Nevada opens door of online gambling with poker launch

Nevada will lead the nation into the world of legal, real-money Internet gambling with the launch of a Las Vegas-based online poker site.

UltimatePoker.com will deal the first hand at noon ET to in-state gamblers in what its operators, as well as industry observers, see as a watershed moment for gaming. "This is, for Nevada, a new day," said Reno gaming analyst Ken Adams. "There's been a huge amount of speculation on what online gaming means. Estimates in New Jersey run from $20 (million) to $30 million to $2 (billion) to $3 billion. The only way to find out is when it starts. Up to now, we've been talking in theories. Now we'll get a peek at reality." Ultimate Poker is a subsidiary of Station Casinos LLC of Las Vegas, which operates 16 locals-oriented casinos throughout Southern Nevada and touts itself as the nation's first provider of legal, secure online poker.

Online poker will be available 24/7, but there are restrictions. Players must be at least 21 years old and physically within the state's boundaries to play, two rules which Breitling is confident his company's "complicated and sophisticated" software can police. And so far, only online poker will be played — with bets as little as a penny — on personal computers from accounts funded by MasterCard, checks, wire transfers or person-to-person at any Station casino.