Nevada Governor Discusses Future of Online Gaming Compact

Nevada and Delaware forged the first interstate online gambling compact last month. Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval said that he expects the new partnership will be launched this summer. Sandoval also hopes that additional states will sign the compact in the near future.

Online gaming providers in both states will be able to boost profitability by sharing players. However, Delaware's base of player pool isn't very large, which means that the benefit to Nevada will be minimal. Nevada only has a population of 2.7 million citizens, which means that the benefits to Delaware may not be significant either.

Sandoval said that larger states like New Jersey will need to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement before either state notices a surge in revenue. He said that the initial agreement will be encouraging for other states. They may be far more likely to participate after the new partnership is successfully rolled out. Nevada is optimistic that the state's online poker industry will continue to grow as the new partnership goes into effect.

The industry is still facing some challenges, but Sandoval is optimistic that the industry will persevere against them. The biggest threat is a new bill that would reinstate the Wire Act and prohibit states from offering online gambling. The proposed federal law is supported by Sheldon Adelson, the CEO Chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Sandoval has assured Adelson that he respects his opinion, but will continue doing everything in his power to expand the state's gaming industry.

Sandoval said that he hasn't read the new bill, but doesn't feel that it is a significant threat. He is confident that state laws would trump any changes the federal government attempts to pass. He also believes that there is a small chance the bill will be passed, because support for online gambling has grown significantly in recent months.