Will Las Vegas Go ROGUE in 2012 for Online Poker?

Is 2012 the year that our government will find a way to get a piece of the 8 billion revenue stream or will states not wait for them and go ROGUE. I think that Las Vegas should be the catalyst and go rogue and show the rest of the states how it should be done. After all they have been in the gambling business a very long time with the WSOP, all the gambling laws in place, and the casino control board as a watchdog.

There is so much money riding on poker in the US and no one seems to have the recipe to get it done and how to regulate it. States like Nevada have initiated the process by taking on licensing to allow in state gambling online. Going rogue for Las Vegas may not be a huge moneymaker for them but it will put them in position when the feds legalize it to be already in place when it does happen.

So how do you get online to work so it is in the interest of both the state, and the player if they go rogue, and the US Government does not legalize it? The engine that drives it is the player who will have to be able to find a way to put his funds online, feel safe with his money, and have the understanding of how they are being taxed.

So do we use the WIN/LOSS STATEMENT that casinos use? This process is simple and gives information that may be used when filling taxes, W2G is the reportable tax amount given to the IRS, the 1099 is the reportable promotional gifts and/or prize winnings reported to the IRS.

As far as getting your money online that should be easy. If you want to do cash, go to a casino cashier with your player’s card to deposit your funds online. The other option is your bank account direct deposit option that can be done through the online poker room cashier. This process allows the room to follow the cash trail and how to tax it. Hopefully it will be instantaneous just like the cashier was in the online rooms that I played in.

The other side is making sure whatever gaming platform Las Vegas decides to skin with they have a good reputation and the payment processing is properly and securely in place and coincides with the above Win/Loss so all reporting is fair.


There are a lot of questions still in my mind as to how it will work if they do go rogue and here are just a few. How do the rooms get players? Advertising their rooms in different media should generate income. What if the player already has an account with the platform that the casino is using for a skin? So many U.S. players played on multiple rooms and may still have accounts in their databases. How do they separate that play e.g. Party Poker & Harrah’s when the Gov. makes it legal for interstate gambling to prevent multiple accounts. Will the casinos need affiliates to get critical mass to their rooms in the beginning since there is no interstate gambling? Will they have a CPA (cost per acquisition) in place like so many other rooms have to bring players to their door?

There were so many forms of income for a lot of people in online gambling as a player and as a promoter that have been taken away since the shutdown.
As the clock ticks down and players are situated in their brick and mortar rooms across America, time will only tell what will become of online pokers future. How, when, and where will this huge money stream end up and what type of people will want to regulate it and not destroy it by over-regulation and greed. There is a lot at stake here and I feel if we wait for the Government to show us the way as to how it must be done then we are risking making too many mistakes from the start. Can someone please make a decision and have the players interest at heart FIRST since they are the ENGINE that drives all this INCOME. I like the idea of playing poker from my hotel room when I visit Vegas.

Las Vegas, Nevada should show us the way and go ROGUE!