Legalized gambling is moving out of the casinos and into the internet. This is why the industry is preparing for the broadest changes in its history. Ultimate Gaming, a company based in Las Vegas, has become the first in the United States to offer online poker to players in New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. It legalized gambling over the Internet.
The federal government allowed states to provide Internet gambling as long as they don’t involve sports betting. People inside and outside the industry said that the position could lead cash-hungry state governments to allow internet gambling as a new source of tax revenue.
At present, ten other states considered some form of Internet gambling but none has legalized it for now. Efforts to pass a national law to legalize online poker didn’t succeed. This left states free to pass laws with regards to online gambling.
Internet gambling could also lead to the creation of a new revenue stream from new players. People wonder whether it would redirect money from gamblers who would have otherwise visited a casino and ate dinner or watch a show. Some worry that this could create more problem gamblers.
The Atlantic Club Casino Hotel is one of the most endangered casinos in Atlantic City. The parent company of PokerStars, which is the world’s biggest online poker web site, signed a deal to purchase the casino but it looked like the deal’s future is still murky. Atlantic Club’s owners said Wednesday that the deal was off. The next day, PokerStars said it would want to salvage the purchase.
Michael Frawley, chief operating officer of the Atlantic Club Casino, said that the Internet could help double the casino’s business. They just need to get the right balance between online and physical gambling for their customers.
