The WSOP.com branded online poker room in Nevada will become the second legalized and regulated site in the U.S. It all goes down this Thursday, September 19, at 9:19am PT, according to a conference call held with members of the media on Monday afternoon. “It’s a very exciting,” Mitch Garber, Chief Executive Officer of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, told the press. “Today we’re announcing that effective this Thursday, we will be live for real money poker in Nevada under the WSOP.com brand. It has been a long time coming.”

Garber continued, talking about the history of the Caesars and WSOP brands: “WSOP has been in existence since 1970… Seeing the state of Nevada become the first state to legalize online poker in the U.S. is exciting for us as a company… This is the beginning of a domino effectthe same way as the state of Nevada started licensed land-based casino gaming. The digital age will repeat that same pattern.”

Caesars officials were awaiting final approval from Nevada authorities for both 888 (the company’s software provider) and Caesars Interactive Entertainment. Garber noted, “The requirements were intense… CIE has been in business for five years and 888 is about a 16 or 17 year old company. The time it takes to do the due diligence was greater than it would be for a new company that doesn’t have the history or the experience that we do.”

WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart shared his emotions just three days away from the site’s launch: “It’s a very exciting and gratifying day to see the WSOP go online. Poker is a numbers game and the number of online qualifiers to the 2013 WSOP was zero. That will never be the case again… The online launch marks an important evolution in the WSOP. In the last 45 years, the WSOP has remained a very simple idea: to be the definitive gathering place for people who love the game.”

We’ll have more details for you in the near future right here on PocketFives.

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