Flutter Entertainment is consolidating its two flagship North American brands under one roof. PokerStars will operate exclusively on FanDuel in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ontario, with the full platform migration scheduled for later in 2026.
The announcement, confirmed on 3 March 2026, marks the end of PokerStars as a standalone product in these markets. Existing US sites will be retired once the transition is complete, and players will be required to create new accounts within the FanDuel platform. Those already holding FanDuel accounts will not need to take any additional steps.
Shared Liquidity Across Three US States
The structural centrepiece of the deal is the expansion of shared player liquidity. PokerStars has operated a combined Michigan and New Jersey pool since late 2022 under the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). Pennsylvania, which officially joined MSIGA last year, will now join that network, creating a three-state pool for the first time.
The practical effect is larger cash game traffic, higher tournament guarantees and a broader selection of formats. PokerStars has confirmed the Sunday Million, its flagship weekly tournament with a guaranteed $1m prize pool, is targeted for launch on the US platform in 2026.
A FanDuel spokesperson described the integration as creating
“a best-in-class poker experience”
via a dedicated poker app and desktop client, with a unified wallet giving players access to poker, casino and sports betting from a single account.
Ontario: Migration Without Liquidity Expansion
Ontario is included in the brand migration, but under different terms. Provincial regulations currently prohibit peer-to-peer online poker play across international borders, meaning PokerStars on FanDuel will remain ring-fenced within Ontario’s borders. Players there will not benefit from the multi-state liquidity available to US players.
That position could change. The Supreme Court of Canada is expected to rule on whether regulated online gaming operators can allow players to compete against individuals outside Canada, following a precedent-setting Ontario Court of Appeal opinion in November 2025 that found in favour of cross-border peer-to-peer play. The case was brought by a coalition of provincial lottery corporations.
FanDuel has separately applied for a licence in Alberta, which is preparing to launch its regulated iGaming market around mid-2026. Whether PokerStars will form part of FanDuel’s Alberta offering has not been confirmed. For more on that market opening, see our Flutter Q3 results coverage and Flutter’s broader North American strategy.
Competitive Implications
The integration reshapes the competitive map for regulated US online poker. PokerStars, combined with FanDuel’s established sports betting and casino user base across multiple states, enters the market with significantly more cross-sell potential than it carried as a standalone product. BetRivers Poker, BetMGM Poker and WSOP Online are the main multi-state competitors it will now face with a larger marketing infrastructure behind it.
BetRivers, operated by Rush Street Interactive, has built brand equity through sponsorships with Phil Galfond and Phil Hellmuth. BetMGM Poker operates as part of the MGM Resorts and Entain joint venture. WSOP Online is backed by NSUS Group. None operates with the sportsbook scale that FanDuel brings to the table.
Nevada is not part of the integration. FanDuel withdrew from that state last year following regulatory pressure over its prediction markets offering. West Virginia, where PokerStars does not currently operate, has been identified as a potential future expansion market under the MSIGA framework.
Timeline and Transition
PokerStars confirmed that its Rewards programme will end on 13 March in the US markets, and casino progressive jackpots will cease from 12 April. Players can continue to access their existing PokerStars accounts, play and withdraw funds until the new FanDuel-branded platform goes live. No specific launch date has been announced.
The platform branding will be “PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel.” Teaser footage released alongside the announcement shows a poker interface retaining the familiar PokerStars table layout, with full game formats including Spin & Go and Zoom available. The footage also points to a built-in HUD integrated into the tables, a feature not previously available to PokerStars US players.
Flutter’s decision to bring the two brands together in North America reflects a broader pattern in its portfolio management. The company took a $556m write-down on its India exit last year and has been under sustained pressure from financial analysts on its share price trajectory. Consolidating two products that share a parent company, a regulatory framework and overlapping player demographics is a straightforward cost and revenue optimisation, with cross-sell between poker, casino and sports betting as the primary upside. FanDuel’s growing media rights footprint in US sports adds a distribution channel PokerStars has never had on its own.
Source: PokerStars
