- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has granted a license to GGPoker to enter the Keystone State
- Based on the license, GGPoker may only operate as a supplier and not a brand. In other words, it can supply poker products for other companies, not run it
- No official test dates have been set but GGPoker remains committed to exploring its options of entering the regulated poker market in the U.S.
Leading poker platform GGPoker is getting closer to an official launch in the United States. A preliminary licenses for providing poker products as supplier has been granted to the company by the PGCB.
GGPoker Gets First Regulatory Nod in Pennsylvania
PokerStars may soon have to surrender its benevolent monopoly on the Pennsylvanian poker market now that GGPoker has received conditional approval to launch in the Keystone State. While GGPoker is already gearing up to roll out its dedicated product, no exact date has been put down.
In a statement, GGPoker representatives explained that the company has been preparing for a long time now to break ground in the regulated U.S. market. Thanks to the approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), this is now a reality.
GGPoker will not be entering an under-saturated market in terms of available brands. 888poker/WSOP and BetMGM/partypoker have received licenses to debut their poker suites, but none of the companies has hurried up.
According to Poker Industry PRO, an industry website, PokerStars PA generates around $2.9 million in monthly revenue, not bad, but certainly nowhere near iGaming and sports betting which often run in the hundreds of millions. In its first of operation, though, PokerStars PA generated $35 million – results boosted by the pandemic and lockdowns.
In light of this information, it’s not surprising to see GGPoker bid its time. Yet, unlike BetMGM and 888, GGPoker’s main product is poker, and this is precisely why the company may be keener or securing an entry.
GGPoker has not yet scheduled any launches to test the ground either. GGPoker has a lot of authentic product that seem to match local demand. For example, PokerStars $200 reentry events are a close fit to GGMasters, the weekend freezeout events GGPoker already has an important standing in the poker community.
A Long Way to go Before Launch Is Feasible
In 2020, the company signed a partnership placing it as an official partner for the World Series of Poker (WSOP) worldwide, hosting the online events for the rather contentious season which saw an official Main Event be first held online, but then cancelled and re-hosted in person.
Pennsylvania is not the only market where GGPoker is likely to have a fair chance of success either. New Jersey and Michigan are exceptionally vibrant, and Michigan is marked by its high tolerance towards online products after the state launched 15 digital licenses first.
However, GGPoker may still be far from an operational license in Pennsylvania after all. The PGCB has approved the company as a supplier of products.
In other words, GGPoker cannot launch as a standalone product, but rather it may agree to provide the technical expertise and know-how to build products for other interested parties, such as casinos that wish to run a dedicated poker product.
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