Poker Trend Watch managed to get an interview with Nevada Poker League owner Sissy Murphy, who’d know better than her what happens in Nevada right now? The NPL is a free to play poker league operating in Las Vegas, a great way to play your first poker tournament, learn the game pkv poker or just have fun and meet some new friends.

Do you think there will actually be legal online poker sites in Nevada next year?

I do believe that there will be legal poker sites operating here in Nevada in the very near future and these sites will only happen if the major casinos that are located here are running them. I say this because in Nevada the state legislators move in unison with the casinos best interest in mind. Some casinos here in Las Vegas have already positioned themselves to be at the top of the food chain when the federal government gives the states the go ahead on this. An example is South Point Casino who already has a Poker Online site up and running as a free subscription web site that awards over $100,000 in cash and prizes a month. Simply fill out an application be accepted and you are off and running. This business model will make for a smooth transition once it becomes legal. They will already have a solid database of poker customers who they will slide over to real cash buy ins once it becomes legal. We might have to wait until after the elections in November, as this is a very hot topic with opinions on both sides of the fence and no party wants to upset the apple cart of the uncommitted voters.

The subscription model was first introduced shortly after the ULIGA was passed back in 2007 when Club UBT was the first of its kind. Members paid $19.95 per month and were able to play unlimited poker and blackjack tournaments and compete to win over $100.000 per month. Club WPT bought out club UBT, which as of today is still a working web site here in the states.

With legal poker online, what would happen with the offline poker?

Legal offline poker will still flourish as it was before this all came crashing down. The casinos web sites will not only provide additional revenues for the parent company. It will also feed the brick and mortar poker rooms and the frenzy to win a $10,000 WSOP Main Event seat will return to the masses that cannot or will not risk $10,000 in hard cash to play the Grand Daddy of all poker tournaments.

Are you looking forward to the new regulations?

As the owner of the Nevada Poker League, I will always welcome any thing that helps in developing poker players and my company offers completely FREE poker tournament here in Las Vegas. There is never a buy in for the players. So with that being said we do attract a lot of new players, many who have never stepped inside of a poker room here in Las Vegas and we offer them a place that provides them a safe environment to play poker without risking any money. The NPL provides this risk free poker, and we award over $50,000 a year in cash and prizes including a buy-in into the $10,000 Main Event seat at the WSOP. Many of our players over the last 4 years who had never played before in a live casino have gone on to win multiple poker tournaments here in Las Vegas. We even have had NPL player’s cash in WSOP events. The new regulations will just provide my company with a completely new stream of players looking to hone their skills without losing the rent money, On top of all of this playing against live faces and socially interacting is something that online poker will never be able to provide. The NPL has that ability to provide this to our clients so we welcome this pending approval.

Do you think Nevada will be a start and that the rest of the country will follow?

Nevada will most likely be the first with the State of California right behind them as there are already many legal poker rooms in California. Nevada will have a leg up on the rest of the states as they already have the knowledge and facilities to get out of the gate first and fast.

Gambling generates an income of $1 billion every year with increased people registering online. It serves as the means of entertainment for people and should be kept within limit as it should not turn into an addiction. In the long run it is harmful for the person as well as his family to cultivate an addiction.