InterState Poker has been working between two states recently; for the past few months, Delaware and Nevada have had an agreement in place that allows both states to share online poker player pools. Of course, these things take time so no major steps have been completed in the process of linking their players pools up and creating larger cash games and tournaments.
However, Nevada Gaming Control Board officials recently took a big step towards making interstate poker happen sooner rather than later. They gave preliminary approval to a linking system brought forth by 888’s All American Poker Network (AAPN).
The proposal calls for Caesars Interactive’s WSOP.com (NV) site and MGM’s soon-to-be-launched Treasure Island gaming site to share players. Additionally, 888 will operate a separate online poker room that’s connected to Treasure Island.
The interstate aspect comes into play because 888 are the sole software provider in Delaware, which serves the state’s three racinos. With the Gaming Control Board approving AAPN’s linking system, these racinos could eventually be sharing players with AAPN.
Both States could use the boost
Nevada’s online poker traffic experienced a huge spike thanks to the 2014 WSOP. The world’s largest annual poker event raised WSOP.com traffic by well over 50% this summer. However, the WSOP is now over with, save for the November Nine, which means a traffic drop is almost a given.
Looking at the overall Nevada market, Treasure Island will no doubt need some help to get off to a hot start. Ultimate Gaming NV have remained largely stagnant in terms of traffic while Nevada’s third poker site, Real Gaming, continues to generate barely any player interest. So Treasure Island’s introduction to a small market could be aided greatly by sharing players with Delaware.
Speaking of the latter, Delaware online poker revenue fell from $74,078 in April to $57,470 in May (latest numbers we have). Part of this 22.5% drop can be attributed to summer, however, it’s too big of a decrease to solely be blamed on warmer weather. So linking up to the much-larger Nevada poker market should definitely help.
When will Interstate poker launch?
First off, the Gaming Control Board has to give their final approval on AAPN’s linking system, which is expected to happen at the end of July. Once this happens, there’s no given timetable on when 888 will have linked poker action going on between Delaware and Nevada. But the software is already in place, so a rough estimate could be within two months.
Whether interstate poker happens this soon remains to be seen, though. But at the very latest, it would be nice to see US poker players from other states grinding against each other before the end of the year.