PokerStars launched its Michigan online poker software on January 29, 2021. With tremendous interest from players right away, PokerStars Michigan has already become one of the world’s biggest poker operators. While PokerStars had previously launched United States poker rooms in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, its Michigan site has already blown past those two states in terms of player volume. It is despite New Jersey and Pennsylvania having established reputations in the online gambling world.
PokerStars’ offering in the Wolverine State accompanies its Michigan casino that has launched on the same day. Both have been successful in the early going, with PokerStars playing a major role in the early success of online gambling in Michigan as a whole.
About PokerStars
PokerStars was founded in 2001, well before it became a Michigan online poker operator. Founded in Costa Rica, it is now headquartered in the Isle of Man and is a part of Stars Group after being purchased by their current parent company in 2014. The site is popular globally, as PokerStars has been legal in countries around the world for many years.
In America, PokerStars’ history is an interesting one, as the company operated as an unregulated entity before the Michigan poker industry was legalized along with that of other states. PokerStars gained notoriety in 2003 when American Chris Moneymaker won a PokerStars satellite into the World Series of Poker Main Event. He won that tournament, popularizing online poker in America for some time.
In 2011, online poker, including PokerStars, was outlawed in America until states began legalizing online poker in 2016. PokerStars relaunched in America for the first time in New Jersey in 2016. It has since expanded to Pennsylvania in 2019 and Michigan in January of 2021.
PokerStars in Michigan
The Michigan online poker component of PokerStars launched on January 29, 2021. It came on the heels of the passage of HB 4926 in the Michigan state legislature in 2020. That bill, signed into law by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, made it legal for Michigan casino operators to launch Michigan online casino and Michigan online poker sites for players to use legally. PokerStars was the first Michigan poker site to launch, as they are the only active operator currently licensed through the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
As a part of the gambling laws in the state of Michigan, all Michigan online casino and Michigan poker operators must be licensed through a land-based casino partner or tribal entity. The majority of the Michigan casino operators in this state are tribal entities, though some commercial casinos are located in Detroit. In the case of PokerStars in Michigan, they decided that the best Michigan casino operator to partner with was the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
PokerStars’ Tribal Partnership in Michigan
With state law requiring PokerStars Michigan and all other Michigan online casino and poker operators to partner with a land-based casino, PokerStars decided the best Michigan casino to do that with was the Odawa Casino Resort. This Michigan casino is operated by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
Through this Michigan casino, PokerStars is permitted to offer online poker to all players located within the state of Michigan. As is common with online gambling laws around the United States, players are required to be within state lines to place any wagers. A player’s location is required to be verified through location verification software on their computer or mobile device.
Odawa Casino Resort was also the partner that PokerStars used to launch its Michigan online casino. As a result, PokerStars has the best Michigan casino and poker combination of any online operator. It is one of the industry’s only companies offering online casino gaming and online poker action.
A Strong Start For Michigan Online Poker
Michigan online poker got off to a great start in its few weeks of operation. The Michigan poker industry had the strongest online start of any state in its first month of operation. The Michigan poker market from PokerStars alone was popular enough to rank 15th among poker sites worldwide based on the traffic data. The online poker operator had a seven-day average of 500 cash game players, easily topping the rest of the poker sites in the United States in their first two weeks of Michigan online poker operation.
The Michigan online casino industry has also begun on the right foot. Michigan casino gaming brought in revenue of $27.5 million online in January. That was a part of the $115 million in total online gambling revenue between poker, casino and sports betting. Among the best Michigan casino brands in terms of revenue in that month was PokerStars Casino. It brought in nearly $2 million in revenue in its first month. This made PokerStars the fourth-best Michigan casino in terms of month one revenue.
The strong start for Michigan poker and Michigan casino brands online in January may be attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. When states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania were launching their online gaming products, bettors could still go to land-based casinos en masse. The launch of Michigan online poker and Michigan online casino gaming coincides with restrictions on land-based Michigan casino and Michigan poker venues. Therefore, it will be interesting to see if the month-one figures hold up post-pandemic.
PokerStars Holds Inaugural MICOOP in Michigan
PokerStars made a big splash right away in the arena of Michigan online poker. Also, thanks in large part to the first-ever MICOOP. The Michigan Championship of Online Poker allowed Michigan poker players to participate in 60 tournaments, with Michigan casino and poker enthusiasts seeing a prize pool that greatly exceeded expectations.
In the MICOOP Michigan, online poker players were informed of one million dollars’ initial guaranteed prize pool. But the response to this event drove up the amount of the prize pool in a big way. According to PokerFuse, by the time the MICOOP kicked off, PokerStars, who has Michigan online casino ties through FanDuel, was able to offer a total prize pool of $2.2 million across the event’s 60 tournaments.
The biggest prize in this Michigan online poker spectacular was the main event, which spanned two days and carried a prize pool of $360,000 for the winning Michigan poker player. Originally, the prize pool for that tournament was set at $125,000, but the event’s popularity saw the prize pool expand significantly from all of the sign-ups. The winner of the event came away with over $50,000 thanks to the increased prize pool.
The MICOOP was a guaranteed prize pool, or GPP, event. That means that PokerStars guaranteed a certain amount of prize money. This prize is guaranteed regardless of how many entries there are in each tournament. That tournament structure can leave operators susceptible to what is called an overlay, when there are not enough entrants to cover the guaranteed prizes.
PokerStars Michigan encountered no such issue here, though, as the demand greatly exceeded the initial guaranteed prize pool. That is an excellent sign for both PokerStars and the newly legal online gambling industry in Michigan. If the MICOOP can become an annual or semi-annual event, it could grow even bigger in the future.
More Michigan Online Poker Rooms
Though PokerStars has the best Michigan casino and poker combination in the Great Lakes State, additional poker operators are looking to join the Michigan online poker area. One name that has been mentioned is Partypoker, which would operate the poker portion of the company that has already brought the BetMGM Michigan online casino to the state.
In the early stages of the online launch in the Michigan casino industry, BetMGM has had the best Michigan casino in terms of revenue generated. BetMGM generated over $11 million in Michigan online casino revenue in the final ten days of January 2021. It was the only Michigan online casino to break $10 million in revenue during that period, making it the best Michigan casino in the short time since its launch.
Whether or not there will be more online poker in Michigan beyond those two brands remains to be seen. Each land-based wagering facility can partner with one online poker brand. It means that there is room for up to 15 online poker operators in the state. But no other online poker operators have announced an intention to operate in Michigan to this point. Whether or not that will change given PokerStars’ success remains to be seen.
Summary
New bettors in Michigan can rest assured that Michigan online casino and online poker are both legal and safe. As of January 2021, online casino, poker and sports betting licensed and regulated through the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB). And the best Michigan casino and poker news are that players do not have to be a Michigan resident to play. As long as you are over 21 and within state lines, you can partake in casino and poker action legally and safely.
Get started with PokerStars Michigan today, and while at it, don’t forget to claim your PokerStars bonus!
