US online poker players may finally have been given a ray of hope this week as it’s been announced the Nevada Gaming Control Board will begin accepting license applications for online poker sites in February 2012. This means that for any online poker site operator who is granted a license they will be allowed to accept US players providing they live in the state of Nevada.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which came into effect in 2006 which still stands today makes it illegal for operators to offer online poker to multiple American states but does allow it within single state boarders. It is then up to the individual US states whether or not they choose to grant any companies the license to do so.

So who will be applying for a license? Well the operators who stand the best chance of being granted a license quickly and without complication will be the existing real world casinos in Nevada and more specifically Las Vegas. Due to the fact they already have gaming license’s with the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, for them it should simply be a case of proving they will be able to stop players living in other US states from using their site and they can keep out players who are under the age of 21. Applications from operators who do not currently hold a Nevada gaming licence may find the process taking a bit longer, so existing online poker sites looking to get back into the American market may have to be patient. However, as long as they can prove they can and will follow the strict regulations they should still have their license granted eventually.

Included in these regulations are:

Players must live in the state of Nevada.

Players must be 21 years of age or older.

Money transfers between players accounts will not be allowed.

Players may only hold one account with any given site.

Now I’m sure there are loads of people reading this now who live in one of the 49 other US states thinking lucky Nevada and why not the whole of the USA. Perhaps some of the really serious players among you may even be thinking about moving to Nevada but hold on, this could be great news for the rest of you too. The way these regulations are being set up, should the law change with regards to multiple state online gaming these Nevada based online poker sites would be ready set up to serve players across the country. Of course with these companies being based in the USA and subject to strict regulations the chances of the laws being changed becomes much greater. This could see Nevada becoming the virtual gaming capitol of America the same way it has in the real world serving players throughout the US.

This process could also be replicated in California where estimates say around 2 million residents used to play online poker. The Californian government also has good reasons to allow this to happen as it would generate much needed jobs and tax revenue for the state.

So there you have it, online poker looks set to return to America in 2012. Shuffle up and deal!