According to the US Congressional Research Service, internet gambling in the US already grosses more than $35bn in revenues.
More than 2,500 sites exist, of which one-fifth are dedicated to poker and there are nearly two million online poker players in the country – but no US state has yet licensed internet poker.
The federal government at present has three proposals tabled for the legalisation of internet gambling but they are tied up with procedural stumbling blocks and are unlikely to see the light of day before the next election.
According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, the federal government would take as much as $42bn in gaming taxes in the next 10 years if all of the individual states adopted a new law and there was a federal tax of six per cent imposed for licensing.
Currently most favoured among the potential laws is HR 2366, which is at present under consideration in Congress. It would permit internet poker, granting five-year licences to operators and at first would be present only in casinos, racetracks or available from manufacturers with 500 machines, 250 tables or over $200m in annual revenue. It would also prohibit the use of credit card transactions.
