There is finally some good news in terms of the legal status of online poker. The Nevada State Assembly has passed a bill that would create a system of licensure for any online poker business in the state. Of course, this is a small step, but it is at least a step in the right direction.
The bill is a modified version of a previous bill once backed by PokerStars. It would allow Nevada to license online gaming operators if and when the federal government allows regulated online gambling. Regulators would need to draft rules for licensing if federal legislation is passed. The Nevada Gaming Commission would be in charge of any licensing rules. Rules would need to be developed by January 2012 and any gambling site would need to be in partnership with a land-based casino company in the United States to be allowed a license.
This bill was originally created to allow online poker in Nevada. Unfortunately, that portion of the bill was removed just before Black Friday. The original bill was backed by PokerStars who reportedly contributed $272,000 to Nevada politicians’ campaigns. These donations appear to have been in violation with federal laws and have since been returned with many politicians claiming they were unaware of PokerStars’ foreign status when accepting contributions.
All in all, this is good for the legal battle of online poker. It may push the federal government to hasten the legalization process and start generating taxes via online poker.