NEVADA ONLINE POKER BILL PASSES! YEAH!

Nevada Rocks!

Re-establishing why Nevada is the coolest state in the union the Nevada Legislature today fast tracked an online gaming bill, declaring it an emergency measure to get it to Gov. Brian Sandoval for a signature today.

After a 90-minute hearing before a joint meeting of the Assembly and Senate Judiciary committees, both houses of the Legislature voted unanimously to pass Assembly Bill 114, which would allow Nevada to move ahead with online poker in the absence of federal action and to join in interstate compacts that would expand the customer base for Nevada casinos.

“We’re going to do it now,” said Assembly Majority Leader William Horne, D-Las Vegas. 

“We’re going to beat New Jersey.”

In his State of the State speech, Sandoval declared online poker legislation to be his most immediate priority and called on lawmakers to pass it within the first 30 days of the session. That timetable sped up when New Jersey passed similar online gambling legislation.

Both states are in a race to become an online gambling hub, hoping to use existing gaming regulations to help new states enter the gaming market.

IOWA ONLINE POKER BILL BACK ON THE TABLE.

Is Iowa's Online Poker Bill just a field of dreams?

Internet poker is once again being considered in Iowa with Senate Bill SSB 1068. This is reportedly similar to the 2012 bill that passed the Senate but could not get though the House.

This bill is a poker-only bill and asks for 22-24 percent of adjusted gross receipts, which seem out of line compared to other jurisdictions that take half or a quarter of that amount. But at least something is being considered.

If passed, this is expected to raise $3 million to $13 million yearly for the state. One important thing left out of this bill is the requirement to segregate player funds from the online poker room’s general fund. This would seem to be a no-brainer looking at online poker’s recent past. Hopefully the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission will make that part of the regulations it rolls out once given oversight.

Carbon Poker Mobile App for iPhone, iPod Touch

Carbon Poker, a poker room on the Merge Gaming Network, is expected to soon launch an online poker mobile client, the first of its kind for a US-facing network.

The app has finished final testing, and Carbon are looking for a few players “interested in being involved in a first preview” ahead of a wider release to the public.

The initial version will only be available for players on the iPhone or iPod touch and will be limited to play money games. Real money games should become available soon, along with support for players with an iPad or an Android device.