Flutter Entertainment’s Stars Casino and Fox Bet brands have launched in Michigan, while the roll-out of PokerStars marks the beginning of online poker in the state.
The brands are licensed through a deal with the Odawa Casino in the Northern part of the state, which is operated by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
The three brands will be integrated to allow customers to access all products via a single account.
“The key differentiators for us have always been our valued partnership with the Fox Corporation and the strength of our industry leading Fox Bet Super 6 product combined with the PokerStars business and we plan to lean into these unique assets as we launch in Michigan,” Kip Levin, Fox Bet chief executive, said.
Players will have access to poker games including PokerStars’ Championship of Online Poker (COOP) series.
They will initially only be permitted to play against other Michiganders.
However, after Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill authorising interstate poker, shared pools with other states such as Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey will likely become available in the future.
Also authorised to launch in the state is Barstool Casino from Penn National Gaming. The operator’s Barstool Sportsbook already went live on 22 January, when the market opened.
This marks the first time Penn National has rolled out the Barstool Casino brand in the US.
Flutter acquired the PokerStars and Fox Bet businesses last year when its deal to acquire the Stars Group – agreed in 2019 – closed.