U.S. Online Poker Bill Unlikely in 2012

by Mario Alfonsi  |  Published on Feb 18, 2012  |  Updated on Feb 18, 2012

If you were hoping to see online poker return to the United States in the near future, it looks as though you may be in for a longer wait. According to analysts, it appears as though any attempt at regulating online poker at a federal level in the U.S.A. will likely be pushed back into 2013, making it unlikely that most American players will have a licensed site to play on in the next 18-24 months.The news comes after early hopes were dashed that an online poker provision might be attached to the payroll tax cut extension bill that was recently approved by the United States Congress. While that bill – which locked in reduced payroll tax rates until the end of 2012 – did not have any direct link to the world of online poker, many had hoped that an amendment would be attached to the legislation in an attempt to fast-track a regulatory framework.However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) did not make any attempt to include an online gambling provision in the tax cut extension, and it seems unlikely that any other form of online gambling legislation will be high on the priority list for Congress this year.The payroll bill was passed Friday, and is expected to be signed by President Barack Obama.However, this doesn’t mean that the online poker situation in the United States is stuck in its current state for the next year. Nevada has already set standards for online gambling, and while no date has been set for when operators can begin offering online gaming in Nevada, several firms have already applied for licenses, and some expect that online gambling may begin in the state as early as this year.Many other states are exploring the possibility of online gambling as well. States ranging from California in the west, Iowa in the Midwest, and the “tri-state area” of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in the east have all expressed at least some level of interest in online gambling, with online poker usually being the gaming that has garnered the most support.