If you live in the United States, and enjoy social or pay for play gambling online, you probably know that Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware have all legalized some form of online gambling. Nevada made history as the first state to legalize online gambling in the form of poker after the United States Department of Justice allowed each state to individually legalize or outlaw online gambling in late 2011. The Silver State is prepared to make history once again, as they most likely will be the first state in the US to actually deal the first virtual hand of online poker since that landmark DOJ decision and online gambling legalization in that state.

And with social networking companies like Zynga and Facebook already offering pay for play online gambling in other countries, those online social gaming veterans and others are beginning to develop partnerships with land-based casinos in Nevada. There is no dispute that online gambling in America is a multibillion dollar market currently, and it only stands to grow with legalization. And finally, almost 17 months after the DOJ passed the online gambling buck to the state level, 888 Holdings stands poised to have its name notched in history books as the first company to actually deal an online poker hand under the new legislation.

888 Holdings operates multiple high-profile gambling websites, and is one of the most popular and pervasive online gambling providers in the world. Founded in 1997, they have more than a decade of experience in every aspect of online gaming. In other countries, many of the sites they manage are pay for play sites. It is only logical then that physical casinos enter into strategic partnerships with companies like 888, since the Nevada law demands that any firm offering online poker to its citizens must physically operate inside the state boundaries.

The UK company last week stated that they will be ready to swing wide their virtual doors as soon as May of this year, and it is already prepared to deliver its online offerings in established casinos like Treasure Island and Caesars. While online poker in Nevada will probably not explode overnight after 888 and their land-based casino partners began offering Texas Hold ‘Em and other online poker games, the historical delivery solidly puts Nevada at the forefront of this multibillion dollar industry as a leader and innovator. Other states will no doubt turn to Nevada for guidance when they legalize online poker and other forms of gambling in the future, and revenue in the form of licensing and management opportunities will also benefit that state.

With a population of less than 3 million in Nevada, the true cash cow for that state will arrive in the form of interstate compacts. Earlier this year Nevada passed their second piece of online gambling legislation, this one legalizing interstate agreements with other US states that also legalize online gambling. For Nevada legislators the first virtual online poker hand cannot arrive soon enough. Millions of dollars in revenue from licensing and regulation of online poker has already arrived in The Silver State, and lawmakers in that state are anxious to ensure they are the first to return online gambling to the US after it was chased out in 2006.