BetMGM combines poker player pools in New Jersey and Michigan

BetMGM, one of the leading iGaming and sportsbook companies in the United States, has announced that it is combining the poker player pools of the states of New Jersey and Michigan to create a more vibrant overall ecosystem on the dedicated BetMGM poker platform, Casino Guru News learned in an email press release.

BetMGM Poker creates even bigger player bases and tournaments

BetMGM is keen to continue growing in the online poker vertical, and the news comes shortly after Rush Street Interactive launched its first foray into poker, acquiring Run It Once Poker, and relaunching it as BetRivers Poker in Pennsylvania earlier this month.

Meanwhile, BetMGM Poker is hoping for the move to create a much better combined player and prize pool, galvanizing more players to experience poker on the platform.

BetMGM VP of Gaming Angus Nisbet has welcomed the opportunity to pool the player bases of the two states and give them more opportunities to showcase their skills and win bigger prizes.

"With the introduction of shared liquidity, we've listened to players’ desire for more games and larger prize pools. By showcasing our best-in-class omnichannel experience – spanning property, sports betting and online casino – we're committed to providing an unparalleled poker experience for our players," Nisbet noted.

The merger comes ahead of the company’s biggest tournament series due to take place on Sunday, November 17. The BetMGM Poker Online Championships will feature $2,000,000 in prize pool guarantees across multiple events.

The news has been welcomed by the community as well as by BetMGM Poker’s own ambassadors, including Darren Elias, who welcomed the move and its significance for the platform.

"Combining player pools will immediately elevate BetMGM Poker with more games and bigger guarantees while allowing BetMGM to send more online qualifiers to live tournaments at MGM Resorts properties across the country," Elias said confident in the long-term success of the move.

Poker is most certainly an important vertical for iGaming companies, which have been investing in the vertical repeatedly.

Online poker’s popularity in the US continues to grow

BetRivers’ own recent launch into the poker vertical is an attempt to resuscitate interest in the game, which tends to be a little more challenging, and therefore harder to attract new players.

However, since poker was invented and popularized in the United States, the game has been gathering momentum, and especially in the land-based sector where all brick-and-mortar are keen to run frequent poker games, and host weekday and weekend tournaments featuring hefty prize pools.

BetMGM Poker is following suit, only hoping to elicit a stronger response among online players this time around.

Image credit: BetMGM