According to a Reuters’ article posted today, MGM CEO Jim Murren expects online poker to be legal in the United States by 2012. In a statement made in a conference call Murren claimed, “It’s not easy, not that it’s a complicated issue. It’s becoming a clearer issue. It’s because Washington is becoming more complicated.” He further states, “We’ll be one of the first ones out of the gate when it’s approved.” This is pretty cool for online poker because the big casino corporations have lots of lobbying power in Washington and if they are pushing for online poker in America then for now they are a powerful ally to have on our side.
Reuters’ goes on to further say that many casino executives want a slice of the online poker pie. This is a pretty great thing for all poker players. Competition among the casinos can only bring benefit to poker players, professional and amateur alike. Competition breeds possibilities such as lower rake, good promotions for depositing and reloading as well as VIP systems. Eventually a few will rise to the top through a combination of good support, software, and VIP system, but until then when online poker returns to America there will be a lot of potential for bonus hunting from all the big casinos attempting to compete with each other for the dominant market share.