Online poker has been around for a while now, but the market has taken off in a big way. While there is no doubt that it is a fun, and oftentimes lucrative pastime for the casual player, it’s a lot more complicated to win at it. This is especially true if you live in a state where online gambling is illegal.
The game of poker has been a part of the US for decades. Some of the first online poker sites to appear were in the late 1990s. However, the real boom in the industry only came after Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker in 2003. With his victory, the unregulated online poker industry grew in a big way. Today, there are over 600 independent doorways into the poker networks. In the past few years, some operators have reported double or triple the traffic they were used to seeing.
Among the most exciting developments in online poker has been the emergence of a multi-state network of licensed websites. These networks allow players from various states to play against each other. Currently, the lion’s share of this activity is done on a few major networks.
For example, the Multi-state Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) is an agreement between three states to share player pools. The benefits of this multi-state scheme are numerous. It also hints at a possible future US-wide poker network. If the MSIGA is indeed a reality, the next few years will be very interesting for online poker fans.
Until then, the state of New York will continue to lag behind in the legal online gambling arena. Even though some lawmakers have made a valiant effort to legalize the game, the bill has been shelved with little fanfare.
To make the most of the new opportunity, some state lawmakers have introduced a range of proposals. A bill that would have allowed for 11 licenses was one of them. Another bill that would allow for legalized sports betting was not as well received.
Although a number of state legislatures have been trying to legalize online poker for several years, the odds of it becoming a reality in the near future are slim to none. One potential stumbling block is the lack of a licensing body. Fortunately, it is only a matter of time before the state legislatures take note of this, and come up with the appropriate legislation.
As a result, it may be a while before you see a brick and mortar casino or online poker room in New York. Despite the fact that the state has a small population, it isn’t impossible to imagine that the state could eventually become a destination for online gamblers. That is, if they can ever legalize it.
Interestingly, Nevada and Delaware were the first to introduce their respective online poker regulations. The state of Michigan is currently the only other state to do so. Though its legalization has not yet materialized, the state is a member of the MSIGA and plans to do so in April of 2022.