PokerStars Ontario Is Officially Shut Down — What Poker Players Need to Do Now

PokerStars Ontario has officially shut down. As of May 7, 2026, the platform ceased offering poker, casino, and sports betting to players in the province. The closure is not a permanent exit — it is a transition. PokerStars is merging its Ontario operation into FanDuel’s platform, and both brands are owned by Flutter Entertainment. But for players with active accounts and funds on the old platform, there are immediate steps to take and a firm deadline to meet.

What Happened and Why

In March 2026, Flutter Entertainment — the parent company of both PokerStars and FanDuel — announced that PokerStars would be migrating to the FanDuel platform in North America. The move applies to the regulated U.S. states of New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, as well as Ontario. The new combined product is branded “PokerStars on FanDuel.”

The migration is driven primarily by liquidity. Online poker requires a large, active player pool to sustain cash game traffic and tournament fields. By combining PokerStars’ poker expertise and brand recognition with FanDuel’s large existing user base, Flutter is attempting to build a more competitive and sustainable poker product in North America. In the U.S., players from New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania will be combined into a shared liquidity pool. In Ontario, the market remains geofenced under current provincial regulations, though an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling last November confirmed the legality of pooled liquidity models, which could expand options in the future.

What Players Need to Do Right Now

The most urgent task for any PokerStars Ontario player is straightforward: withdraw your funds before the June 4, 2026 deadline. The PokerStars Ontario platform has already shut down its game client — there is no active poker, casino, or sports betting available — but the cashier remains accessible for withdrawals. Any account balance not withdrawn by June 4 will be sent by check to the registered address on file.

Players should log into their PokerStars Ontario accounts now to initiate any pending withdrawals. Do not assume the funds are accessible indefinitely. The June 4 cutoff is firm.

For what comes next, the process differs depending on your existing account status. PokerStars accounts will not be automatically migrated to the new FanDuel platform. Players will need to create a new account on FanDuel once “PokerStars on FanDuel” launches in Ontario. If you already have an existing FanDuel account, you can use those credentials to access the new poker product when it goes live — you will just need to select a screen name. Note that your existing PokerStars username may not carry over; the new platform may not be able to accommodate duplicate screen names from the legacy system.

What the FanDuel Poker Product Looks Like

The U.S. version of PokerStars on FanDuel launched roughly a month before the Ontario shutdown, giving a preview of what Ontario players can expect. The product runs within the FanDuel platform ecosystem, offering a dedicated poker client alongside FanDuel’s existing sportsbook and casino products. The one-wallet approach means players can move funds between poker, sports betting, and casino without separate account management.

PokerStars is running a “Founders Table” promotion in Ontario ahead of the launch, similar to the pre-launch promotions offered in the U.S. states. Players who sign up with FanDuel during the transition window are expected to receive dedicated Poker Welcome Offers once the Ontario platform goes live. The timeline for the Ontario launch has not been officially announced, but based on the U.S. rollout, a launch in early June appears likely. A short transition period with no active games — on either the old or new platform — is expected before the new client goes live.

What This Means for Ontario Online Poker

Ontario is Canada’s largest province and one of the most significant regulated online gaming markets outside the United States. The PokerStars Ontario shutdown brings the number of active licensed gaming operators in the province to 45. The consolidation under Flutter Entertainment’s umbrella reduces competitive fragmentation but raises questions about market concentration in the online poker segment specifically.

For poker players, the outcome of this migration hinges largely on liquidity. A FanDuel-powered platform with access to PokerStars’ player base — even if Ontario remains geofenced from U.S. pools initially — represents a more sustainable poker environment than the legacy PokerStars Ontario platform was able to sustain independently. If the pooled liquidity model expands to include Ontario players competing against international pools in the future, it could represent a significant upgrade in the quality and depth of available games. For now, players should focus on the immediate steps: withdraw before June 4, and watch for the official Ontario launch announcement from FanDuel.