New Online Poker Partnership Will Bring Back PokerStars to the US

PokerStars is planning a strong comeback to the American gambling market and California is the gateway.

Rational Group, the company that owns both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, was kicked out of the US in April 2011. Since then, the firm has been trying to make a comeback, but Nevada and New Jersey didn’t want to be the first ones to welcome it back.

Online poker sites in the US are now technically legal in a few states, but licenses are mostly awarded to land-based casino owners looking to expand their business online.

But owners of PokerStars have a plan to re-enter the American gambling market, once California legislators change the current American gambling laws to allow intrastate online poker. At the moment, California’s lawmakers have proposed two bills to authorize online poker.

Partners for Internet poker

Rational Group has announced that PokerStars will serve as the subcontractor for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and California’s three biggest card rooms: the Commerce Club, the Hawaiian Gardens Casino and the Bicycle Casino.

This means that PokerStars will be providing the platform and online services for a website operated by a company owned by the Tribe and card clubs. The five partners will also be working together to advocate for legislation allowing Internet poker.