Most States Seem To Be Implementing 'Wait-And-See' Approach To Online Poker In 2014

There are just three states with legalized and operational online poker — Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey. It appears very possible to remain that way when 2014 winds to a close.

The aforementioned three have online poker industries in their infancy, which means strong revenues have yet to be realized. It’s unclear how much Nevada or Delaware have seen in online poker revenue, but New Jersey did recently release some figures on its fledgling system.

The sentiment among the remaining states in the country with some propensity to authorize gambling seems to be a wait-and-see approach. After all, it’s much easier to push a bill through when other states have sorted through any hiccups with their games. It’s also incredibly valuable to be able to more accurately estimate what revenue would look like.

We’ll start with what might be the state most likely to legalize online poker in 2014 — Pennsylvania. In May, the state will have its study completed on the industry and a proposal is already in the works from one lawmaker. Pennsylvania, now the nation’s number two commercial casino market, has in recent years become very open to expanded gambling.

Illinois, which has an online lottery that has expressed interest in offering Internet gaming, has in the past been regarded as a serious player in the online poker debate. But those talks have quieted down over the past year or so. The state has rejected calls for expanded casino gambling, and even said negative to a proposal to keep casinos there open 24 hours. Thus, online poker is probably not likely there this year, given the political climate.

Louisiana, which last year made some effort to study online poker, according to reports could have an online poker bill hit the legislature this year. However, even if so, given the fact that there’s not a history of online poker attempts in Louisiana, there could be a lack of momentum.

California, the most populous state in the country, has been home to many attempts over the years at legalizing online poker. While momentum seems to have been building, 2014 is unlikely to produce any fruit for the cause, as it is an election year. Since online poker is a touchy subject it probably won’t be legalized during such a political climate.

Despite a small population, the state of Iowa has been active in the online poker debate over the recent years. Some lawmakers there have failed to get any traction on their proposals to authorize online poker, and 2014 seems like a long shot as well, according to reporting from The Globe Gazette. Like others, the state is taking it slow and waiting to see how things play out elsewhere.

Gambling expansion is on the agenda in Florida, but there’s just so much going on with regards to brick-and-mortar gambling that online poker appears far off the radar for officials in the Sunshine State. The big issue in Florida is whether to authorize massive casino-resorts in or around Miami. Florida liberalized its live poker rules not long ago, too.

The same idea likely applies to states like New York, Maryland and Massachusetts. They are all very much involved with brick-and-mortar gambling expansion and appear very unlikely to authorize online poker in 2014. Maryland’s lottery director told Card Player late last year that his state will “keep an eye on” New Jersey’s web games. Maryland also recently legalized live table games, so it makes sense it would see how those go first for awhile before trying the Internet.

Ohio has been rumored to be a player in the U.S. online poker market (Rock Gaming’s Dan Gilbert even owns a piece of Caesars Interactive) and its first wave of new casinos has been completed, but it also seems unlikely for online poker legalization in the Buckeye State in 2014. The previous gambling expansion that went through the legislature is just too recent.

With a large population and being in the name of poker’s most popular format, the state of Texas also seems like a near impossibility for online poker in 2014. Despite years of effort, poker supporters in the state can’t even legalize live commercial poker rooms.

Mississippi has been home to attempts at online poker, but proposals have very quickly died in the legislature there in the past. According to reports, the controversial issue there is highly unlikely to gain any ground during 2014, though there will be some discussion.

Taken as a whole, the U.S. is slowly inching back into the online poker realm, after the major offshore operators were booted in April 2011. Poker fans are eagerly waiting.

Even if no state legalizes in 2014, it’s a safe bet to say that things will have evolved to the point where 2015 would contain a lot of promise for U.S. online poker.

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