Will These States Legalize Online Poker?

As the debate in the US continues to grow over how the federal government should legalize, tax and regulate online poker, several states are developing their own legislation to allow state residents to play the game. While none of these proposals have yet to reach full legal status, the state’s actions have opened up the issue for federal lawmakers on both sides of the issue.

Is online poker a cure for a state’s budgetary ills, or is it a larger social ill than states can afford?  Here are five states that are looking at online poker as a salvation from their budget crises.

#5 Florida
Florida is a relative newcomer to live poker.  The state legalized no-limit live poker just within the last year.  Previously cardrooms in horsetracks and jai alai arenas were only allowed to deal low-limit games with a maximum buy-in of $100.  Now, with the prevalence of Sunshine State residents at last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event, Florida is viewing both live and online poker in a different light.

#4 Iowa
The race for the Oval Office typically starts in Iowa.  State legislators also want the race to be the first state to have legal online poker to start there as well.  Unlike the larger states, or states that host major gaming destinations, Iowa does not have the wide tax base that benefits many of the other states in the Union.  Lawmakers believe that the efforts to keep online poker revenues within the state, rather than see those monies go to overseas-based sites, would bring in millions of dollars in additional taxes. 

#3 California
The Golden State has suffered from a severe budget crisis for several years.  Despite having some of the highest taxes of any state in the Union, California also spends a great deal on public services.  Lawmakers in Sacramento hope to turn the state’s budget woes around by instituting an intrastate online poker network, but have encountered stiff opposition from the Native American tribes that operate the state’s land-based casinos.

#2 New Jersey
Currently, gambling in New Jersey is limited to the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk area.  The new online poker proposal would open up the game to all state residents.  The site would also be under the control of the state’s gaming board and would operate under the same regulations as the Atlantic City Casinos.  Although Governor Chris Christie recently vetoed an online poker bill, the movement to legalize the game will continue as long as the state seeks to remedy its declining economy.

#1 Nevada
As with most aspects of the gaming industry, Nevada-based casinos have led the way in developing relationships with overseas-based online poker sites.  The state has the most stringent gaming regulations of any state that allows legal gaming, so the infrastructure to regulate online poker is already in place.  Most importantly, Nevada was one of the hardest-hit states after the real estate crisis of 2008 and has yet to recover, so the additional revenues from online poker would be put to immediate use.
 

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