Delaware and Nevada are already in, and New Jersey is knocking on the door. What are we referring to? Online poker in the United States of course. With the US Department of Justice now allowing the individual states in the US to declare their online poker destiny, Nevada and Delaware have quickly moved to legalize online poker. Delaware has gone further and legalized betting on NFL football games as well as a full slate of online casino wagering. New Jersey appears to be closer than the other US states in the race to become the third to adopt online poker legislation, and Marilyn wants to do something about that.
California is also planning on offering sports betting in licensed businesses, and Democratic House Speaker Michael Busch of Maryland recently released a memo declaring his belief that Marilyn needs to get out in front of states like California and New Jersey and become one of the early online poker players. Declaring his state’s need to “stay competitive with other states such as New Jersey,” Bush believes that passing some kind of statewide online poker legislation will keep Maryland online gamers at home, and also attract tourism to that state.
Nevada was the first state to pass online poker legislation in the United States, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board is meeting on August 8th to review another wave of applications for prospective interactive gaming licensees. More than two dozen companies from all industries have already been approved for Nevada interactive gaming licenses, and Busch stated that Maryland needs to get moving towards passing legislation that would allow online poker for that state’s residents and visitors before other states get too far ahead in that industry.
Sports betting at licensed tribal casinos and specific racetracks is on the table in California, and such passage could sway voters to react friendlier to online poker legislation offered in that state in the near future. New Jersey is very close to getting passage of an amendment to federal law to allow sports betting in that state, another reason Bush believes Maryland should move quickly to pass online poker legislation so that they can become the prominent player in a multibillion dollar market in the Northeast.
Busch evidently voices the thoughts of many Marylanders, as he stated he has seen polls and other statistical evidence that show that many of his constituents already play poker online. But currently, those players ship all their money offshore so as not to run afoul of US regulatory and banking statutes. The influx of money would be immediate to Maryland, and also place them has a prominent player in the burgeoning online poker industry in the US.