Las Vegas Nevada is the first US state to legalize online gaming since the United States Department of Justice passed that responsibility onto the individual states. The first wave of Internet gaming licenses should be issued within the next 30 days, as the Nevada Gaming Control Board has already been accepting applications. At least one online gaming entity is getting prepared to cash in as soon as the Silverton Casino Hotel purchases an Internet gaming license.

Online poker in the Silver State keeps getting closer and closer to becoming a reality. The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in December of last year flip-flopped, and decided that running an online gaming entity in the United States would not be deemed illegal as far as two conditions were met. First, licensing, regulating and policing would be governed on the state level, not federal. And secondly, no sporting contests could be offered for online wagering. Nevada quickly moved forward in became the first of the fifty United States to pass legalized online poker legislation, and just recently the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) gave their second recommendation to the Nevada Gaming Commission (NGC) for a potential license holder.

Multitalented Actor James Woods has a lot to say about online poker in America. Arguably one of the smartest men in Hollywood, he has frequently scored at or above genius level in multiple IQ tests. Very eloquent and always presenting both sides of an argument, he was recently interviewed by Matthew Showell of PokerListings.com. First interviewed by the website in 2006, he was caught signing up for his second event of the 2012 World Series of Poker recently, and chimed in on where online poker has been and where it’s heading. Each was very supportive of legalized online poker in the United States back in 2006, and his attitude has only galvanized since then.

The White House receives tens of thousands of letters every year requesting a response and support of one kind or another. Such was the case several weeks ago when a petition was sent to the White House that was signed by US online poker players begging the current administration to offer their support in favor of legalized online poker play in the US. The petition was entitled “We the People”, and basically demanded changes in the current federal legislation which make it incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for the millions of Americans who love playing online poker to play their favorite game.

While most of us will make more than $1 million in our lifetime, very few of us will make that much in a single poker tournament. Blair Hinkle is an online poker professional who won more than $1 million a couple of months before last year’s April 15, Black Friday here in the United States changed the face of the online poker world forever. Hinkle finished second in the Main event of FTOPS XIX, taking down a cool $1,162,949.75 in prize money. He had no way of knowing that his hard work and smart online play was all for nothing, and that his second place winnings may as well have been worthless Monopoly money.