Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Nevada counterpart Governor Brian Sandoval signed a multistate internet poker cooperative agreement today (Tuesday) in Wilmington, Delaware that will allow residents of both states to play across state lines.
“We’re standing in a moment of history today. We hope (the deal) will serve as a model for multistate collaboration and that other states will see the benefits of the agreement and soon decide to join for themselves,” Sandoval said at a joint press conference.
The aim of the cooperation is to increase liquidity in the game by growing the pool of players which would in turn increase revenue for the states.
“I see this as an opportunity for the states to show leadership, and it’s good for gaming, it’s good for business, and it’s good for the economies of our two states,” said Sandoval.
Players from Nevada and Delaware will login as usual but will soon be able to play against each other at the same tables, while regulations of play in the player’s home state would still apply.
“We are two small states – but we’re two proud states and we can set a shining example of how to do this,” Sandoval said. “The whole point of this is to have more players and to set this example, so that other states will see there’s a great opportunity to join this agreement.”
The states foresee a split in revenue based on which state a player hails from.
“More states mean more players, which means more revenue for participating states,” Markell added. “That’s why we wanted this agreement to be able to expand.”
Neither statesmen could predict when the multistate tables would go live but said it was up to the providers to decide whether they wanted to be a part of the development.
A set of minimum regulatory standards is set out in the agreement for any states wanting to participate in the initiative which is overseen by an association with one representative from each state on the governing board. Participating state representatives would have to consent to changes such as allowing a third state to join.
“This agreement strikes the necessary balance between reasonable regulation and state sovereignty,” Sandoval said. “… We hope it will serve as a model for multistate collaboration.”