The World Series of Poker has announced that it will be the third online poker operator to enter the Pennsylvania market as WSOP.com will officially launch in the Keystone State on July 12.

Through their partnership with Harrah’s Philadelphia, WSOP.com is planning to bring Pennsylvania and its population of 12.8 million, similar cash games and tournament schedules they currently offer their players on their multi-state network. However, without an agreement to share liquidity with other states that offer online poker, players in Pennsylvania remain in a ring-fenced state. Players in Pennsylvania will only have the ability to play with others located in the state as well.

The news of the launch comes in the midst of the ongoing WSOP Online Series in which players located in New Jersey and Nevada are competing in gold bracelet events. However, without being a part of that multi-state compact, it’s been confirmed that Pennsylvania players will not have the ability to get in on the bracelet events.

In the wake of the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice not to appeal a recent case on the Wire Act which clears legal obstacles for states to share online poker player pools, states like Pennsylvania and Michigan should have an easier time of joining the likes of Nevada and New Jersey in creating a larger pool of shared liquidity. This has led to the expectation that Pennsylvania will join a multi-state compact at some point in the future.

While bracelet events may not be in WSOP PA’s immediate future, an upgraded software platform is. The current WSOP.com software featured in Nevada and New Jersey, powered by 888poker, has had essentially the same look and feel as it did when it launched back in 2013. Over the past year, 888poker has upgraded its own worldwide client with its “Made To Play” platform, which emphasizes mobile play and a clearer lobby design. That platform is expected to be the backbone of WSOP.com when it goes live in PA.

Additionally, new players to WSOP.com will have several exclusive items to look forward to. The site has promised aggressive sign-up bonuses, including $50 free play and a series of seven Welcome Week $100 Freerolls for players who make  a minimal deposit. While domestic bracelet events are off the table for the time being for Pennsylvania players, a large guaranteed series, not unlike the $2 million guaranteed Summer Online Championships taking place on WSOP.com, is likely to help kick off the launch.

WSOP.com will enter the Pennsylvania market nearly four years after online poker was officially legalized, leaving them with some catching up to do. PokerStars was first in, going live in the first week of November 2019. PokerStars enjoyed a monopoly in the state for roughly a year and a half until late April 2021 when BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker, both powered by the partypoker US Network, launched bringing new competition to the market.

Now, WSOP.com will leverage one of the most popular brands in the poker industry to offer Pennsylvania grinders new incentives and a new place to play beginning on July 12.