KEY TAKEAWAYS
The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) is a compact among U.S. states that lets licensed online poker operators combine, or pool, players located in different member states. As of October 2026, regulator releases list six member states: Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Pooling players is often called shared liquidity, because more players at the same tables means larger games and prize pools.
The agreement does not legalize online poker anywhere. Each member state first authorizes and licenses online poker under its own law, and the compact then lets approved operators connect those regulated markets. This article explains what the agreement says, how a state joins, what each state keeps for itself, and where the limits are, using the agreement text and state regulators’ own announcements. It describes the law and does not apply it to any reader’s situation. For the state-by-state picture, see which states allow online poker.
What the Agreement Is and Where It Came From
The agreement is dated February 25, 2014 and was signed first by Nevada and Delaware as the initial member states. The version published by the New Jersey Attorney General’s office is marked as amended as of September 27, 2017. It creates a framework in which a state’s licensed operators may share players with the operators of other member states, while every state remains subject to its own laws.
The agreement’s opening recitals explain the parties’ legal premise. They state that federal laws, including the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and the Wire Act of 1961, leave to the states the ability to license and regulate certain internet gaming. That is the member states’ own stated view as written into the agreement; it is not a court ruling, and how those federal laws apply is explained in the linked articles.
The stated purposes include expanding access to certain internet gaming in a regulated system, limiting access by minors and people with gambling problems, ensuring that games are conducted only in states where the activity is legal, and increasing liquidity so that licensed operators can offer more varied games. The agreement began with poker as its first product.
The member states administer the compact through the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association, a limited liability company sited in Delaware. Its members are representatives designated by each member state’s chief executive, and those representatives vote on new members under the rules described below.
What the Agreement Says
Pooling players across states
The core rule is that a licensee may pool the liquidity of its poker players located in any licensing state, subject to the laws and regulations of each of those states, so that players from those states can play against each other. A licensee’s failure to obtain a license from one member state does not disqualify it from pooling among the member states where it is licensed. Each member state represents that its law does not prohibit licensees from letting players from other member states play poker against each other.
Who counts as a player
The agreement defines a patron as a natural person who is physically present in a member state and legally entitled under that state’s law to take part. Physical presence in a member state is built into the definition, and each state represents that its law requires patrons to use websites operated by licensees in the patron’s own state. For games pooled with New Jersey players, the agreement also specifies that the game-software server be located in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
How a state joins
A new state may join by any means its own law authorizes, provided it agrees to follow the agreement and at least two-thirds of the member state representatives recommend its admission. Even then, no state is admitted until a notice of admission is signed by the chief executive of each member state whose representative voted to recommend it. The Association must also determine that the prospective licensees and their systems meet the minimum standards in the agreement’s Exhibit A.
What each state keeps
Membership does not hand power to a central body. Except as the agreement provides, each member state keeps its own authority over licensing, technical standards, resolution of patron disputes, bankroll requirements, enforcement, accounting and record keeping.
How Membership Works in Practice
State law comes first. Michigan’s regulator reports that the Michigan Legislature passed a bill in December 2020 that allowed it to join a multijurisdictional poker compact (Public Act 327 of 2020), and Michigan then joined the agreement in May 2022. The regulator’s guidance cites section 432.305(3) of the Michigan Compiled Laws and says multistate play under the Lawful Internet Gaming Act must not include games other than poker. For the general legislative path, see how a gambling bill becomes law.
Operators need separate approval. Under Michigan’s guidance, an operator or platform provider cannot launch multistate poker until the board has entered into an agreement, the operator and any third parties have obtained required licenses and approvals, and the board has expressly authorized the launch. The regulator’s own announcements show the result: in June 2025 it approved an operator for play between Michigan, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia, and in July 2026 it reported that another operator launched play between Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Jersey on July 8, 2026.
Those two examples show that different operator networks connect different sets of states. Being a member does not put every member state’s players at one table.
The effect on pool size is easy to see in the regulators’ own words. Michigan’s regulator states: “Prior to the state joining MSIGA, Michigan poker players could only play online against other players located within the state.” Pennsylvania’s regulator described Pennsylvania as the largest state in the shared market, with an estimated 150,000 online poker players, according to its April 23, 2025 release.
Members, Dates and What Is Still Open
As of October 2026, the most recent Michigan Gaming Control Board release reviewed (July 13, 2026) states that Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are member states in addition to Michigan. The table below gives the dates available from official sources; it is current as of October 2026.
| State | Joined | Source for the date |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | February 25, 2014 (initial member) | Agreement text |
| Nevada | February 25, 2014 (initial member) | Agreement text |
| New Jersey | 2017 | West Virginia Lottery announcement |
| Michigan | May 23, 2022 | Michigan Gaming Control Board |
| West Virginia | November 2023 | West Virginia Lottery announcement |
| Pennsylvania | April 23, 2025 | Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board |
Pennsylvania’s release describes the governor signing an agreement “accepting Pennsylvania as the sixth member of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) for poker”. The table is only a membership list. Open questions remain: the sources reviewed do not show whether any other state’s accession is pending, and they do not settle how an operator-by-operator network map will look in the future, since operators connect on their own schedules.
The agreement text also defines other internet gaming, meaning slots and table games, and contemplates adding such offerings. As of October 2026, the regulator announcements reviewed describe multi-state play as poker only, and Michigan’s guidance limits it to poker.
Common Misconceptions About the Compact
Misconception: MSIGA legalizes online poker nationwide. It does not. A state must authorize online poker under its own law, and the agreement connects only member states’ licensed markets, so poker that is not authorized in a state stays outside the compact.
Misconception: Every member state’s players share one pool. The agreement lets a licensee pool players in the states where it is licensed, and the regulator announcements describe different operators connecting different groups of states. Membership is a legal permission, not a single lobby.
Misconception: Joining is automatic once a state legalizes poker. Under the agreement’s text, admission requires a two-thirds recommendation vote, signed notices of admission and standards review, so authorization alone does not make a state a member.
Misconception: The compact overrides state law. The agreement says each state keeps its licensing, enforcement and dispute-resolution authority, and pooled play is still subject to each state’s laws and regulations.
Where to Find Official Information
Because the compact operates through state regulators, each regulator’s own announcements are the authoritative record of membership, operator approvals and launch dates. The Michigan Gaming Control Board and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board publish such releases, and the agreement text itself has been published by the New Jersey Attorney General’s office.
Questions about whether a particular operator is licensed in a state are answered by that state’s regulator; for the general method, see how to check whether an online operator is licensed. Announcements change as operators connect and states act, so a dated release is more reliable than an undated summary.
Anyone with a question about how these rules apply to their own situation should consult a licensed attorney in their state.
Related Laws and Next Steps
The compact is one piece of the larger legal picture for online poker. The question of which states authorize it at all is covered in the article on which states allow online poker, and the federal statutes the agreement’s recitals refer to are explained in the articles on the Wire Act and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
Readers following the policy side can watch for new regulator announcements about accessions and operator approvals, and the as-of dates in these articles will be updated to match the official record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Legal disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Gambling laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently; the information above reflects our research as of October 2026. For advice about your own situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state and check the official sources of your state’s gaming regulator.
Sources & References
- New Jersey Office of the Attorney General — Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (dated February 25, 2014; amended as of September 27, 2017)
- Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board — Governor Shapiro Signs Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (April 23, 2025)
- Michigan Gaming Control Board — Michigan signs multijurisdictional poker agreement (May 23, 2022)
- Michigan Gaming Control Board — MGCB greenlights Rush Street Interactive for multi-state poker with Michigan players (June 10, 2025)
- Michigan Gaming Control Board — MGCB authorizes DraftKings to launch multi-state poker in Michigan (July 13, 2026)
- Michigan Gaming Control Board — Multistate Poker Tasks and Considerations
- West Virginia Press Association — West Virginia joins Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) (November 15, 2023)
