PokerStars and FanDuel Partner To Shake Up Canadian Poker Scene
Posted on: March 3, 2026, 06:34h.
Last updated on: March 4, 2026, 04:21h.
- PokerStars will be launched exclusively on the FanDuel app
- Bigger tournament guarantees, welcome bonus, and a seamless wallet on the way
- Ontario awaits Supreme Court of Canada decision on international liquidity issue
PokerStars and FanDuel have announced they are teaming up to launch PokerStars in Ontario exclusively on FanDuel, a clear signal of where online poker is heading in the province.
Larger Prize Pools
Players in North America received communication via X that this was happening. FanDuel will also become the exclusive home of PokerStars in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.
PokerStars will launch via a dedicated poker app and desktop, delivering shared player liquidity across the three U.S. states, meaning bigger games, larger prize pools, and a broader selection of tournaments and cash games across those regulated markets.
Ontario is a different story; PokerStars on FanDuel is available to players in Ontario, within its borders, but that might be changing soon.
International Liquidity
An order-in-council from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet in 2024 asked the court to rule on the question: “Would legal online gaming and sports betting remain lawful under the Criminal Code if its users were permitted to participate in games and betting involving individuals outside of Canada?”
In November, the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in a precedent-setting legal opinion that players in the province could play peer-to-peer games, like online poker and daily fantasy sports, against players outside of Canada.
Millions of Dollars on the Line
The Canadian Lottery Coalition (CLC), a pan-Canadian partnership of provincial gaming corporations (British Columbia Lottery Corporation; Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation; Loto-Québec; and Atlantic Lottery Corporation), has led the fight against international liquidity.
CLC has launched an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, arguing the Ontario court’s decision could lead to the expansion of illegal gambling in the jurisdictions in which they operate.
Industry people on the pro-international liquidity side argue that allowing players to play online poker or DFS with players in foreign jurisdictions would remain lawful and will make regulated igaming more competitive. The financial ramifications are massive, if the dam breaks and Ontario players are able to go outside the provincial borders. Players are looking for higher stakes.
Players Can Sign Up Now
According to iGaming Ontario market financial data, there clearly isn’t enough incentive to play provincially regulated sites the way things sit now. In a new system, not only could Ontario players play abroad, but players outside Canada could come into Ontario’s regulated market.
In January, P2P poker came in at $156 million in cash wagers, a 11% month-over-month increase, for a 2% market share. On the NAGGR by product category front, P2P poker at revenue of $5.9 million (2% month-over-month increase, and a 1% market share).
Players will have to sign up for a FanDuel account to reserve their seat. When the poker tables are ready, FanDuel said to look out for a big boost to the poker bankroll with a welcome bonus. As well as bigger tournament guarantees and a seamless wallet for access to poker, casino, and sports in one account.
PokerStars will continue to run on its current platform, with the same schedule, until the launch with FanDuel in 2026. More updates on that will be released soon.
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