A Historic Shift for Canadian Poker: The Standalone PokerStars App Prepares to Bow Out

While the official launch date for the new platform remains slated for "later this year," the roadmap to the transition has been clearly marked by several major milestones over the past few months.

• March 13, 2026: The traditional PokerStars Rewards program was officially shut down. All unopened reward chests and progress bar values were converted to cash and credited to players, clearing out the legacy reward system.

• April 1, 2026 (The US Benchmark): The American market successfully completed its migration, seamlessly transitioning Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to the integrated FanDuel platform and merging them into a single liquidity pool.

• May 5, 2026: In a clear signal that the Canadian transition is imminent, PokerStars Casino progressive jackpots were formally removed from the Ontario client, with the progressive contributions paid back to active players.

• Post-Launch Protocol: Once the new platform officially goes live, all gameplay on the old standalone client will permanently cease. Players will be granted a designated window to withdraw any remaining funds before physical checks are mailed to their registered addresses.