Home / Poker News April 2011 / Nevada Online Poker Bill Amended, Passed
Nevada Online Poker Bill Amended, Passed
Posted by: James Carter. - Wed, 2011-04-13 10:31
In the wake of the latest developments online gambling-wise, it is quite safe to affirm that the Silver State may become the trail-blazer in internet-poker and gambling legislation, despite the fact that several other states appeared to be on the brink of passing such legislation at one point or another in recent history. Apparently, a Nevada Gambling Panel has amended and then approved a bill which – if taken all the way, unlike some of the other state-level initiatives – would pretty much set the legal framework for online gambling and poker.
Although people are usually accustomed to mentioning online poker and online gambling in the same breath, the interesting thing about the Nevada bill is that it seems focused on poker rather than on gambling.
AB258 basically instructs the Nevada Gaming Commission to begin elaborating rules aimed at regulating online poker. Online gambling is not yet part of the package and according to insiders, it won’t be until its status is cleared by the Justice Department or Congress.
Pete Ernaut of the Nevada Resort Association said he believed that regulating online poker was inevitable. His view is obviously shared by many as the bill moves to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
The move marks a continuation of the efforts which have started shortly after the 2006 UIGEA has made it illegal for US financial institutions to transmit funds linked to
online poker and gambling.
Most of the regulation attempts have put poker and gambling in the same hat, something that online poker industry representatives have long acknowledged as detrimental to the legalization and regulation of online poker. This new initiative makes a clear distinction however, and that may just be the magic ingredient that will finally get the online poker show on the road.
The fact that the Nevada Resort Association – which has adamantly opposed such legislation for years – is on-board this time, may indeed signal that something special may indeed be in the works.
