|
Originally Posted by chemist
I think people are getting excited about a return to utopia that is a forlorn dream.
Your opinion is shared by a large percentage of players, especially in non-regulated U.S. states where frustration has been boiling ever since Black Friday.
From an industry standpoint, there is a lot of what I would call "hope" that Stars' launch in the Garden State will spark a turnaround in the regulated American market. It's no secret that online poker revenues for licensed U.S. poker (see this interview article with 888 Holdings CEO Brian Mattingley) have been far lower than originally estimated. Many would argue this is a direct result of a lack of liquidity sharing (combined player pools).
California is being looked at closely, and the next opportunity for online poker legislation to pass in that state is late this year. However, there is a coalition among tribal interests and card rooms in that state to exclude PokerStars from that potential market by using "Bad Actor" language, which would basically exclude PokerStars from entering.
In a nutshell, "Bad Actor" clauses are aimed at penalizing sites that operated in the U.S. following December 31, 2006. This date is viewed as "arbitrary" by some online gaming experts, since UIGEA officially became law more than a month before that cutoff date. New Jersey does not have any of the Bad Actor clauses in its online poker legislation.
Either way, it's going to be very interesting to see how PokerStars performs in New Jersey once it launches, and whether its entrance there does indeed result in a long-term boost of online poker activity there. Although the original PokerStars marketing & management teams reportedly remain intact, Rational Group platforms PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker were recently acquired by Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion.
Anyone who would like to take a look at the latest online gaming revenue figures for New Jersey can do so by viewing this statement released monthly by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. Online Poker figures are represented in the "Peer-to-Peer Games" category while "Other Authorized Games" reflect casino-style online gaming.
|