Poll results: US Casinos would benefit most from regulation
Nearly half of eGR readers believe US land-based casinos would benefit the most if an online poker bill was passed.
A US bi-partisan ‘Super Committee’ drawn up to agree a US$1.2tn budget deficit package failed earlier this week seeing the possibility of an attached online poker bill dying as a result and leaving the door open for possible intrastate legislation in 2012.
Earlier this week we asked eGaming Review readers who would have gained the most had it passed, or if any form of federal online gaming legislation passes in the coming months.
Just under half of all readers (48%) said US land-based casinos, such as MGM and Boyd Gaming, that recently signed long-term B2C and B2B agreements with bwin.party, would benefit the most if an online poker bill was passed.
More than a third (36%) of subscribers said European operators and suppliers would gain the most from future legislation bringing with them their expertise and experience from a number of other regulated markets such as the UK, France and Italy.
The State of Nevada, that many consider could be in the regulatory driving seat after it announced that poker operators chasing licences in the state could have their applications investigated as soon as February 2012, surprisingly only managed to garner 12% of the overall vote.
eGR readers said Native American tribes would gain the least as a result of any future online legislation. Many tribes have long fought against any form of federal or intrastate egaming legislation with several fearing large job and revenue losses, however in recent months a number of groups have repositioned themselves for the inevitable changes to come.
The California Online Poker Association (COPA), a coalition of some of California’s largest tribes and card rooms, for example, recently aligned itself with Playtech and SciGames to launch free-play poker site Calshark, while Foxwoods Resorts is also known to be close to signing a consultancy deal with UK operator Sportingbet.
A number of European operators have also applied for licences in recent months, with Paddy Power’s application for a non-restricted licence discovered by eGaming Review in September.
After signing deals with land-based operators MGM and Boyd last month, bwin.party filed for a preliminary finding of suitability with the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC), with co-CEO Jim Ryan describing the move as “effectively an application for a non-restricted gaming licence”.
Meanwhile Gary Loveman, CEO of land-based casino operator Caesars Entertainment, recently expressed his optimism that his company could go live with an online poker room within 12-14 months of federal regulation.