would mean that there were prospects for the mitten state to support interstate poker and provide additional liquidity. Being the tenth largest state, Michigan’s arrival into the MSIGA states would double the player pool.

With the signing of the agreement, Michigan had joined Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware as an official member of the interstate gaming compact. However, when Michigan joined the agreement, firm statements were heard from the Executive Director of the MGCB (Michigan Gaming Control Board). The Executive Director, Henry Williams, stated that online poker operators in Michigan still had a lot of work to do before being allowed to be operational in other States of the contract.

MGCB Adds Additional Requirements for Poker Operators to the Compact

Nothing else has been heard from the MGCB ever since. The MGCB seems more concerned with ensuring compliance with state laws. Before Michigan signed the agreement, The MGCB had earlier asked for a request from the three other states. This request was for New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware to include some of Michigan’s minimum online poker operator requirements into the compact. The other three states agreed to these requests.

Thanks to the MGCB, all online poker operators in the four states must now protect the financial, personal, and wagering information of their customers. They must also prevent the use of software or equivalent mechanisms by users while engaging in gaming. However, should any of these be used, all online operators must be able to detect and cease their use. These two are also accompanied by three other requirements offered by the MGCB.

Online Poker Operators in Michigan Yet to Be Approved for Interstate Poker

PokerStars MI, WSOP MI, and BetMGM Poker MI, the three online poker operators in Michigan, are yet to be approved for instate poker. This leaves questions as to why they have not been approved yet, mostly because fans cannot see any apparent reason for the delay.

However, there seems to be a long list of requirements from the MGCB on the three operators. The Board insists that the three operators must meet all the requirements of the Multistate Internet Gaming Agreement before being allowed to partake in interstate poker.

The three operators must receive agency approval for any new game software or platform. They must also have all their servers for receiving wagers from outside Michigan signed off by the MGCB. The state’s online poker operators must also inspect their data centers. In addition, their security standards must also be reviewed. Despite this long list of requirements, all three operators have affiliates in New Jersey, so poker enthusiasts believe it should be easy for them to meet these requirements.

No Comments from MGCB or Poker Operators

Poker enthusiasts have yet to hear any news on how far the process of interstate poker in Michigan has gone. The MGCB has refused to be transparent or answer any questions regarding the current status of the process.

To make the situation more unclear, the representatives from PokerStars and BetMGM did not give any response when pressed for comments. Nonetheless, some poker enthusiasts blame the delay on the three operators. Some believe that a possible delay in the process could be that all three operators have been busy organizing tournaments as of late.