Last Updated on October 6, 2026 by Bala Kumar
Quick verdict
PokerStars on FanDuel is the only one of America’s three biggest poker networks that is actually growing right now. Industry estimates put its August 2026 revenue at roughly $2.6 million across Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, up 14% on a year earlier.
That would be decent news in any year. In 2026 it stands out, because the regulated US market as a whole hasn’t moved in months. When the pie stops getting bigger and one player’s slice keeps growing, somebody else is getting a thinner slice.
I’ve spent a lot of hours on US regulated poker since the early New Jersey days, and this is the first time in a while the PokerStars brand has felt like it has momentum again. Below I’ll walk through the numbers, what changed under the hood, what it means for your game, and where the platform still falls short.
Our rating: 4.3 / 5 — best tournament value and traffic momentum in the regulated US market right now, held back by a three-state footprint and a soft Pennsylvania player base.
The August 2026 numbers: who’s up, who’s down
The whole regulated US poker market brought in an estimated $8.8 million in August 2026, about 2% less than a year earlier and flat for four straight months. Inside that flat total, the networks are moving in very different directions.
| Network | States | Est. revenue, Aug 2026 | Change vs Aug 2025 |
| PokerStars on FanDuel | MI, NJ, PA | ~$2.6M | +14% |
| BetRivers Poker | MI, PA, DE, WV | ~$940K | +38% (record month) |
| WSOP Online | NV, NJ, MI, PA, DE | Largest network (figure not published) | −10% |
| BetMGM Poker (incl. Borgata, partypoker) | NJ, MI, PA | Not published | −16% |
| Whole US market | All regulated states | ~$8.8M | −2% |
Figures are Poker Industry PRO estimates as reported by Pokerfuse and PokerNews. They are estimates, not audited operator results.
What this means in plain English: if you add up every real-money poker hand dealt online in regulated US states, the total rake hasn’t grown. PokerStars is up double digits anyway. So it isn’t riding a wave — it’s taking share.
One more data point worth knowing: New Jersey’s own regulator reported internet poker revenue of about $2.6 million in August 2025 (iGaming Business). Meanwhile, coverage of the August 2026 state report noted that the PokerStars line itself showed no revenue (PlayUSA). That likely reflects how the rebranded operation is now reported rather than an empty site, which is exactly why analysts lean on modelled estimates for brand-level poker numbers.
What changed in April 2026
Two things happened at once in April, and together they explain most of the turnaround.
1. New software. PokerStars retired its own in-house US client and moved American players onto the iPoker platform, under the “PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel” brand (Pokerfuse launch report).
2. One player pool instead of two. Michigan and New Jersey already shared players. Pennsylvania had been walled off on its own. Now all three states sit in a single network.
Why does a bigger pool matter so much? Think about a Tuesday night $10 tournament. With one state, it might draw 150 runners and a modest prize pool. Pull in two more states and the same event can draw several hundred, the guarantee goes up, and the tables fill faster. For cash players, it means more tables running at your stake at 1 a.m., not just at peak hours.
The early results back this up. From April through August 2026, PokerStars on FanDuel generated an estimated $12.9 million, against $11.8 million for the same five months of 2025 — a gain of roughly 9.4%. August’s 14% suggests the growth is speeding up, not fading.
State by state: New Jersey leads, Pennsylvania lags
The growth isn’t spread evenly, and if you play in one of these states, the difference matters.
| State | Estimated trend (YoY) | What it means for players |
| New Jersey | About +30%; now the single biggest poker site in the state | Busiest it’s been in years. BetMGM’s combined network (Borgata + partypoker) is still larger as a group. |
| Michigan | Growing at a similar rate to NJ | Strong evening traffic; MTT fields benefit most from the shared pool. |
| Pennsylvania | Still down year over year | Same games and same pool, but fewer PA players are logging in. You still sit at the same tables as NJ and MI players. |
Source: Poker Industry PRO estimates via Pokerfuse.
The Pennsylvania result is the puzzle. PA players now sit in a much larger pool, so you’d expect them to play more. One honest reading is that many PA regulars had already drifted to WSOP or BetRivers and haven’t come back yet. If PokerStars can win them back, there’s still headroom in its biggest state by population.
What it’s like to play there now
Shared liquidity gets players in the door. What keeps them is the schedule and the value, and PokerStars has clearly been tuning both since launch.
Nightly Stars got friendlier
In July 2026, the Nightly Stars daily tournaments were reworked in three ways:
• Starting stacks doubled from 5,000 to 10,000 chips.
• Late registration stays open longer.
• Guarantees rose to $25,000 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and $22,500 on other nights.
Why a beginner should care: a 10,000-chip stack means more big blinds at the start, so one bad early hand doesn’t end your night. You get time to play post-flop poker instead of shoving at level four. Longer late reg also suits people who log on after work.
A weekly Nightly Stars leaderboard now adds $2,500 in tournament tickets on top. It won’t make anyone rich, but it rewards showing up regularly, which is the point.
Spin & Field Goal
For the NFL season, the classic Spin & Go lottery-style sit-and-go has been rebranded as Spin & Field Goal, with the $5 buy-in carrying a top prize of $1 million. Three players, short stacks, and a randomly drawn prize pool: it’s fast and fun, but remember that most spins pay a small multiple. Treat the jackpot as a bonus, not a plan.
Welcome offer
At the time of writing, new accounts are being offered up to $1,000 as a deposit bonus plus $30 in Spin tickets (Pokerfuse offer box, verified September 2026). Deposit bonuses like this release gradually as you pay rake, so a $1,000 headline only pays out if you play a lot. Check the current terms on the site before depositing, since offers change often.
Software
The move to iPoker brought a cleaner, more modern client and a single account across all three states. Long-time Stars players will miss some old-client features and familiar menus, and there’s an adjustment period. For newer players coming from casino apps, the FanDuel-linked wallet and login feel natural.
Where is the growth coming from?
Mostly from rivals, by the look of it. When a flat market shows one network up 14% and the two biggest competitors down 10% and 16%, the simplest explanation is players moving their volume.
A fair caveat: revenue estimates don’t track individual players. Plenty of regulars run accounts on two or three sites and shift hours toward whichever has the best schedule that month. So “poaching” is partly players splitting time differently, not necessarily abandoning WSOP or BetMGM.
The other quiet winner is BetRivers Poker. Its roughly $940K August estimate is its best month on record and gives it around 15% of the US market, without even operating in New Jersey. Smaller fields and a recreational-friendly lobby seem to be working for it too.
The real test for PokerStars is whether it can grow the market, not just its share. Bringing FanDuel’s huge sports-betting audience into poker would do that. Moving existing grinders from one lobby to another does not. The company has said it hopes to expand to more US states, and new states would be the clearest route to fresh players.
Practical tips if you’re playing in MI, NJ or PA
• Build your week around Tuesday and Thursday. Those Nightly Stars carry the $25,000 guarantee, so the overlay chance and prize pool are best then.
• Use the deeper stack. With 10,000 chips, you can fold marginal hands early. Patience is now rewarded more than it was under the old structure.
• Late-reg smartly, not lazily. Entering late saves time, but you start shorter relative to the blinds. Arrive with at least 20 big blinds if you can.
• Treat Spins as entertainment. Set a separate small budget for them and keep your main bankroll for MTTs or cash games.
• Clear the bonus at stakes you can beat. Don’t jump stakes just to release bonus money faster.
• Pennsylvania players: you now play in the full three-state pool, so the bigger guarantees apply to you too, even if PA’s own numbers are down.
• Players outside the US: this network is geo-fenced to the three states. You must be physically located there to play, even with a valid account. Global players should use their own regulated PokerStars site.
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Only top-three US network growing (+14% YoY in Aug 2026) | Available in just three states |
| Shared MI/NJ/PA pool = bigger fields and guarantees | Pennsylvania traffic still declining |
| Nightly Stars: deeper stacks, longer late reg, up to $25K GTD | Old-client fans face a learning curve on iPoker |
| $5 Spin & Field Goal with a $1M top prize | Deposit bonus pays out slowly through rake |
| Easy sign-up for existing FanDuel customers | WSOP Online still has the larger overall network |
Final verdict
PokerStars on FanDuel is the most improved poker product in the regulated US market in 2026. The three-state merger fixed its biggest weakness, and the tournament changes give regular players real reasons to stay. If you’re in New Jersey or Michigan, it should be one of your main sites. If you’re in Pennsylvania, it’s worth a fresh look, because you now get the same three-state fields as everyone else. The bigger question — whether it can bring new players into US poker rather than just win existing ones — will be answered by new states and by FanDuel’s sports bettors, so watch those two things in 2027.
FAQs
Is PokerStars on FanDuel legal and safe?
Yes, in the states where it operates. It is licensed in Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and you must be 21+ and physically inside one of those states to play for real money.
Which states can I play PokerStars on FanDuel in?
Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. All three share one player pool, so you play against people from every state on the network.
Why is PokerStars on FanDuel growing when the US market isn’t?
It merged three states into one pool, switched to iPoker software and improved its tournaments. The data suggests it’s winning share from WSOP Online and BetMGM rather than growing the overall market.
How big is the US online poker market in 2026?
Around $8.8 million in estimated monthly revenue as of August 2026, roughly 2% lower than a year earlier and flat for several months.
Founder of PokerClubGames.com and a Poker Researcher with 10+ years of experience in SEO, WordPress development, and gaming content strategy. Specializes in researching online poker sites, poker apps, tournaments, bonuses, and poker strategies. Experienced in poker platform reviews, affiliate marketing, and creating SEO-focused poker content for global audiences.
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