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How can GGPoker enter the US online poker market?
GGPoker has been the undisputed leader of global online poker for several years now, but the poker room still does not operate in the homeland of the game. We tried to figure out what is stopping the brand from creating its own poker room in the US and in what ways the site can enter the American market.
GGPoker American dream
The legal online poker market in the US in 2025 is limited to just five states, but despite this, several well-known brands (Caesars, PokerStars, BetMGM, BetRivers) are fighting for American players and consistently earning seven-figure profits every month.
Therefore, the absence of GGPoker among the licensed poker rooms can only be considered a temporary misunderstanding. The platform with Asian roots has overtaken PokerStars in terms of the number of games in a few years, conquered the markets of Europe, Latin America, Canada and became an official partner of the WSOP.
We believe that GGPoker has every opportunity to become one of the leaders in online poker in the US in the next few years. We allowed ourselves to make this conclusion based on the changes taking place in the gaming industry.
What has already been done: the foundation for expansion
GGPoker is managed by NSUS Group (10 offices around the world, headquartered in Toronto). Over the past few years, the company has made several moves that clearly indicate a strong interest in the US and North American poker markets.
In 2024, NSUS bought the WSOP brand from Caesars Entertainment for $500 million. At the same time, Caesars retained the right to operate the wsop.com poker room in Nevada, New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania, but can no longer launch such platforms.
Moreover, the press release does not provide information on how many years this operating scheme will be maintained by the largest licensed poker room in the US. The phrase “foreseeable future” can be interpreted in any way.
Three years before that, NSUS released the ClubGG mobile application to the market. The application operates on a subscription model and allows you to win tickets to offline tournaments, including the WSOP. ClubWPT has been operating in the US for several years using the same scheme. That is, GGPoker has been operating in the “social poker” niche in the country for 5 years.
In the summer of 2025, Jeff Ifrah (igaming lawyer and one of the creators of MSIGA, an agreement that allows poker rooms to create common pools in several states) shared interesting information on the X network. He reported that the Attorney General of Ontario filed an appeal to a Canadian court asking to confirm the possibility of merging the provincial player pool with the pool of poker rooms from the US. Ifrah does not see any legal obstacles to such a merger from MSIGA.
A sidenote: GGPoker has been operating in Ontario under a local license since August 4, 2022.
Main barriers between GGPoker and the US
- Lack of licenses in US states. NSUS must be certified in each individual state as an online gaming platform provider and as a poker room owner.
- Contracts of wsop.com with Evoke plc (former 888 Holdings). Historically, the site uses 888Poker software. The exact expiration dates of the contracts are unknown, but changing the platform requires regulatory approval and may cause legal disputes.
- Political and commercial pressure. Competing companies (PokerStars, BetMGM) can use their influence to delay the appearance of another poker operator in the US.
- Limitations of MSIGA. So far, the agreement covers only the US. The inclusion of Ontario is an important legal precedent, and it requires the consent of both Canadian and American authorities.
US market entry scenarios
We can identify four possible scenarios that will allow GGPoker to legally gain a foothold in the US, if nothing force majeure happens.
The first two scenarios are the main ones, the third and fourth are additional, and can be implemented in parallel with the main ones.
Integration with wsop.com
- Probability: very high
- Risks: legal disputes with Evoke and Caesars, delays in certification, the need to synchronize the platform in several states
In our opinion, this is the most likely path for the appearance of a licensed poker room from NSUS in the US. The purchase of the WSOP brand allows the owner of GGPoker to replace the wsop.com client with its own software. And over time, completely take wsop.com from Caesars for expansion to other states.
The initial stage of integration is possible as early as 2026, subject to the successful licensing of NSUS in the US as a creator of gaming platforms.
Although in this case the poker room will most likely not be called GGPoker.us, but will remain wsop.com, which, however, in the US will be a big plus due to greater brand recognition.
Launch of GGPoker.us as an independent platform
- Probability: medium or low
- Risks: it will be expensive, long, unpredictable. Without the WSOP brand, marketing will be less effective.
NSUS may try to obtain licenses directly and launch GGPoker.us independently of the WSOP. Especially if the risks of the first scenario turn into the most dangerous. PokerStars and BetMGM have already gone through this path, but it requires:
- Local partners (usually offline casinos)
- Separate servers and offices
- A long certification process
We believe that GGPoker may place its bet on this scenario in the more distant future and only if Caesars considers that the “foreseeable future” when wsop.com completely switches to NSUS can be pushed back by 5-10 years.
Connecting Ontario to MSIGA: Cross-Border Pool
- Probability: High
- Risks: Legal incompatibility of agreements, need for political coordination, clear position of regulators
If the court gives the "green light" to merge wsop.ca with wsop.com, then NSUS will have an additional and very powerful argument against Caesars to transfer full control over the American reservation to the owner of GGPoker.
After all, only in this case is it possible to create the largest cross-border pool of poker reservations in the world. The prospect of increasing revenue from the poker room may force NSUS to pay Caesars extra "for urgency" in order to quickly gain full control over wsop.com.
Continuation of work through ClubGG
- Probability: already being implemented
- Restrictions: no cash games, low audience involvement
While legalization goes its own way, NSUS can strengthen its presence in the United States through ClubGG. As we see it, even if one of the main scenarios is fully implemented, the mobile application will be used for marketing purposes in those states where the process of creating online poker licensing laws is still underway.
Players already familiar with NSUS software will be much more willing to play in a new poker room if it runs on similar software.
Conclusion: a new player in an old ring
GGPoker's entry into the American market is not a matter of opportunity, but of time. The brand already has everything it needs for expansion:
- WSOP
- A license in Canada,
- Extensive experience working with regulators,
- Infrastructure,
- Audience interest,
- Funds for developing the platform and attracting players,
- Own mobile application that can work in most states that have not yet legalized online poker.
In our opinion, the key trigger for GGPoker to enter the US online poker market will be the approval of admission to the MSIGA reservation from Ontario and/or the transition of wsop.com to software from NSUS.
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