Just two weeks after online poker was made legal in Michigan, the first partnership between an operator and a potential licensee has been signed.
Getting into the poker liquidity pool first in Michigan is The Stars Group. It follows an announcement that they have signed a partnership agreement with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority (LTBBOIGA).
Through the partnership, The Stars Group will operate online poker in the state through its PokerStars brand. It will also offer online casino games and sports betting.
Who is the new Pokerstars Michigan partner?
The LTBBOIGA is one of three federally recognized Odawa tribes in Michigan, currently operating three gambling operations in the state. The most-well known being the Odawa Casino Resort outside Petoskey.
Under their agreement with The Stars Group, LTBBOIGA will receive a share of online revenue. How much was not revealed.
The next step will be for LTBBOIGA to apply for a license and receive approval from the state regulators. This is not expected to be a problem with both LTBBOIGA and The Stars Group having plenty of experience dealing with regulatory bodies.
The Stars Group appears to be following a similar path they went down in Pennsylvania when they legalized online poker. In Pennsylvania PokerStars was the first online poker room to launch, getting out ahead of competitors like WSOP/888 and partypoker.
Shortly after The Stars Group announced their partnership PointsBet also announced a partnership with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. However, this online deal was only for online casino games and sports betting, with online poker excluded.
If PokerStars does get out first, like they did in Pennsylvania, they could have a monopoly on legalized online poker in the state until their competitors catch up.