Reports indicate that the Iowa House of Representatives, after receiving potential legislation that would have added the Hawkeye State to the roster of potential states offering online poker, has shot down the proposed regulatory action, effectively ending online poker’s possibilities in the state.
According to KCRG-TV, the Iowa House received Senate File 2257 yesterday after the Senate had voted on its passage, 29-20, earlier this week. Senate File 2257, which would have put in place the regulatory authority and laws to open up Iowa for an intrastate online poker operation, wasn’t expected to come to the House, but the quick action by the Senate – and the passage of the proposed law – forced the House into action on the bill yesterday.
Apparently, either the legislators in the House weren’t watching the agenda in the Senate or didn’t expect Senate File 2257 to pass through the Senate. “We really didn’t expect it to come over (from the Senate),” House Chairman Peter Cownie stated to KCRG. The fast movement of the proposed law was as a result of the Iowa General Assembly’s deadline, which is today, for non-money proposals to get through at least one chamber of Iowa’s General Assembly and at least through committee in the other to be considered this year.
The proposal didn’t even come to a vote in the House, effectively ending any potential action this year for online poker in Iowa. Cownie stated that the late arrival of the Senate action, as well as the lack of time for a committee or the House to fully consider the bill in debate, were the reasons for the action. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen has stated that he will not push further action as the leader of the chamber before the General Assembly adjourns, stating that there has been a “general lack of interest” in the House for any potential online poker legislation.
The proposed law would establish a regulated online poker industry in the state, which would allow established casino operations inside the state to offer online poker. Studies have shown that the proposed regulations would have grossed in the neighborhood of $30 to $60 million in revenues for the casinos and online operators, with the state taking in between $3 to $13 million in tax revenues.
With Iowa now out of the mix (there are options for the bill’s revival, but they are dependent on House leadership), those who want to partake of online poker under U. S. regulation cast their eyes towards Nevada. The Silver State is continuing to move forward with its online regulatory operations and those movements offer a bright spot for online poker players.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board put regulations in place for an intrastate online poker operation late last year and, in February, began to accept applications for potential licenses under those regulations. To this point, over two dozen applications have been received, either as an operator of an online poker site or to be a service provider for such an operation. Some of the biggest names in the industry have climbed on board to obtain one of these licenses.
Caesars Entertainment, the owners of the World Series of Poker, and their partner, 888 Holdings, are looking at expanding their operations into Nevada if they can obtain licenses. The partnership already have a WSOP branded online poker operation for international customers, but the Nevada licenses would allow them to expand into the U. S. Just last week, the largest online gaming operation in the world, Bwin.Party, announced their intentions to obtain a Nevada license along with potential partners in MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming.
The Nevada online poker operation has been rumored to be started this fall and, for now, will be the only regulated online poker outlet in the United States with the departure of Iowa from the market.
