In a move that mirrors the recent partnership news between Wynn Resorts and Poker Stars, the company that owns Station Casino, Fertitta Interactive, has just joined forces with Full Tilt Poker.
Casinos and poker sites are teaming up in order to battle the U.S. federal governments Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).
For example, the brothers Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta who own the company behind Station Casino called Fertitta Interactive have just signed into a partnership agreement with the folks at Full Tilt Poker to do their part to help make online casino and online poker in the United States legal once again.
Far from the first salvo in this battle, most recently Wynn Resorts signed a similar partnership deal with Poker Stars, one of FullTilt’s biggest competitors. And while the Wynn Resorts / Poker Stars and Station Casino / Full Tilt Poker joint ventures will undoubtedly be fierce competitors doing business against one another, they also share a common vision and purpose, that being to allow U.S. players to legally gamble with real money at their sites.
The UIGEA was passed by the U.S. federal government in 2006, specifically making it illegal for payment processors to process payments between U.S. residents and offshore gambling organizations. As neither Wynn Resorts nor Fertitta Interactive are located offshore, these new ventures serve to muddy the waters in that prohibition pool.
In the meantime, until such legislation comes about as allows them to serve U.S. players legally, Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars will still enjoy the publicity that comes with now being exposed to their player base of two of the countries legitimate and well-respected gaming establishments.