Nevada’s online poker players might emerge as the top beneficiaries from New Jersey’s choice to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement between Nevada and Delaware.
The agreement has been in place since March 2015, permitting individuals in Nevada and Delaware to participate in online poker at the same tables. Last week, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie revealed that he has established a new agreement with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Delaware Governor John Carney, enabling online poker players from New Jersey to join the game.
Operators in the three states now have the responsibility to apply. Following this, the games and software to be used can be approved by the regulators.
“New Jersey is ready to approve a gaming offer for all three states as soon as an operator proposes such a product for evaluation,” stated David Rebuck, Director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, in a press release.
WSOP.com ready to roll
Currently, Caesars Interactive Entertainment and its online poker software provider, 888 Poker, seem to be the only entities ready to launch shared games in all three states. Caesars Interactive Entertainment operates the WSOP.com online poker sites in Nevada and New Jersey.
In collaboration with Delaware Park, Dover Downs, and Harrington Raceway racetracks, 888 Poker operates three online poker sites in Delaware. As per the original agreement, these sites presently share player liquidity with the Nevada-based online poker site branded by the World Series of Poker.
No currently licensed online poker site, aside from this one, operates in more than one state.
The bad actor issue for PokerStars
PokerStars NJ leads the online poker market in New Jersey. Despite laws intended to prevent it, the company continued to accept US customers. Consequently, PokerStars violated a bad actor clause in Nevada’s online gambling laws.
If PokerStars were to be viewed as a person, its prohibition from the Nevada market might be revoked in 2018. However, if it were to be seen as an asset, the ban on PokerStars in the Nevada market seems to be permanent.
Recently, MGM Resorts International inaugurated online poker and casino services under the playMGM brand in New Jersey. As the biggest casino operator in Nevada, the company boasts over a dozen hotel and casino establishments on the Las Vegas Strip. Additionally, MGM has a sports betting app. Despite this, the company does not run an online poker site in Nevada.
MGM could potentially start working on launching an online poker site in Nevada right away. However, it’s presumed that WSOP.com would still have some initial lead time alone in the tri-state market. This is because MGM would still need to wait for the development phase and regulatory approval.
Bigger prize pools, more cash games
From the viewpoint of a player, the result of New Jersey signing the agreement will essentially have two implications. Bigger tournament prize pools should be expected. Additionally, there should be a rise in the quantity of cash game tables functional throughout the three states.
Nonetheless, the total populations of Nevada (2.94 million) and Delaware (952,065) make up less than half of New Jersey’s 8.944 million. Consequently, there seems to be a much larger scope for growth in these two markets.
Indeed, merging the current player pools will result in a 200 percent surge in cash game traffic in Nevada and Delaware. However, this growth will only be 50 percent in New Jersey. It is expected that tournament prize pools will witness a comparable impact. Evidently, players in Nevada and Delaware stand to gain the most from New Jersey’s participation.
Growth across the board
However, these estimates do not factor in a potential increase in traffic at New Jersey sites, as noted by Gov. Chris Christie in a statement.
New Jersey has led the way in the advancement of approved and regulated online gaming, which has been flourishing since its inception in late 2013. Merging players with those from Nevada and Delaware will boost yearly revenue growth, draw in new customers, and create chances for both players and online gaming businesses. This arrangement signifies the start of a fresh and thrilling phase for online gaming, and we anticipate collaborating with our counterparts in Nevada and Delaware in this venture.
A press release from Sandoval about the new agreement suggests that the inclusion of New Jersey is crucial. This is because it substantially boosts the number of potential interactive gaming participants that Nevada will soon have access to.
“He stated, “New breakthroughs and advancements in technology are linking more people and enhancing Nevada’s gaming sector’s capabilities. Gaming, being one of our oldest sectors, it’s crucial that we persist in seeking fresh opportunities to discover its complete potential in an evolving frontier.”
The smaller the state, the greater the benefit
Evidently, the smaller the state, the larger the advantage. However, unless the US online poker scene undergoes any sudden changes, only WSOP.com players will be able to enjoy these advantages for a while.
Even those players are now required to play a waiting game. The situation could potentially resolve quickly, but it should be noted that it took 13 months from the initial agreement signing for Nevada and Delaware to launch shared player pool games.
