In the latest poker news, the Nevada online poker market will heat up considerably this week when Caesar’s Interactive Entertainment (CIE) launches its World Series of Poker-branded poker site.
Caesar’s entry into the regulated online market should do a lot to either dispel, or prove, doubts about whether Nevada has enough players to support multiple legal poker sites. With only nine million residents to draw from, the Silver State could prove a challenge for operators.
This new entry into the market will launch something of an arms race in Nevada where Ultimate Poker has had free reign for several months. Caesars is looking to distinguish itself from Ultimate by offering Macintosh-compatible software, as well as pushing tie-ins to the Total Rewards Program (along with a poker only rewards program).
In a statement to the press, CIE CEO Mitch Garber pointed out the significance of his company’s entry into the market saying:
I think this is really the beginning of a domino effect, the same way that the state of Nevada started licensed land-based casino gaming and it proliferated across the United States, North America, Australia, Macau and Singapore.
We believe that the digital age is going to repeat that very same pattern, and Nevada will once again play a leadership role.
CIE is partnering with 888 on their Nevada and New Jersey poker products. The launch date is a bit poignant for 888 as it falls nearly seven years to the day of the company’s departure from the United States.