From pokerati
Gov. Brian Sandoval said Thursday he has held preliminary talks with other state governors on partnering with Nevada on Internet poker.
Sandoval didn’t name the states but gaming sources said Texas could be a target.
Sandoval, a Republican, supported Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s brief run for the GOP’s presidential nomination last year. Also, the Texas Legislature is considering the Poker Gaming Act of 2013, which would make it legal in the state to play poker online.
“I’ve talked with a few governors and I’m introducing the concept of compacting,” Sandoval said following a tour of the new corporate headquarters in Las Vegas for BMM International, one of two laboratories that tests gaming equipment for Nevada regulators.
“It’s very much in the early stages and we have a great opportunity because we have the infrastructure and other states have the players,” Sandoval said. “I’m hopeful we’ll continue to talk.”
In February, Nevada lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 114 and Sandoval signed the measure into law, all in less than seven hours. The bill allowed Nevada to move ahead with online poker without federal legalization and permitted the governor to enter into interstate compacts that would expand the customer base for Nevada casinos.
On April 30, Ultimate Poker, which is majority owned by Station Casinos, became the first legal pay-to-play poker website in Nevada. Just before midnight Tuesday, the website dealt its 1 millionth hand, officials said.
Other poker-only websites are in the process of being approved by testing labs and Nevada gaming regulators.
During a conference call Wednesday to discuss the opening later this month of the World Series of Poker, Caesars Interactive Entertainment officials expressed optimism a Nevada-based World Series of Poker Internet gaming website would become operational during the tournament’s six-week run at the Rio.
Nevada is not the only state that has legalized Internet gaming regulations. New Jersey and Delaware have approved measures and several other states, including California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Iowa, are exploring bills. However, the Silver State has the nation’s only active and legal website.
