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January 30 - The United States is starting to warm up to the idea of regulated online gambling, at least on a State level. UIGEA is proving unpopular amongst payment processors and banks alike, and while Federal changes to this bill look bleak now that the Republicans once again control the House, individual states are taking matters into their own hands in an attempt to bolster sagging revenues.
New Jersey became the first state to pass a bill that will regulate online gambling (pending their Governor's signature), and the latest news is that Florida will soon follow suit. Lawmakers in the state are considering a plan to legalize online poker and it could be law as early as July 1.
The Governor of Florida, Rock Scott, has been in talks with Vegas bigwigs like Sheldon Adelson, who owns Las Vegas Sands as has pioneered casinos in Macao. Those talks could lead to bricks and mortar casinos in tourist destinations like South Beach. And now there are reports that online poker will be made available to Florida residents on three online poker sites. These websites would be managed by Florida's pari-mutuel, and the state could then take a cut of the rake.
Even opponents of gambling expansion within the state are amenable to the online poker plan. They realize that these websites would generate significant revenue, and in these tough economic times that is a compelling argument.
The feeling is that if New Jersey Governor Christie signs that state's online gambling bill into law it could well cause a domino effect that will see Florida, California and a few other progressive States legalizing online poker as well. California, which was bankrupt the last time we checked and also has the largest population of poker players in the country, would be an ideal location for a little forward thinking.
In the mean time there are plenty of online poker sites that welcome American players, some of them operating with complete impunity from within the USA. Go figure, but the guys who own Full Tilt seem to have weathered the UIGEA storm in a teacup rather nicely.
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