New Jersey, Nevada & Delaware Agree to Shared Player Pools

Christmas came early to poker players who live in states where poker is 100% legal, with an agreement being reached that would share online player pools among NJ, NV and DE.

Some good news arrived this past week for online poker players living in states that have 100% legal poker games. In fact, its news that many players have been waiting a long time to hear:

LEGAL online poker sites in Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware will finally be sharing player pools, something that should increase overall traffic and gaming revenues for all the states involved!

How Will It All Work?

While there has been no actual date that has been put in play as far as when this agreement will go into place, it’s safe to say it will be in the very near future, possibly even by the end of 2017.

By the time it is all said and done, gamblers from New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware will all be able to play with one another on the same poker and/or casino site. Essentially, cash games, tournaments and sit and go’s will all have shared pools from these states going forward very soon.

Regulators in these locations will have to come to a mutual decision on which gaming providers to approve so that interstate gaming can finally be put in place.

A similar process took place when Delaware and Nevada decided to pool together their traffic to increase the overall gaming experience for its players, as well as help with depleted traffic figures that were hurting both states at the time. Traffic has since been on the rise since that pact was made.

New Jersey’s Governor and the DGE Weigh In

Governor Chris Christie issued a quote from his office last week regarding shared player pools for residents in his state, saying that

pooling players with Nevada and Delaware will enhance annual revenue growth, attract new customers and create opportunities for players and Internet gaming operators. This agreement marks the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for online gaming, and we look forward to working with our partners in Nevada and Delaware in this endeavor.

Also included in a press release that was published last Friday, the pact has been agreed upon by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and Delaware Governor John Carney. New Jersey’s entry into this multi-state agreement will allow gaming operators to offer its customers a chance to participate in poker, tournaments, and progressive slot games with players in other states where they are licensed.

The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement will oversee the process from start to finish, with Director David Roebuck chiming in that New Jersey stands to approve a game offering for all three states as soon as an operator submits each product for testing.

Operators will submit their game offerings for approval by regulators and the DGE in each respective state. From there, as long as the games are tested fairly and properly approved, they will be accessible by players from not just New Jersey, but also Delaware and Nevada.

What This Pact Means for Gaming Revenues in Each State

From a pure financial standpoint, this move will easily help every state involved in the agreement make much more in annual gaming revenues.

Traffic will increase at all the major sites involved, including those like WSOP.com and 888 Poker, and, as a result, tournaments should fill up a lot more, cash games will be extremely active and overall it should bring in a lot of new players.

The shared player pools will also bring a lot more action to not just players looking to play poker, but also those looking to play the many thousands of slot games and other available table games that many of these sites now offer its customers.

My favorite part of this from a pure poker player aspect will undoubtedly be the player traffic many of the annual poker series that are already offered. WSOP.com and PartyPoker/Borgata will see a huge uptick in registered players. I also anticipate guarantees being shattered as more players plunk down their buyins for all the many great tournaments that sites like these offers its residents.