According to the above CNBC article, Station Casinos recently went live with UltimatePoker.com. “UlimatePoker.com will operate under a 30-day license, said A.G. Burnett, chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, while the site works out “the kinks” before getting a formal license that he said would likely be granted.”
The “kinks” they are working on is identifying the age, identity, and location of the players. These challenges have been dealt with by overseas players BWin.party and Pokerstars, and should be easily dealt with here.
I have been saying for quite a while now that there’s the potential for huge amounts of revenue that will stream into Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) from online gaming/ poker. Why?
1. They already have bingo and slots on their British site, making it a no brainer that Zuckerberg would be willing to support his efforts to unite the world via gambling.
2. People spend more time interacting on Facebook everyday than any other internet site. It would be incredibly easy to look at a friend’s post, “join me in a low stakes mega-table tournament,” and click on the link and do so. Poker, as a social game, would spread like wildfire on Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).
The only question is the legislation that will be passed which will allow Facebook to capitalize on its global scope and billion plus users.
Also, it should be noted that Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) stands to profit immensely from this legislation, and has been preparing for this day for some time.
As of now online gambling has been declared legal in three states, Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware, with New Jersey being the largest market of the three estimated to generate between $500 million and $1 billion.
Right now MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM), which posted a surprise beat of a $0.01 per share profit versus a $0.10 loss expected in their most recent quarter which sent shares surging 7%, is weighing the costs versus potential profit of entering the Nevada online poker market. Both MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) and Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) have partnered with Bwin.party to provide the software and backend, but MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) isn’t sure that Nevada alone is a large enough market to be profitable.
Once Nevada, and New Jersey prove the kinks can be “worked out” (of course they can,) it’s a virtual certainty that California will legalize online gaming in some capacity to gain the additional tax revenue it so sorely needs. Other cash starved states will follow suit, falling like dominoes to the lure of extra revenue.The only problem this poses is that the casinos don’t want a patchwork of various regulations individual to each state, but rather broader Federal laws which would reduce costs and increase liquidity of the poker markets.
Democratic majority leader Harry Reid has been working for years on passing Federal online poker legislation in the Senate. Being from Nevada, it should come as no surprise that Reid wants to make it law that online companies must partner with a land-based casino, like a Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) or MGM, a shining example of special interest politics at its best (or worst), which means that Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) is going to be giving away a portion of their proceeds to someone, another win for the land-based casinos should this get passed. Current state legislation in both Nevada and New Jersey has this clause as well.
The good news for MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM) and Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE:BYD) is that they are well diversified geographically throughout the nation, and should a patchwork of legislation require a land-based casino in their state, they are better positioned than their counterparts. Additionally, their name brands bring in an element of trust for gamblers, which is advantageous for all parties.
It’s not a matter of if, but rather when online poker comes to your state, except for maybe Utah. This will undoubtedly drive growth in Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and the casino revenue; the only question is how much, and this will largely be a function of the final legislation. Stay tuned, but don’t be surprised to get invited to play poker in the near future while surfing Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).
The article Online Poker Now Legal: Who Wins? originally appeared on Fool.com.
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