The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) is a compact that lets licensed online poker operators pool players across state lines. The latest regulator statement reviewed, from the Michigan Gaming Control Board on July 13, 2026, shows six members: Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Pennsylvania’s governor signed on April 23, 2025, and shared play there began April 28, 2025.
Verified on October 20, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Membership and operator approvals change, so check the relevant state regulator before relying on this summary.
What is MSIGA and why does it matter for online poker?
MSIGA is a written agreement among states, dated February 25, 2014 and amended as of September 27, 2017. The text says its purpose is to let patrons in each member state use a common infrastructure and to increase liquidity, meaning the number of players available for tables and tournaments. Poker was named as the initial offering, and the agreement defines poker as peer-to-peer, non-house-banked card games, in cash-game or tournament form.
Liquidity matters because a small state market can support only a limited number of tables. Under Article V, a licensee may pool the poker players it serves in any licensing state so they can play against each other, subject to each state’s laws and regulations. The agreement also creates a Multi-State Internet Gaming Association, a Delaware limited liability company, whose members are state representatives.
Which states are MSIGA members, and when did each join?
| State | Entry date from regulator or agreement text | Source type |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | Initial member; agreement signed February 25, 2014 by the governors of Nevada and Delaware | Agreement text; Nevada legislative minutes |
| Delaware | Initial member; same February 25, 2014 signing | Agreement text; Nevada legislative minutes |
| New Jersey | Joined via the amended agreement, signed by Delaware (October 4, 2017), New Jersey (October 5, 2017) and Nevada (October 10, 2017) | Signed agreement hosted by the NJ Attorney General’s Division of Gaming Enforcement |
| Michigan | Applied April 2022 and signed May 2022 (MGCB release dated May 23, 2022); MGCB said multi-state play was set to launch January 1, 2023 | Michigan Gaming Control Board |
| West Virginia | Announced mid-November 2023, per a statement by the West Virginia Lottery director as reported by the state press association and trade press | Secondary report of Lottery statement |
| Pennsylvania | Governor signed April 23, 2025; shared play began April 28, 2025 | Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board |
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board release, dated April 23, 2025, describes the state as the sixth member and says the move adds about 150,000 online poker players and expands the pool by more than 50 percent. That figure is the board’s own estimate. Nevada’s Gaming Control Board is not named as a party in the legislative minutes reviewed; the 2014 agreement was signed by the governors, with the board’s chairman present at the hearing.
How does shared poker liquidity work for players?
The agreement sets several rules that shape what a player sees:
- Location. A patron is a person physically present in a member state and legally entitled to play there. Players outside member states cannot join pooled tables.
- Access. Each member state represents that patrons reach the games only through websites operated by licensees in the patron’s own state.
- Servers. Game software used for games pooled with New Jersey patrons must be hosted in Atlantic City, New Jersey (Article V).
- Taxes. Each state receives the poker revenue generated by its own patrons, regardless of where the operator is based (Article VI).
- Disputes. Disputes between a patron and an operator are resolved by the patron’s state. Disputes between patrons from different states go to the regulator of the state where the operator ran the game (Article X).
An operator must also be approved by regulators before pooling. The Michigan Gaming Control Board, for example, issued separate approvals for additional operators to run multi-state poker on April 1, 2026 and July 13, 2026. Whether a particular poker site is pooled depends on its licenses and approvals in each state, so availability varies by state and by operator. Readers can compare how rooms differ on the poker rooms page.
How does a new state join MSIGA?
Article IV sets a formal process. Association members must recommend admission by a two-thirds vote, the prospective state must meet minimum standards in Exhibit A, and the chief executive of each state that voted to recommend admission must sign a Notice of Admission. The standards cover items such as location and age verification, self-exclusion enforcement, player-set limits and a link to problem-gambling help. A member may withdraw with at least 60 days of written notice.
The regulator statements reviewed do not show a seventh member as of the verification date, and this article does not treat any pending state proposal as membership.
What does MSIGA not do?
MSIGA does not legalize online poker in a state, and it does not merge tax systems or consumer-protection rules. Each state keeps its licensing, technical standards and enforcement authority. The agreement also covers licensees, so pooling applies to operators licensed by member states. Sites outside that licensing system, such as the offshore poker sites sometimes discussed by players, are not part of it.
The agreement itself sets no tournament schedules or prize guarantees; those remain decisions for licensed operators.
Sources
- Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (dated Feb. 25, 2014; amended Sept. 27, 2017), hosted by the NJ Attorney General, Division of Gaming Enforcement
- Nevada Legislature interim committee minutes on the Nevada-Delaware agreement (February 2014)
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, press release of April 23, 2025
- Michigan Gaming Control Board, May 23, 2022
- Michigan Gaming Control Board, December 28, 2022
- Michigan Gaming Control Board, April 1, 2026
- Michigan Gaming Control Board, July 13, 2026
- West Virginia Press Association, relay of West Virginia Lottery statement (Nov. 2023)
- National Council on Problem Gambling, 1-800-MY-RESET announcement (January 29, 2026)
Responsible gambling
Online poker involves real money and risk, and play should stay within a set budget. Anyone worried about their gambling, or someone else’s, can call or text the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738). The National Council on Problem Gambling describes the service as free, confidential and available 24/7, and says its earlier access point 1-800-522-4700 remains active. Players must be of legal age and physically located in a state where the site is licensed.
