PokerStars is the biggest online poker site on the planet. Billionaire Steve Wynn is one of the most respected and powerful casino owners around the world, best known for his Las Vegas and Macau Wynn resorts. Like every other brick-and-mortar casino owner, Steve Wynn lobbied against online poker for years. But no longer.
In a momentous shift, Steve Wynn has made a complete 180, and is now partnering with PokerStars to legalize online poker. This historic alliance is the first partnership between a major poker site and a major casino owner, and is likely to be a turning point in the course of legalizing online poker.
The two partners have announced pokerstarswynn.com, which will go live when online poker in America is finally legalized. It remains to be seen what sort of effect this will have on the industry, but this type of powerhouse brand will likely be causing more than ripples.
Wynn has been catching up on the legality of online poker, and commented, “In the United States of America the Justice Department has an opinion but several states have ruled and courts have agreed that poker is a game of skill, it’s not gambling. PokerStars rests their argument on that.” Wynn also added, “I say there is a bit of sophistry here clearly. What difference does it make what PokerStars or the Justice Department says? The point is millions of people are playing poker and they are going to continue to play poker legally or illegally.”
It’s his bet, and PokerStars too, that the Justice Department will eventually see it their way. Reflecting on what altered his past position, Wynn said, “I know that as a nonbeliever I was convinced by the logic of the argument.” Now, players can only wait and see if the Justice Department will agree.