Calvin Ayre predicts that it could be another decade before the US Government legalises online poker for the millions of American players.
Tuesday 16th February 2010
The man behind global media brand Bodog, Calvin Ayre, believes that it could be at least another decade before the powers that be in the United States legalise or regulate online poker for the millions of American players.
Writing on his tabloid blog at CalvinAyre.com, the Canadian stated that ‘it would be very unlikely for the legalisation or regulation of online poker to happen within the next five years and probably not in the next ten years’.
Although he predicted that online poker would eventually be legalised in the United States, Ayre stated that public companies would not be allowed to operate sites after being forced out following the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006.
“That is, not until they have been submitted to some new formal regulatory environment in the United States,” wrote Ayre.
“Once the market has opened up, the structure you have will not be an issue; though some of the private companies might have to sell their current US-facing operations to a regulated US operator in order to gain free access to ecommerce and advertising. However, the recent 888 deal with Harrah’s proves that being in the US market prior to the passing of the UIEGA will not necessarily be an impediment to future US-facing opportunities.
“With the publishing of this article, I guess my newest prediction will be put to the test, the test of time, that is. Time will tell who is right...as is always the case.
“I think anyone making business decisions on the basis or with the hopes of the US market magically opening up in the next few years is just wasting their time and they will likely miss their golden opportunity to make good on that break-out pass.”
