PokerStars Becomes a B2B Network: What It Means for US Players

PokerStars Network concept showing connected global poker markets, poker chips, and playing cards.

By Legal US Poker Sites · September 24, 2026 · 4 min read

PokerStars has expanded beyond its traditional standalone poker-room model with a business-to-business shared-liquidity platform called the PokerStars Network (PSN).
The Flutter Entertainment brand now serves as a technology and liquidity backbone for sister brands and outside operators, with access to more than three million players.
US players already experience a similar network-focused approach through PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel, which has been live since April 2026.
Nothing about where or how you can legally play in the US changes today; American poker is still regulated state by state.

PokerStars has made a major structural change with the launch of the PokerStars Network (PSN). The new B2B network allows PokerStars to supply its software, tournament brands, and player pool to other operators. For US players, the headline is smaller than it sounds abroad, because a similar network-focused approach has been live in the US for months. Here is what actually changed and what it means for your games.

What PokerStars Just Changed

PokerStars is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment, and the new network gives the company a B2B role. It will provide technology and shared liquidity to Flutter-owned brands and external partners.

Flutter describes PSN as a full B2B poker network, with access to more than three million players. It also brings PokerStars’ software, tournaments, and player-protection tools under the network. Flutter has already started moving its poker brands onto the PokerStars platform. Betfair joined the network in August 2026, with Paddy Power and Sky Poker expected to follow.

Why PokerStars Is Rebuilding Its Liquidity

Online poker has become increasingly fragmented over the past decade as regulatory barriers, ring-fenced markets, and cross-border restrictions have divided players into smaller pools. PokerStars also exited several markets, including the United States and Australia, further reducing traffic at its tables and tournaments.

The PSN is meant to reverse that by allowing Flutter-affiliated companies to share player pools where regulations allow, with the network also opening to outside operators. For players, larger pools can mean fuller tables, shorter waits, and a wider range of stakes. The network also carries PokerStars’ established tournament brands, including the Sunday Million, Sunday Storm, Spin & Go, Zoom, SCOOP, and WCOOP.

How US Players Already Live This Model Through FanDuel

Here is the part that keeps this global story grounded for Americans. PokerStars already uses a similar network-focused approach in the US through PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel. FanDuel became the exclusive home of PokerStars in the US and Ontario in March 2026, with the transition completed in April. Players in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania now share a single player pool. The global B2B pivot builds on that same broader strategy by consolidating poker traffic onto shared infrastructure to increase liquidity.

US online poker remains regulated state by state, so the global PSN launch does not open American tables to players overseas. The Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement allows licensed operators to share liquidity across participating states, but those existing regulatory boundaries remain unchanged.

Who PokerStars Is Now Competing With

PokerStars is now competing with established B2B poker networks, including Playtech’s iPoker and Entain’s PartyPoker Network. It marks a new direction for the brand, which became part of Flutter Entertainment in 2020.

The company is leaning on its brand recognition, software, and tournament history as it promotes the PokerStars Network to prospective operators.

What the PokerStars Network Means for US Players

If you play PokerStars in the US, nothing changes today. Your account, games, and legal access remain the same, and you already access PokerStars through FanDuel. The bigger takeaway is where PokerStars is heading, with shared liquidity set to play a bigger role in its future. As the network attracts more partners, it could lead to larger player pools, fuller tables, and deeper tournament fields.

Sandra is a content writer and editor specializing in online poker and iGaming. She covers poker sites, game formats, industry news, and US online poker laws for Legal US Poker Sites.