As they say, good things come to those who wait. The fact that the U.S. Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) is now officially dead, the entire gambling landscape 
throughout the world might possibly change. It’s known by everyone in the industry that there will be a lot of players getting in on sports gambling across the country now, and the results should also be a huge plus for online poker.
At least 18 states have either already created or are in the process of creating legislation to introduce online gambling. Many more states are bound to follow once they see the lucrative aspects of the industry. Sports gambling has said to draw over $150 billion in illegal betting out of the U.S. alone. That’s a lot of green to be earned by the states who will now be offering sports gambling both in brick-and-mortar casinos and over the Internet. The outcome will be a larger selection of online casinos, and, undoubtedly, more online poker. David Rebuck, director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, stated last year, “If we win sports wagering, online gaming will go to every state that adopts sports betting. As soon as sports wagering is legalized, online gambling will follow right behind it.” New Jersey won and now everyone is waiting for the show to begin.
PASPA was shot down by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 7-2 vote. The chief justices of the land determined that the bill was unconstitutional, paving the way for a completely new era of legalized gambling. Of course, many wonder where the country would be today if PASPA had never been introduced.
The introduction of new online gambling venues will probably give some of the old-time casino owners, like Las Vegas Sands’ owner Sheldon Adelson, an aneurysm. Adelson has fought long and hard to keep online gambling out of the picture due to the threat it has to his casino operations. Sorry, Mr. Adelson, stopping progress has always been an exercise in futility.
Poker liquidity sharing has already begun following a recent pact between Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware. Pennsylvania will more than likely join in sometime in the near future, and this is just the beginning of what is going to come. While we can’t travel back to the time before poker’s Black Friday, the die has been cast for a new era of gambling. Online poker is most assuredly going to be a major part of that era.
