Over the years, the US online gambling industry as a whole has been something of a black hole. With only a minor few states having the opportunity to provide players with online poker, casino games and such options, things haven’t specifically made much movement towards expanding this industry throughout the country. Until recently. In fact, this week, two new pieces of information were brought forth relating to the status of online gambling across the United States.
Only a couple of days ago, the New York Assembly looked towards a potential discussion regarding legalising online poker in the state. Support for the bill is actually growing within the Senate and it seems as though 2018 could be the year for it to finally be voted on in the budget. Additionally, the possibility of sports betting becoming an entity across the US is getting larger. For the moment, there hasn’t been any official word when it comes to that area, there have been certain hints and clues dropped relating to sports betting being legalised.
What Does This Mean for New York?
It stands true that California has been the biggest state that people have been looking to for the legalisation of online poker. Naturally, having a population of 40 million people, it stands as being a great capture for the US poker network. However, New York isn’t so far behind, having its own population of 20 million. Should online poker finally be made legal there, it would work as one of the biggest achievements of the industry.
As has been discussed before though, New York may have had several bills for online poker approved and supported by the Senate, but when it comes to the Assembly vote, it hasn’t even made it to a discussion or vote. And while it wasn’t included in the 2018 budget either, newly-elected Assemblyman Clyde Vanel has said that support for online poker is growing within New York. While poker has been allowed within The Empire State as an offline entity for several years now, its online status remains illegal. Some argue that legalising it in an online version would make up for losses of over $230 million in the land-based sector.
An Expansion to Interstate Poker
As many people know, the US also has its own online interstate poker network, consisting of two states – Nevada and Delaware – and a third in the process of joining – New Jersey. The greatest thing for this network is that it incorporates more players and grows to increase liquidity. The recent legalisation of online casinos in Pennsylvania does provide some hope for this network, of course. However, imagine how vast this could become if New York gamers also get to join the pool!
Should New York take the steps to legalising online poker rooms, this could spell big things. Not only for the state itself, but for the interstate poker network, if it also opts to allow players to become a part of the pool. These may seem like tiny steps for the moment, but any step in a positive direction works wonders for the US online gambling market.
