Is US online poker on the way back?

01.12.2009 | 12:11 am | Poker

As Barack Obama awaits his inauguration as the next US president on 20 January there are many in the poker industry and poker community around the world who are looking to America’s first black president to bail out the online poker and online casino industry. It is known that Obama is a keen poker player and many are holding out hope that he will use his knowledge and close association with the game to make moves to lift the online ban. While suggestions were made during the presidential elections with regard to the possible lifting of the ban, the situation has gone very quiet of late.

A lifting of the ban could offer a very useful fillip to the US economy and inject a feelgood factor to US online poker and online casino players. While the issue of taxing online gambling sites has yet to be resolved there is speculation that the US government is looking to play a central role in the worldwide online gambling market and put itself forward as a tax base for the future. However, countries such as the UK also appear to be pushing themselves forward and the EU commission is not far behind having spotted the massive potential for tax income.

Many people believe that the ongoing threat that gambling companies could jump ship to other overseas countries will see the US authorities reverse their ban in the short to medium term. The immediate future is totally dominated by the falling US economy and it is unlikely that we will see any changes to the poker industry in the short term. Hopes of change are probably on a more short to medium term basis but nobody quite knows what to expect from Barack Obama when he finally steps into office.