The Nevada Legislature returned from recess this week and according to an Associated Press report, policymakers will soon begin discussing a new bill that would expand Nevada’s online poker market to include other states.

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Assembly Bill 5was introduced on December 19, 2012 and read for the first time on Monday, although no debate had commenced. The bill would amend the current law that legalizes and regulates intrastate online poker, making it legal for licensed operators to not only accept customers from within Nevada borders, but also acquire customers from other states. Its sites would not be able to pursue just any potential poker player from anywhere in the country, though. Nevada would have to enter into agreements with other states.

As AB5 reads:

The Governor, on behalf of the State of Nevada, is authorized to:
1. Enter into agreements with other states, or authorized agencies thereof, to enable patrons in the signatory states to participate in interactive gaming offered by licensees in those signatory states; and
2. Take all necessary action to ensure that any agreement entered into pursuant to this section becomes effective.

The other portion of AB5 that would change existing law would nullify the current requirement that the Federal Government pass legislation allowing nationwide internet poker or a written notice from the Government saying that it is allowed before Nevada operators would be permitted to open their doors. No new text has been added to reflect this; rather, language has been stricken from the law to eliminate this prerequisite.

Among the criticisms of state-by-state online poker legislation is the idea that only the highest populated states in the country would be able to produce pools large enough to sustain an online poker economy. Even with global customer bases, many internet poker sites are currently just barely getting by with very few players.

Poker rooms that would be restricted to state borders, especially when there are multiple operators in a single state, would likely have a difficult time maintaining a solid stream of player traffic. AB5 aims to remedy this to an extent by teaming up with other states, just like states do in several lotteries such as Powerball and Mega Millions.

Tom Breitling, chairman of Ultimate Gaming, told the Associated Press, “This is a peer-to-peer game, so you want your customers when they go online to actually be able to get a game of poker going. It becomes much more exciting if the player pool is 100,000, not 10,000, and if you can actually go online and win $1 million, not $10,000.”

Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman A.G. Burnettagreed with those sentiments, saying, “This is something that would go out and allow our operators to be as competitive as they can be.”

Naturally, much of the pro-online poker feeling in the Nevada Legislature comes from the state’s position as the preeminent destination for brick-and-mortar gamblers and its expertise in that industry. The almighty dollar is also a major factor, as politicians see online poker as a way for the state to bring in more revenue. Burnett implied as much when he said, “I think this is something that could help our state. Otherwise, I don’t think you’d see this kind of interest in it.”

Nevada is currently one of only two states that have actually legalized intrastate online poker (Delaware is the other), although no operators have gotten up and running yet. New Jersey, home of Atlantic City, is close, as an online gambling bill passed through the state Senate and General Assembly late last year and is awaiting Governor Chris Christie’s approval.

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