As for the small casino in northeastern Pennsylvania, it suddenly becomes a major player in the online poker market of Pennsylvania. The ban on bad actors never happened, which cleared the way for PokerStars/Stars Group to make the current deal with Mount Airy Casino. A year ago, Pennsylvania legislators were discussing a ban on PokerStars as a “bad actor”, due to the company’s decision to accept US players after the UIGEA went into effect on Decemand the Black Friday scandal broke on April 15, 2011. The partnership gives PokerStars an entry into the Pennsylvania online gambling market. PokerStars has 70% of the global Internet poker niche and dominates any market it operates in. The Montreal-based Stars Group is the parent company of PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site. Vincent Jordan, VP of Marketing & Gaming Operations for Mount Airy Casino, said the move was the “obvious next step” to providing diversified gaming opportunities for the casino’s customers. Pocono, Pennsylvania signed a deal with The Stars Group on Friday to allow PokerStars to offer online poker, casino gaming, and sports betting on the Mount Airy gambling site. Mount Airy Casino is located north of Philadelphia in northeast Pennsylvania, near the border with New York State.
