More Highs than Lows for Online Gaming in 2017

The online gambling has seen some tumultuous times since its inception, but 2017 saw the tide turning, and there were far more highs than there were lows.

It made for a good year, and this article examines these highlights more deeply, and takes a look at the setbacks as well.

2017 Saw Pennsylvania Legalise Online Gambling

Kiwi players have been enjoying the online pokies NZ has to offer for a while now, but Pennsylvanians have not been able to do that, legally, until this year.

But Pennsylvania became the fourth US state to legalise online gambling on the 30th of October this year, joining the ranks of New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada when it did.

This was excellent news for the online gambling community, and it is expected that live games will become available over the course of this year as well, with a steady stream of income generated for the state thanks to the gambling taxes in place.

There are a number of other states in the USA that are also entertaining the possibility of legalising online gambling, and Pennsylvania’s decision to move forward with it will no doubt encourage others to do the same.

Golden Liquidity for Three States in the USA

The online gaming industry had an excellent 2017 in New Jersey, and is expected to get another boost this year as the state has entered into shared poker liquidity agreements with Delaware and Nevada, at long last.

New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, signed a bill facilitating liquidity between his garden state, Delaware, and Nevada in October, and this will provide a much-needed boost for the American poker market, which is under the constraint of particularly heavy regulations.

The population of New Jersey is more than 9 million, and this fact will see the gaming markets in Delaware and Nevada boosted as well.

An Enormous Potential Player Pool

The potential player pool of the poker market in the United States is now equivalent to that of a small European country, like Belgium, for example.

Although Delaware and Nevada have enjoyed shared liquidity for over two years now, New Jersey being added to the mix will also set a vital precedent for other states who are interested in passing internet gambling laws similar to those in place for New Jersey.

The whole of last year, in fact, was a surprisingly progressive one as far as online gambling is concerned, especially in the European and American areas.

Australia Lets its Online Poker Player Down

Australia took the opposite stance of Pennsylvania last year, and has officially banned all forms of online poker.

The country, in fact, went as far as making all forms of online gambling illegal, with the only exception being sports betting.

The online poker ban, ironically, was almost accidental: the Australian Interactive Amendment Bill did not actually intend to target the online casino and poker industry, but the manner in which it was worded has resulted in poker operators having to shut down their offerings and take their business out of the country.

TAROT