The FanDuel x PokerStars Era Arrives in North America

Introducing PokerStars, Now via FanDuel

In their March 3 release, PokerStars announced it was officially moving house to FanDuel, which would now act as its exclusive home in the US. So far, the poker powerhouse said it will be launching in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ontario.

Of course, users were quick to jump on the original announcement post and start acquiring about other states, including the likes of Connecticut. To that, PokerStars had a pretty uniform response:

As far as player pools goes, the operator confirmed that yes, they will be merged across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ontario.

Obviously, the move won’t happen all at once. For now, PokerStars has announced that players will stop earning PokerStars Rewards on March 13, while PokerStars Casino Progressive Jackpots will be removed on April 1. Once the move to FanDuel is finalized, PokerStars players will have 30 days to to withdraw their funds and open a new FanDuel account, with a shared wallet for poker and all other FanDuel offers and promotions.

How FanDuel x PokerStars Came to Be

While this is major news, especially for the US online poker scene, it isn’t all that unexpected. Whispers of a FanDuel x PokerStars collaboration first started circling in July 2025, when Flutter Entertainment took complete control over FanDuel. The approximately $1.76 billion deal transferred the remaining 5% stake in FanDuel from Boyd Gaming to Flutter.

Before acquiring FanDuel, Flutter had been backing brands like Paddy Power and Sky Betting. However, their 2020 merger with The Stars Group, PokerStars’ parent company, made Flutter the owner of the world’s most recognizable poker brand and North America’s leading sportsbook.

Fast forward to 2026, several news outlets were picking industry “breadcrumbs” of a potential FanDuel x PokerStars collaboration. Here’s what they found:

• There is a number of new subdomains on the FanDuel, specifically targeting New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
• PokerStars experienced a major personnel shift, with a their senior product manager transitioning to a new role at FanDuel.
• FanDuel has also been advertising several poker-related job openings.

Why This Move Would Make Sense

From a solely business perspective, merging PokerStars with FanDuel is no brainer. Up till now, PokerStars operated as a standalone brand in the US, which requires it to have its own marketing budget and separate app. Integrating PokerStars (and thus poker) directly into the FanDuel app means millions of sports bettors are instantly exposed to to online poker with a single wallet and a single account.

As far as other benefits go:

• So far, a major hurdle for US poker has been fragmented player pools across state lines. FanDuel allows PokerStars a massive merged player pool across US state lines.
• Managing two separate “iGaming” brands in the same state is expensive but if they consolidate poker under FanDuel, Flutter streamlines its marketing spend and technical support.
• FanDuel is already licensed for sports betting and casino games in states where PokerStars doesn’t currently even have a presence. Moving under a FanDuel license could allow them to launch in new markets much more easily than PokerStars could on its own.