Several states have announced that they are going to start running some form of online poker. Although California is not one of them, Pennsylvania has been a longtime proponent of online poker, and it looks like the Keystone State is close to a launch date. In addition to Pennsylvania, California has been working on its own online poker efforts for many years.
The most common poker variant in an online poker room is Texas Hold’em, but there are a lot of other variants to choose from. For instance, some poker rooms only accept players from the US, while others will handle payments in a variety of currencies. Online poker sites may also require players to convert their funds before depositing, at a lower premium than a bank would.
The Connecticut State Legislature is currently considering a gaming bill that may include a regulated online poker game. Although online poker is legal in other states, Connecticut is still waiting for the final Wire Act ruling before it becomes legal. Although there is no set timeline for when online poker will become legal in the state, it is likely that it will be around the corner.
Until now, Connecticut has had little to no access to poker, except for a handful of unlicensed gaming venues. This has led to a shortage of live entertainment options and a sudden uptick in online poker traffic. This could be a good thing for players in Connecticut who are averse to gambling in a brick and mortar casino.
The Connecticut State Legislature is currently considering several bills related to online gaming, including a gaming bill that could include a regulated online poker game. The Connecticut legislature may also be open to entering into shared liquidity agreements with other states to resolve the traffic issues of individual sites. Although the Connecticut state legislature does not mention this option in its gaming bill, a shared liquidity agreement would make Connecticut a more interesting market for online poker operators.
There are several other facets to the state’s gambling program, including social games, sweepstakes, and the use of credit cards. There is also no limit on how many online poker sites can be operated in the state. While most of the state’s gambling establishments are run by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, operators may opt to launch two or more sites.
The Connecticut state legislature also is considering a bill to allow gambling on mobile devices. Several operators have reported that the number of players using mobile devices in the state has increased over the last few months. It is likely that the number of mobile players will continue to rise, and that the state’s gambling department will have to address this. A regulated online poker game would be available on both land-based and mobile devices, and would make Connecticut a more interesting market for operators.
In short, the CT state legislature has a lot of work to do in order to make online poker legal and regulated. Although a few states have publicly announced that they are going to start running some type of online poker, most states have not yet made it legal. While California has been a longtime proponent of poker, it is still unlikely that it will see its own regulated online poker games anytime soon.
