PokerStars USA | How to Play in 2024
Status and Updates in 2024
Currently, PokerStars is only available in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Updated May 1, 2024 – PokerStars is at the peak of its post-Black Friday presence in the United States. It made its reappearance in the US market in 2016 in New Jersey after an extensive vetting process. From that point, it took the lead in the expansion. When Pennsylvania issued online poker licenses, PokerStars was the first to launch in that state in late 2019 and remained the sole operator there for about 1.5 years. It was the first site to launch in Michigan in early 2021, the first operator to obtain permission to share its player pools between Michigan and New Jersey, and the first to launch that combined site on the first day of 2023.
Currently, PokerStars is waiting for Pennsylvania to join the Multi State Internet Gaming Agreement so it can expand further.
Online Poker in the USA
Eight states have legalized online poker. Of those, only five issued licenses and witnessed the launch of online poker sites: Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. West Virginia is likely to be the next to issue a poker license, though Connecticut and Rhode Island have shown no application interest yet.
When it comes to PokerStars, only three states have PokerStars software licensed and regulated. PokerStars gained approval to operate in New Jersey in 2015 and launched in March 2016. PokerStars then launched in Pennsylvania in late 2019. They kicked things off with the Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker that drew thousands of players, and it remained the only state-regulated site in PA until BetMGM launched in April 2021 and WSOP followed a few months later.
Nevada continues to host only one poker site – WSOP – and Delaware had only one until its contract with 888 ran out in 2023. As of 2024, RunItOnce is scheduled to bring its software to Delaware but has yet to launch its new poker site.
As for multi-state poker via the Multi State Internet Gaming Agreement, several states’ governors have signed it – Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Michigan, and West Virginia. WSOP connects its players between Nevada and New Jersey, and it is expected to pull Michigan into the mix in the summer of 2024. BetMGM has not connected any sites yet but is also expected to join Michigan and New Jersey in the summer of 2024. PokerStars was the first to connect its Michigan site to New Jersey on January 1, 2023. Its future plans for expansion are unclear.
US poker players living in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada, Michigan, and soon (again) Delaware can play on the regulated sites. They must be located within those state lines, as verified by geolocation technology, to be authorized to play.
Best PokerStars Alternatives for US Players
Our Ignition Poker review lays out why it’s the best alternative. A lot of people prefer it to non-state run sites since they accept players from all 50 states. Check out our Bovada review, BetOnline, SportsBetting, ACR, Black Chip Poker and Intertops also rank highly. As state by state rollouts occur, we will continue to keep you updated on when PokerStars makes it to your state.
Can You Play on PokerStars in the USA?
PokerStars is only available if you are physically in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Michigan.
PokerStars is currently owned by Flutter Entertainment, which also owns Sky Betting & Gaming, Betfair, FanDuel, Paddy Power, and SportsBet. Flutter is based in Ireland and traded solely on the London Stock Exchange until it added itself to the New York Stock Exchange in early 2024.
PokerStars partners with Mt. Airy Casino in Pennsylvania, Resorts in New Jersey, and Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in Michigan.
If PokerStars intends to launch in West Virginia or Nevada, it will need to partner with a casino or brand in each state and then begin the license application process.
Can I use a VPN to play on PokerStars
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network. All devices that connect to the internet have a unique identifier called an internet protocol (IP) address. Using a VPN masks your IP address by scrambling and routing your traffic to servers and nodes across the world. The data is also encrypted and makes it harder, if not impossible, for anyone to identify your devices or web traffic.
VPNs aren’t just great tools for privacy, but they also allow users to appear as if they’re browsing the web from different areas in the world.
While this might work for sites like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon, it does not work for PokerStars. PokerStars has very tight technology that detects VPNs and denies access to its sites for anyone using a VPN. PokerStars is very strict about not allowing players via VPNs because of the troubles it overcame from Black Friday and the enormous effort the company has exerted to become a site that plays by the rules, especially in the US market.
Players caught using a VPN will be blocked. There have been instances of those players being banned from ever accessing PokerStars again in any market.
How Many Players are on Pokerstars?
PokerStars remains one of the world’s largest poker sites, but it is no longer the global leader in online poker. GGPoker overtook PokerStars several years ago and maintains a locked lead in the market. WPT Global and PokerStars now vie for a distant second place with regard to online poker traffic.
In the United States, PokerStars competes with WSOP and BetMGM for online poker traffic in the aforementioned legal poker states. There are few equal comparisons for the sites because of shared liquidity, but Pennsylvania – remaining exempt from MSIGA so far – is a good gauge. Based on PA online poker revenue, traffic data, and cash game and tournament offerings, PokerStars is the most popular site.
When Will PokerStars Return to the USA?
PokerStars returned to the USA in 2015 with its application to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. When it received its license and launched in New Jersey in 2016, it marked the return of PokerStars to the US market.
Will There Ever Be a National PokerStars?
For PokerStars to launch across the entire United States, the federal government would need to legalize online poker. Congress would have to pass legislation to allow it. After decades of efforts to do just that, the online poker industry has largely given up on national online poker.
With the current reading of the Wire Act and UIGEA, sites like PokerStars must obtain licenses and launch on a state-by-state basis. And using the Multi State Internet Gaming Agreement, operators can connect their sites across state lines. PokerStars has done this in Michigan and New Jersey, with players in both of those states now competing against each other on the same platform. Pennsylvania has yet to allow this.
The future for PokerStars is bright, but progress will be slow through no fault of the company. The framework of online poker in the United States is on a state level, and progress in most states has been slow.
Good Faith Will Not Prevail?
After Black Friday, when PokerStars executives were indicted by the United States and funds were confiscated, it was difficult to see how the company would overcome such obstacles to ever return to the United States. However, PokerStars immediately began taking steps to get on the right path.
When Full Tilt Poker fell apart and couldn’t pay its players, PokerStars purchased the Full Tilt assets and paid the players. This was a part of its deal with the US Department of Justice to pay fines and show good faith. When UltimateBet and Absolute Poker disappeared with all of their players’ funds, PokerStars took on those debts as well, paying players through a US court-appointed distribution company. All of the repayments happened under the supervision of the US government.
After paying its penalties, rescuing players who were victimized by other sites from the Black Friday incident, and changing ownership, PokerStars became eligible for consideration in the new state-regulated US online gambling market. The company underwent an extensive background check and vetting process by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to obtain its license there. From that point forward, PokerStars obtained licenses in Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Nevada remains a sticking point for PokerStars, as Nevada’s online poker legislation specifically barred sites that operated in the US after the UIGEA passed in 2006 – like PokerStars – from becoming licensed in the NV online poker market. However, that ban was in effect for 10 years and appears to be void now. It remains to be seen if PokerStars will apply for a license in Nevada, but its good faith efforts in other parts of the US might be good enough to help it happen.
Pros and Cons of PokerStars
PokerStars offers the largest array of cash games and tournaments online in New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, with the exception of WSOP Circuit and WSOP bracelet events and series.
Players can depend on PokerStars to be transparent about their business moves, not only because of the company’s desire to remain in favor with US federal and state governments but because its parent company – Flutter Entertainment – recently became a publicly-traded company in the United States on the New York Stock Exchange.
The downside to PokerStars is its limited availability, as it is only licensed in three states. While this is no fault of its own at this point, as its proverbial hands are tied by laws, PokerStars is not widely available to players as it once was.
When Will I Be Able to Play PokerStars in my State?
Every state is different, and only some states have or will consider online poker legislation. Check out our individual state guides to find out about any efforts to legalize online poker and the chances of this happening in the future.
Online Poker USA Law State-by-State Guides
You can refer to the status of online poker in every US state here:
Alabama – Arizona – Arkansas – California – Colorado – Connecticut – Georgia – Idaho – Iowa – Kansas – Maine – Maryland – Massachusetts – Michigan – Minnesota – Mississippi – Montana – Nebraska – New Hampshire – New Mexico – North Carolina – North Dakota – Ohio – Oklahoma – Pennsylvania – Rhode Island – South Carolina – Tennessee – Vermont – West Virginia – Wyoming
The Entire History of PokerStars in the USA
PokerStars has a fascinating history in the online poker industry with a substantial portion of it taking place in the USA.
2000s
- Now a billion-dollar, publicly-traded company, PokerStars had rather humble beginnings.
- It began in the early 2000s as a Costa Rican company called Rational Enterprises that was majority-owned by Israeli-Canadian Isai Scheinberg.
- PokerStars was just one of many of the early real-money online poker operators, such as competitors PartyPoker, 888 Poker and Planet Poker.
2003 – 2006
- PokerStars’ claim to fame came in 2003 when an accountant named Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event 2003-2006 Las Vegas after qualifying on the site through a satellite.
- Moneymaker was the first player to win the Main Event after qualifying online and helped create the “poker boom” of the early 2000s.
- PokerStars quickly became a favorite amongst poker players for its satellites, secure deposits, reliable support team, and booming cash games.
2006 – 2011
- The poker boom was stifled early on when the US government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 that led to publicly-traded companies like PartyPoker getting forced to leave the US market altogether.
- The UIGEA had the opposite effect on PokerStars because it was a privately-held company, it remained in the US market and quickly took the reins as the most popular online poker site in the world.
2011 – 2016
- The gravy train came to an end in April 2011 when the Department of Justice seized the .com addresses of four online poker sites: PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker and UltimateBet.
- Online poker players referred to the day as “Black Friday”. It would be years before PokerStars would be allowed to re-enter the US market.
2016 – Today
- PokerStars continued to flourish on the international market and was purchased by Amaya Gaming in a massive $4.9 billion deal in 2014. PokerStars subsequently changed hands again and is now under the Flutter Entertainment umbrella of companies.
- New Jersey became the first state to allow PokerStars back in 2016.
- In late 2019, Pennsylvania followed suit and allowed PokerStars to open its virtual doors to players in the state. In 2021, Michigan did the same.
Unfortunately, many other states remain a pipe dream and it will likely be decades before PokerStars is allowed to operate in the entirety of the USA.