Opening week success
With one week of full-service operations completed, PokerStars Pennsylvania reported almost $1m in prizes won by players online.
After a successful soft launch, the brand earned approval for full-service gaming, offering its complete selection of games to customers across the state.
First-day wins
The first official day saw many players log into the PokerStars Pennsylvania site, with a great number of participants earning big paydays. Within eight hours of the live launch, 12 tournament events had generated just over $12,305 in prize money.
Moving through the first week, a total of 15,000 Sit & Go tournaments took place, paying out over $500,000. Multi-Table tournaments finished with $450,000 in prizes paid.
Within eight hours of the live launch, 12 tournament events had generated just over $12,305 in prize money
The biggest winner from the week was Catfur77. The player won $7,712 while competing in the first PokerStars Pennsylvania Sunday Special, outlasting the other 471 competitors to claim the tournament win.
Shortly after the Sunday Special, the site hosted the Sunday High Roller. The event generated a nice prize pool and saw NeolithicFarmer earn the win, adding just over $4,900 to his bankroll.
A first for Pennsylvania
PokerStars was live in Pennsylvania for the very first time on November 4 as the testing phase began. According to VSO News, the soft launch would take place for two days with restricted hours on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5. The site was fully launched on November 6.
State’s online poker potential
There is potential for Pennsylvania to do quite well with online poker gaming.
New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware are the only other states that offer online poker gaming in the US. Each has struggled to see large traffic numbers at available online poker sites.
Pennsylvania has a large population of 12.8 million, which is much larger than New Jersey’s close-to-nine-million residents. In the coming weeks, revenue reports released will provide a clearer picture as to how popular PokerStars is in the state.