There is still no certainty as to when legalized and regulated
online poker will become a reality in the United States. There
is also no certainty as to whether there will be federal
regulation first or whether the initiatives taken by some of the
states will bear fruit first. But the players in the industry
are gearing up for the legislation. They do not want to be
caught unprepared when the moment arrives.
One of the mechanisms being followed is forging strategic tie ups. Even the two biggest online poker sites do not want to go it alone in the regulated scenario. Last week both FullTiltPoker.com and PokerStars.com announced partnerships with different leading land casinos.
PokerStars.com has tied up with Wynn Resorts. The first objective of this partnership is to secure the passage of federal legislation that will without ambiguity allow online poker sites to offer cash games and tournaments over the Internet to American players. It supports a regulatory mechanism that will protect players’ interests and provide for collection of taxes. It will then apply for a license to jointly operate an online poker site under the name PokerStarsWynn.com. Wynn Resorts has over 40 years experience in land casino gambling. Mark Scheinberg, Chairman and Founder of PokerStars.com, said that they are excited about partnering with Wynn. Wynn’s human resources will provide the source of the large numbers of professionals required for the new online poker site to be successful in a global environment.
The other big online poker site FullTiltPoker.com has announced a partnership with Fertitta Interactive. The Fertittas are the owners of Station Casino. This agreement specifically provides that the partnership will become active only if federal online poker regulation is in place. There will be no movement on the partnership if Nevada State permits online poker. On the other hand the PokerStars.com partnership would go ahead even if the Nevada legislation comes into force. The Fertitta brothers are majority owners of Ultimate Fighting Championship, which could become part of the cross-marketing efforts with the proposed online poker site.
Earlier the online poker site of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, WSOP.com, had tied up with poker site 888.com.