PokerStars Ontario Shut Down Today and Players Are Being Moved to FanDuel — What Poker Fans Need to Do

If you logged into PokerStars Ontario today and found the tables empty, you are not imagining things. As of May 7, 2026, PokerStars Ontario has officially shut down its platform — poker, casino, and sports betting included. This is not a server outage. It is the beginning of a major transition as Flutter Entertainment, the parent company of both PokerStars and FanDuel, consolidates its brands under one roof in the province. For Ontario poker players, here is exactly what is happening and what you need to do.

Why PokerStars Ontario Is Shutting Down

Flutter Entertainment owns both PokerStars and FanDuel, and the company has been moving to unify the two brands across North America for much of 2026. The plan, which Flutter announced in March, is to rebrand the combined offering as “PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel.” The US rollout — covering New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan — has already been live for over a month. Ontario is the next market to make the switch.

The transition is not a permanent exit from the province. PokerStars will return as a dedicated poker product integrated within the FanDuel platform, which already holds a license to operate sports betting and casino in Ontario. The shutdown today is a regulatory formality — Flutter needs a brief period of inactivity to satisfy provincial requirements before the new platform can go live. No official relaunch date has been confirmed yet, but the operator has described the gap as a “short transition period.”

What Happens to Your PokerStars Funds

Your money is safe. PokerStars Ontario has confirmed that player funds are fully secure throughout this process. You have until June 4, 2026 to log into your existing PokerStars Ontario account and withdraw any remaining balance. The platform is no longer running games, but the account portal remains accessible for cashouts through that date.

If you miss the June 4 deadline, any remaining funds in your PokerStars account will be sent to your registered address in the form of a paper check. It is strongly recommended that you log in and request a withdrawal before that date rather than waiting for a check to arrive.

Do You Need to Create a New Account?

Yes — and this is the most important thing affected players need to know. Your existing PokerStars Ontario account will not carry over to the new platform. When “PokerStars on FanDuel” launches in Ontario, players will be required to create a new FanDuel account to access the poker product.

There is one exception: if you already have an active FanDuel account in Ontario, you will be able to use those login credentials for the new poker app. You will simply need to select a new screen name. For anyone coming to FanDuel fresh, the signup process will be standard — create an account, verify your identity, and you will be ready to play once the new platform launches.

Both new FanDuel signups and existing PokerStars customers are expected to receive welcome offers once the new platform goes live, though specific bonus details have not been announced at this stage. If you want to get a feel for the operator ahead of time, our FanDuel Review breaks down what the platform currently offers in Ontario.

What PokerStars on FanDuel Will Look Like in Ontario

Once the new platform launches, Ontario players will access PokerStars poker through a dedicated FanDuel poker app and desktop client. The single-wallet setup means one account covers poker, casino, and sports betting — consistent with how FanDuel operates its existing Ontario products.

One thing worth noting for players hoping to compete against a wider field: Ontario will remain ring-fenced. Unlike the US markets where New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan players will share a combined player pool, Ontario’s peer-to-peer poker will stay within provincial borders as required by local regulations. This is not a new limitation — PokerStars Ontario has always operated with a segregated player pool — but it is worth keeping in mind when setting expectations for table traffic once the new platform goes live.

If you want to explore other options while the transition plays out, there are several best Ontario casino apps worth checking out in the meantime. And for a broader look at what regulated online poker looks like in Ontario, the province still has a number of licensed operators running active tables.

Key Dates to Keep in Mind

There are two dates every PokerStars Ontario player should have on their radar. The first is May 7, 2026 — today — which marks the end of active gaming on the PokerStars Ontario platform. The second is June 4, 2026, which is your deadline to log in and withdraw any remaining funds from your account before Flutter mails you a paper check. Beyond those two dates, the next milestone will be the official relaunch of PokerStars on FanDuel in Ontario, which Flutter has said will be announced once all provincial regulatory requirements have been met.