freeringo
01-16-2012, 08:39 AM
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Federal prosecutors may have cracked opened the door for individual U.S. states to operate Internet poker websites without Congress passing online poker legislation.
At least a half-dozen states -- including Nevada -- and the District of Columbia have enacted laws or are contemplating regulatory changes that would allow some form of Internet poker within their boundaries.
States that operate lotteries could also move forward with Internet poker initiatives.
How pervasive individual states become in online poker activities has been the subject of debate among gaming industry financial analysts and gaming attorneys.
Las Vegas gaming attorney Jennifer Carleton, a shareholder with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, cautioned that future Justice Department opinions could reverse the latest interpretation.
"Without a doubt, the opinion has significantly altered the gaming landscape with regard to the placing and receiving of wagers over the Internet and possibly opens the door for states to allow online poker and other forms of Internet gambling," Carleton said. "Gaming practitioners and entrepreneurs interested in Internet gaming must remain alert, attentive and proactive during the period of rapid legislative and regulatory changes that is likely to follow."
Federal prosecutors may have cracked opened the door for individual U.S. states to operate Internet poker websites without Congress passing online poker legislation.
At least a half-dozen states -- including Nevada -- and the District of Columbia have enacted laws or are contemplating regulatory changes that would allow some form of Internet poker within their boundaries.
States that operate lotteries could also move forward with Internet poker initiatives.
How pervasive individual states become in online poker activities has been the subject of debate among gaming industry financial analysts and gaming attorneys.
Las Vegas gaming attorney Jennifer Carleton, a shareholder with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, cautioned that future Justice Department opinions could reverse the latest interpretation.
"Without a doubt, the opinion has significantly altered the gaming landscape with regard to the placing and receiving of wagers over the Internet and possibly opens the door for states to allow online poker and other forms of Internet gambling," Carleton said. "Gaming practitioners and entrepreneurs interested in Internet gaming must remain alert, attentive and proactive during the period of rapid legislative and regulatory changes that is likely to follow."