Will Online Poker Return to the US in 2012?

Online poker regulation has been hot talk in the US for several years now, with both 2010 and 2011 seeing significant pushes for various state and federal bills. Obviously that time has come and gone, yet online poker still remains in a legal limbo in the states.

The natural question many are now asking, then, is whether or not 2012 will be the year online poker is regulated in the United States. There are good arguments on both sides; the purpose of this article is to discuss a couple of potential avenues the bill might take into law.

Payroll tax law
There was a bit of speculation that Reid had reached a deal to include online poker in the payroll tax bill with the GOP, but that speculation was quickly shot down by a few parties. None of those parties were Harry Reid, however, so it's difficult to dismiss the prospect entirely.

It may be the case that no one is willing to play politics with the payroll tax bill – too high profile perhaps – or it may be the case that the law provides the perfect must-pass vehicle that will no doubt have several other riders and amendments that poker could be buried beneath.

Lame duck session
The next good chance for online poker should it not be included in the payroll tax mix is the upcoming lame duck session that will follow the 2012 elections but precede the entrance of those newly elected. Lame duck sessions are notorious for being periods when nearly anything is possible, but online poker has failed to gain traction in past sessions – most notably 2010 – so this year might not be any different.

Future is unclear
Is it a cop out of a conclusion? Perhaps, but it's honest. The world of real money poker regulation in the US has been murky for some time now, and that's not a situation that tends to clear up overnight.