The numbers have been revealed by PlayMichigan, a platform that is dedicated to following the locally regulated online gambling market. Prior to the launch of the interstate compact of which the Great Lakes is now part, PokerStars reported peak traffic numbers of around 900 players.

This has gone up more than twice, exceeding 1,800 peak time players, since the launch of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement or MSIGA, the media argues, as PokerStars continues to surge ahead of other local competitors, including WSOP.com and BetMGM.

Interstate Play Not a Panacea, But Opportunity

While the interstate play is not necessarily a formula for sure-fire success, it is certainly an opportunity to bring together poker aficionados from some of the biggest iGaming states and offer them the opportunity to play against each other across more games and tournaments.

The prize pools and player pools have gone up thanks to the state’s decision to be a part of MSIGA, which encompasses several other states, including Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey, and this does not account for Pennsylvania, another state where poker has a very strong player base and where PokerStars has been a market leader for many months now.

With the present results in, at least based on the measurements of PlayMichigan, the state’s poker community is set to thrive and PokerStars, to secure the lion’s share. Tournaments are already underway with prize pools reaching as much as $50,000 per event, and offering players from the MSIGA the opportunity to get their game on and vie against each other in events with decent prize pools.

Michigan joined the shared liquidity on January 1, making a great start to the year, and clearly reaping the benefits of this decision only a month in, as the latest numbers reveal.