Nevada Gaming Control Board Drafts Online Poker Regulations

If the US federal government should pass legislation regulating online poker at the national level, many states are likely to scramble to find ways to localize much of the revenue potential that will suddenly be open to them. However, few will be as prepared for this eventuality as Nevada, which has already passed laws that would allow the regulation of online poker in the state the moment the federal government passed such regulations.

Nevada’s Gaming Control Board took a key step in their preparations Wednesday, releasing their proposals for how they would regulate online poker if and when the time comes to do so. The regulations include rules for keeping records, auditing sites, approving technology and how customers should be enrolled.

“Internet poker has become a multibillion-dollar business around the world,” said Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli. “The technology supporting it, while not perfect, has improved dramatically since its introduction. Similar to our land-based requirements, Nevada will establish high standards giving players as much confidence as possible in the entities and technologies that might eventually gain approval.”

These regulations have not been finalized, and may be amended after a public regulatory workshop process. This process will begin with the first workshop, scheduled for September 26.

While these regulations were drafted with an eye on national and international poker sites, Lipparelli said that the rules were first and foremost put in place so that Nevada regulators would be fully prepared in case intrastate online poker were to be regulated.

Internet poker legislation has been floating around Congress for the last two years, though no effort has yet made it to a vote on the floor of either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Many believe that the chances of online gambling regulations being passed have increased lately, as more legislators have shown a willingness to embrace the idea, and both federal and state governments have been seeking new sources of revenue.