According to some analysts, the legalized online poker market in the United States will see a massive growth next year.
The legalization process of US online poker is going much slower then expected, currently there are only three states, Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey where the game is legal. In 2014 many industry experts expected that by 2016 there will be at least 12 states where the game is legal, but 19-20 was also mentioned as a possibility.
The expectations have gone down for 2017 but most analysts still think the market will at least double next year.
States that are expected to legalize in 2017:
Pennsylvania: In Pennsylvania regulators are already working on the creation of a legalized market, they will go before the state Senate in the fall of 2016 to discuss the issue. If Pennsylvania legalizes the game, that could have a big impact on other states that are looking to legalize.
New York: In the beginning of 2016 the legalization bill proposal was accepted already, but the state Senate didn't let it through. With a few changes to the bill, there is a good chance that legalization will happen in 2017.
California: This state is kind of independent in creating laws, they are not very dependent on other states showing an example. If local political forces can come to an agreement, legalization is not far away, but it's hard to be certain about the process in this state.
Michigan: Mike Kowall senator has claimed that after the November elections the legalization proposal will most likely be approved. Due to the elections, the timeframe to creat news laws and bills will be longer, so there will be plenty of time to discuss this issue. If it is not approved in 2016, there is a good chance it will be in 2017.
Parts of New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island): Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island are in a big race in the live casino business, so if one of the states decides to legalize, that could be a big blow to their competitors. If one of the states succeeds in legalization, the other two are very likely to follow. They are also affected by neighboring New York, if one of the four states decides to legalize, that will pretty much force the others to act also, so there is a good chance that there will be legal poker in these states in 2017.
In addition to these states, Illinois and Ohio are also working on legislation, but these states still have a long process to complete, so it is unlikely that they will open a legalized market in 2017.
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