One of the largest poker brands in the world is making its way to Pennsylvania.
World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been confirmed to be joining Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) through Caesar’s Entertainment Harrah’s Philadelphia. This partnership will see the launch of domestic online casino and poker gambling in Pennsylvania.
CIE is one of the new licensees in the state. It is reported that the site will launch once regulators’ conditions are satisfied. This could take days, weeks or even months. This gives CIE a chance to leave another footprint in the growing path towards widespread domestic online gambling.
“We’re very bullish on the offering online gaming provides our guests and are excited for the opportunity Pennsylvania presents,” said Melanie Gross, CIE Vice President of Online Casino.
Pennsylvania will look to emulate New Jersey’s 2013 launch of domestic online gambling options. According to New Jersey’s timeline five years ago, license applications were accepted in April (which Pennsylvania did as well this past April) and the first venue went live in November. This means if Pennsylvania is successful, residents will have gambling by Thanksgiving.
Caesars already operates WSOP gaming in Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. These states form a combined poker playing pool. Pennsylvania’s population of 12 million sees that player pool hit exponential growth in terms of liquidity. The PA gambling legislation permits interstate player pools, so once things are set up the state will be linked to Caesars’ three other holdings.
CIE is optimistic about their experience with their other three states will pay off in dividends regarding their most recent venture capture.
“We have a wealth of knowledge and experience from our six years in the online gaming space in the US and believe we’ll be able to hit the ground running in Pennsylvania when online gaming commences in the state,” said Gross.
While Caesars originally claimed they were the first license granted, Mount Airy Casino already struck a deal with The Stars Group. Parx Casino also had their license approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Harrah’s in Philadelphia is thankful for this new deal and sees it as an avenue towards growth.
“We thank the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and look forward to continuing to work together on the next steps in bringing online gambling to Harrah’s Philadelphia,” said Senior Vice President and General Manager Chris Albrecht.
“We see this as a great opportunity to bring new customers into our Total Rewards network and for all customers to play with us both online and at the property.”