Despite several unsuccessful attempts to pass i-gaming legislation at both state and federal level in the US, internet wagering will be legalised in the future, one expert has claimed.
According to Robert Faiss, chairman of the gaming and regulatory law department at Lionel Sawyer and Collins in Las Vegas, only the change of control of the US House of Representatives at the start of the year prevented the introduction of a comprehensive internet poker bill that had a "reasonable chance" of being passed.
"What has happened is that the negotiations to develop an acceptable bill in 2010 have resulted in components that seem to have become basics in internet legislation being introduced or discussed in 2011," he told iNTERGAMINGi.
Now, many politicians view the potential tax benefits of online gaming as an attractive counterweight to the budget cuts under review by Congress.
"In my view," Faiss continued, "the timeline for legalisation of internet wagering by Congress is uncertain but such legalisation is inevitable.
"The US Department of Justice response to the July 14 letter from Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl will influence state government action in this area. If the response is that federal law prohibits licensed online wagering solely within the borders of a state, there is going to be a good deal of pressure from a number of states to change that law."
If the federal law allows intranet wagering, he added, that should spur on current efforts in states such as Nevada, California and New Jersey to establish such systems.
