Internet poker on the horizon

It now appears gamblers could be playing Internet poker in Nevada even before the Legislature has a chance to act on several Gaming Policy Committee recommendations to tweak current state regulations.

Wednesday, the policy committee held its final scheduled meeting prior to the convening of the Legislature for its 2013 session next February.

Gov. Brian Sandoval reconstituted the 11-person policy panel, which had been dormant since the 1980s, to explore Nevada’s push into Internet gaming. The committee includes the heads of the Nevada Gaming Commission and the Gaming Control Board, which have already approved regulations allowing for wagering on Internet poker as long as the activity takes place within Nevada’s borders.

More than three dozen casino operators and gaming equipment providers have applied for Interactive license. Most recently, the Gaming Commission on Thursday granted online operator Paddy Power – considered the top legal bookmaker in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia – a finding of suitability to operate in Nevada.

The policy committee met four times and forwarded five recommendations to the Legislature, asking lawmakers to modify statutory barriers affecting online gaming regulation and to strengthen regulatory standards placed on license holders in order to keep underage players and those in other states from accessing websites.

The policy committee also wants lawmakers to strengthen safeguards for player money held by online gambling sites.

Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli said the first casino operators could be in front of regulators in 60 to 90 days. Once the casino operators are licensed and independent testing labs sign off on the technology, pay-to-play Internet poker could go live within Nevada boundaries before the session begins.

Obviously, interest wouldn’t be this widespread or enthusiastic if these operators believed online gambling would be indefinitely limited to players within Nevada’s borders.

No, the presumption is that neither regulators nor government taxmen can afford to ignore the multibillion-dollar online gaming market.. Whether U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and the rest of Nevada’s congressional delegation can clear away federal regulatory obstacles to national and international online gambling by the end of the year (as some have optimistically projected) or not, that day is coming.

And when it does, Nevada clearly has a huge head-start in providing a proven regulatory environment of which more and more operators see the advantage.

That means jobs, as well as cash flow.

Online gaming is voluntary, and it’s going to be headquartered somewhere. As the sign says: “Welcome to Las Vegas.”