Four months ago, Delaware and Nevada entered into an interstate compact agreement that will allow the two states to share online poker player pools.
When looking at current player traffic numbers, this historic alliance appears to be more beneficial to Delaware than Nevada. The number of players seated at online cash games in Delaware reach as high as two dozen during peak periods, while Ultimate Poker and WSOP.com in Nevada typically average over 200 players combined round-the-clock.
While both of these regulated states are on the tiny side in terms of population in comparison to other states throughout the country, the interstate collaboration may turn out to have gigantic ramifications in the long run for the rest of the nation. A successful model of shared liquidity may be the stepping stone that will prompt more states to get in on the online poker game.
That, of course, is the desire of U.S. players in practically every state, who hope to one day be playing regulated Internet poker against their fellow countrymen whether they be located in [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/illinois/”]Illinois[/geolink], New Jersey, Nevada or Florida. It is likely the ultimate plan envisioned by state officials of the three states that have legalized online poker thus far.
Nevada and Delaware have not yet announced a firm date when their combined rollout will take place. Depending on who you listen to, it may be effectuated as early as this summer, sometime this fall, or before the end of 2014. Whenever the interstate launch does eventually happen, the rest of the nation will be watching intently.
While the alliance may not be a game-changer for either of the two states in the short term, it may indeed change the game of online poker in the U.S. over the long haul. States that are currently on the fence with regard to enacting online poker legislation, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to name a couple, could be more readily swayed to join the Multi State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA) formed in February by Delaware and Nevada.
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has already extended an invitation to other states to join the MSIGA, following the belief of “the more, the merrier.” New Jersey is the next likeliest partner, but appears to be in the same “wait and see” mode as other states and will probably be quick to analyze the workings of the interstate arrangement once the launch gets off the ground.
[geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/california/”]California is seen as the most serious state[/geolink] when the discussion revolves around which state will be next to regulate online poker. Unfortunately, the bills proposed in the Golden State typically center around an intrastate online poker scheme that will keep the nation’s most populous state from sharing liquidity with the rest of the country.However, that is all the more reason why a successful interstate agreement that begins with Nevada and Delaware and gradually expands to include much of the rest of the nation is so important. California may eventually be more open to changing its ipoker plan to that of an interstate nature should the MSIGA become a smashing success.
