The attention of the United States poker community has been focused on Nevada and New Jersey and this year, and rightly so, as the former has already legalized intrastate online poker and the latter is getting very close. Forgotten in the excitement over the anticipated launch of internet poker in those states is the fact that Delaware might beat both to the punch. The nation’s first state has already legalized online gambling within its borders and, according to a report by the USA Today, may look to form an interstate compact with Nevada for poker.
Last week, the Delaware Lottery Office issued Requests for Proposal (RFP) to potential vendors in order to determine who will ultimately operate a centralized gambling system. The RFPs require that an online gambling site is launched by September 30th of this year.
“We have quite a head start,” lottery director Vernon Kirk said. “I’m not sure, based on where we are, how fast (New Jersey) could be.”
New Jersey, Delaware’s neighbor to the northeast, will likely have its own intrastate internet gambling site(s) up and running this year, as well. Governor Chris Christie conditionally vetoed an online gambling bill last Thursday, but his proposed changes are expected to be made and passed by the legislature at the end of the month. Once Christie puts his stamp of approval on the amended bill, online gambling would be a reality in New Jersey anywhere from three to six months later.
Online poker faces one major problem in Delaware, though: the state’s size. Because it players would have to reside within state borders, Delaware could face a significant traffic issue. As it is just the 45th most populous state in the U.S., there likely would not be enough players to make the sites attractive.
Said casino industry analyst Frank Fantini, “You need enough people playing online at one time that a player can go on and find a game that fits his price and his skill level, whether it’s 4 o’clock in the afternoon or 4 o’clock in the morning.”
In order to remedy this, Delaware may team-up with Nevada to form an interstate poker compact, just like states do with such lotteries as Mega Millions and Powerball. While Nevada is not huge by any means in terms of population, its estimated 2.758 million residents (as of 2012) are three times that of Delaware’s. Joining forces would help both states. It is possible, too, as Nevada may soon amend its online gambling law to allow the Governor to enter into agreements with other states in which residents of each state can play on poker sites licensed in the other.
“I think they would make a good partner. We’ll see what New Jersey does, and there’s even been discussion that (compacts) wouldn’t necessarily exclude Europe,” Kirk told the USA Today.
As for New Jersey, Fantini doesn’t see it happening. “New Jersey is not going to cooperate with Delaware — 100% unlikely,” he said. “The reason for their legislation was to defend their existing casinos.”
