Nevada is 1^st US State to Legalize Online Poker

December 28th, 2012  By Scott Jack

Nevada has officially become the 1^st state in the United States to legalize online poker. On Thursday December 22^nd 2011 the Nevada Gaming Commission voted on regulations that would legalize online poker to be played within the state of Nevada. The regulations were written by the Nevada Gaming Control Board and this is a major step towards legalized online poker in the USA.

Mark Lipparelli is the chairman of the NGCB. He stated that online poker rooms could be operating in Nevada by the end of 2012, but in the meantime Nevada needs to approve license applications. Six companies have applied for a Nevada online gaming license including Cantor Gaming, IGT, 888 Holdings, Bally’s, South Point Poker and Shuffle Master.

According to Lipparelli, technology is already in place to run a legal intrastate poker room. The regulations that were voted on were released to the public. We have included some of the most important details for poker players in Nevada below. Keep in mind that the only players that will be able to play with the Nevada poker rooms initially are players physically located in the state boundaries.

 

What Information Will I Need to Supply to the Poker Operator?
The most important aspect of regulating online poker is ensuring the players are safe. Licensed poker rooms in Nevada will need to use the best technology to ensure players information and funds are completely secure. Player deposits will need to be segregated and this will ensure that a poker room can never collapse due to financial concerns.

1. You need to provide your full name.

2. You need to provide your date of birth.

3. You need to provide your address.

4. You need to provide your Social Security Number.

 

How will Processing be handled by Nevada Online Poker Operators?
Poker players will be able to deposit/withdraw funds from their accounts easily using various banking methods. According to the regulations that have been released to the public players will be able to deposit/withdraw money from their account using debit cards, credit cards, eChecks, Personal Checks, Money Orders, Wire Transfers or Cash at a brick and mortar location. Players will be able to fund their online poker account in person using cash legally for the 1^st time ever in the United States.

 

What does this mean for Nevada Poker Players?
The 1^st licensed online poker rooms in Nevada should open in 2012. Poker players in Nevada will be able to play online poker with other poker players that are within the state’s boundaries. One problem that might arise is the fact there aren’t enough players in Nevada to make intrastate online poker viable.

Richard Bronson owns a consulting company called U.S. Digital Gaming. The company released a report that states in order to run a viable online poker network the network would need roughly 70,000 active players as a bare minimum. According to PokerScout there were only 25,000 active poker players in the state of Nevada, which means intrastate poker might not be a viable option.

 

What does this mean for US Poker Players Outside of Nevada?
This is a huge step towards regulated and legalized online poker in other states in the USA. A couple days after Nevada voted to legalize online poker the US DoJ released a statement that said the Wire Act of 1961 only applies to sports betting. If this is the case it would mean that there are no Federal laws preventing states in the USA from running interstate online poker rooms.

As long as online poker is legalized at the state level there would be no laws stopping other states from partnering up with licensed poker operators in Nevada to run an interstate online poker network. This is a much more viable formula for regulated online poker in the USA and it would allow numerous states in the USA to jump on board in the future without much risk.

Other states will be able to form partnerships with licensed online poker operators in Nevada. This would allow interstate poker games to be legal and it would be possible to make a viable poker network with enough active players. Several other states may be legalizing online poker in the near future including New Jersey, California and Iowa.

Many states in the USA need extra revenue, and many states have decided online poker isn’t such a bad idea. Players are going to find a place to play online poker in the USA regardless, so the states might as well earn tax revenues. With the recent news that online poker is legal in Nevada and the US DoJ’s new stance on the Wire Act of 1961, I can’t imagine it being long before online poker is legalized in most states across the USA.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 at 4:42 am and is filed under news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.