With all of the recent talks swirling around the legalization of online poker within US borders, Atlantis Internet Group Corp., the parent company of Cake Poker Network, has entered into a deal which will bring its services to thousands of players across North American soil. Starting immediately, they will begin providing legal online poker to patrons of numerous tribal casinos scattered throughout the country.
Spanning more than 30 states, this new deal will create what is being called the Tribal Gaming Network, which will be powered by the patent pending “Casino Gateway Network.” Once up and running, this will single out TGN as the only unquestionably legal poker operation running across multiple state lines.
“Our Indian version of the CGN, called the ‘Tribal Gaming Network’ (‘TGN’) offers an immediate and legal solution to Indian casinos nationwide,” says Donald L. Bailey, the CEO of Atlantis Internet Group, “providing the largest online poker network in the U.S. This is a significant milestone for ATIG and Cake, and will become an immediate economical shot in the arm for Tribes and states facing deficits nationwide.”
He’s got a point. When you consider how much money there is in the online poker world, it’s hard to imagine the government not benefiting from even a slight tax on the industry. More than anything, this entire issue boils down to cash. While some may claim that it’s a moral question, the unquestionable fact is that, if Washington can find a way to make cash from people playing poker from the comfort of their own homes, they’ll do it.
While this isn’t exactly the gigantic news that proponents of online poker have been seeking, it’s certainly a step in the right direction. Cake and its affiliates host some of the best games on the internet, and have garnered a great deal of praise for their services. You can bet your bottom dollar that the US Government will be keeping a close eye on this experiment, stowing away lessons for its own inevitable conversion.