Sharing is Caring as WSOP.com Marks Tristate Poker with $15 Million Party

April 25th, 2018 | by Jason Reynolds

WSOP.com is set to celebrating the merging of players from three US states with an enhanced tournament schedule boasting $15 million in added value.

WSOP.com is giving away at least $15 million this summer to celebrate liquidity sharing in the US. (Image: WSOP.com)

Dubbed the “$15 Million Summer”, the latest selection of promotions and tournaments is designed to mark the start of a much-anticipated liquidity sharing pact.

Announced in October 2017, the agreement will see New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada share players across gaming networks.

May 1 Signals Start of a New Era for US Online Poker

With the official start date set as May 1, WSOP.com is accepting pre-registrations for new accounts. Only those in Nevada and Delaware will have to download the new software and create an account as players in New Jersey will automatically be transferred over.

As an added incentive for joining the newly merged platform, Nevada residents can sign-up for a WSOP.com account before May 1 and gain entry into a random draw for a $10K Main Event seat. On top of this offer, “tristate WSOP.com” will introduce an improved loyalty system where all players can get up to 32 percent rakeback.

Ahead of the expected upturn in traffic, the tournament schedule at WSOP.com has been enhanced to include bigger guarantees and more satellites. What’s more, this will be the first year New Jersey residents can ante-up from inside the Garden State and win a bracelet in the WSOP’s annual online events.

Away from the WSOP festival, US players in the three eligible states will have access to $15 million in guaranteed tournament prizes until September. Daily $100,000 freerolls will be backed by Daily $10K guarantees as well as an enhanced weekend schedule.

Sundays will become the most lucrative day at WSOP.com with at least $250,000 in prize money, including $100,000 in the weekly major.

Sharing at the Right Time

The boost in tournament guarantees comes at a time when all three states have seen poker revenue decline.

Although Delaware and Nevada don’t provide detailed reports on the levels of activity at their licensed poker sites, New Jersey does. Back in January, the Division of Gaming Enforcement’s annual report showed a 7.8 percent drop in peer-to-peer income.

According to the numbers, the largest gaming state’s poker sites raked $164,424 less in 2017 than they did in 2016.

Playerpool sharing has long be touted as the way to stop the rot, which is why the May 1 launch date is being treated with such reverence. Across the pond, PokerStars has already shown that shared liquidity in struggling markets can be successful.

Following the 2018 merger between France and Spain, PokerStars surpassed expectations in its first two tournament series. The newly created France Espania Hold’em (FRESH) eclipsed its guarantee by $1.3 million, while the Franco-Spanish version of SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) generated $2 million more than expected.

If WSOP.com can replicate this sort of success and show liquidity sharing works, it could be the catalyst for more positive regulatory changes across the US as a whole.