Regulated online poker in the US made some leaps in 2019, and if the market can have a similar legislative year in 2020 as it did in 2019, things will be moving along quite nicely. In 2019, Pennsylvania online poker went live, West Virginia entered the regulated arena, and Michigan redeemed itself.

As Pennsylvania continues to discuss the specifics of an online gaming framework in the state, a new bill and continued debate over proposed tax rates have taken center stage. On April 4, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passedH 271, which legalizes tablet gaming in airports. Although this bill only authorizes tablet gaming, legislators see this… Continue reading Tax Rate Issue Could Be Stumbling Block for iPoker in Pennsylvania

During his confirmation hearing in early January, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said he’d be open to revisiting the Justice Department’s interpretation of the Wire Act, which allowed states the opportunity to legalize online gaming. Just three months later, it appears Sessions may be following through with that intention. Within the past two weeks, the National… Continue reading New AG Jeff Sessions Apparently Considering New Online Gaming Ban

2017 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the prospects of online poker as three states – Michigan, New York, and Pennsylvania – are all taking steps to legalize online poker. Meanwhile, a handful of other states, including California, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, are considering online gaming legislation, although they have not progressed… Continue reading How to Make Yourself Heard in the Push for Online Poker Regulation

The calendar has now been flipped to December, and barring a Christmas miracle in Michigan, it’s starting to look like 2016 will end without a new state joining the legal online gambling ranks. Despite momentum and legislative progress in several states, when 2017 begins, the number of states with legal online gambling industries will still… Continue reading Pennsylania Passes on iGaming Legislation; Michigan Still in Play

The future of online gambling in the United States could very well be decided between now and the end of the year. The country isn’t at a make-or-break point, but with no state legalizing online gaming in over three years, any chance at widespread online gambling legalization by 2020 is slowly slipping away.

The month of May was all about Pennsylvania. The Keystone State resumed its push for regulated internet gambling on May 24 with a hearing about a spending bill. That bill included an amendment containing the framework of HB 649, introduced by Rep. John Payne. HB 649 would green-light regulated online gaming in Pennsylvania, including poker.

In March, PocketFives, along with many other news outlets, reported about a commentary piece that ran in the Press of Atlantic City. The article was supposedly written by Poker Hall of Famer Dewey Tomko (pictured) and “poker pro” Bill Byers and espoused fears that online poker is particularly vulnerable to money laundering and teams of… Continue reading Dewey Tomko Denies Publishing Anti-Online Poker Editorial