Nevada and Delaware sign iPoker compact

ESPN ^ | February 25, 2014 | Andrew Feldman

[C19fan]

Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada and Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware signed an agreement Tuesday that would allow poker players from both states to participate in a combined player pool -- potentially the first step in recreating a true American online poker market.

The legislation allows the two states, which currently offer limited potential player pools, the ability to create a larger marketplace and add to the player liquidity that online poker sites rely on for continued success.

[C19fan]

I used to play small stakes online poker until the Nanny Staters in the GOP ended that.

[Tallguy]

I was just going to point that out. Now that all the private on-line poker sites have been de-railed, the states step in and re-invent the wheel. Amazing how that happens!

[j. earl carter]

The 10 cent tournaments on Poker Stars were incredibly fun. The governmnent will never come up with anything to compare to that.

They would never run tournaments with a 10 or 25 cent buy-in anyway: No money in that.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I’m confused because I thought this internet gambling within the US was illegal. Or is it legal if states do it, but not private casinos??

[Hugin]

First, internet poker is not illegal on the federal level (though one state I know of, WA, has criminalized it). What's illegal under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is transferring money to and from banks and other federally regulated financial institution to a website that offers illegal gambling under the previous Wire Act that dealt with sports betting. Pokerstars and Full Tilt were closed down by the feds for setting up intermediary companies to get around the law. They actually had a pretty good case that since they weren't involved in sports betting, they weren't illegal under the wire act, and therefore weren't violating UIGEA. During the course of the investigation Full Tilt’s management was found to have engaged in fraud by using player funds to pay themselves bonuses. Pokerstars reached an agreement to not allow US customers in exchange for charges being dropped, in hopes that if UIGEA is repealed they could reenter the market. UIGEA also allows for states to authorize online poker sites for residents within their states. Apparently pooling into common games is OK as long as players enter through their own state's site. A lot of smaller online poker sites pool into common games, so that's not new.

[Impy]

Since when is poker a sport? I know ESPN shows poker but.....

[GOPsterinMA]

Gay. Very gay.

[Impy]

Do you consider auto racing a sport? Who would the athlete be, the car?

[GOPsterinMA]

I don’t. I consider it a “sporting event”, but not a proper sport.