As long as the status of online gambling is unclear in the United States, a high-ranking member of the Nevada's Gaming Control Board can't see the state entering the online sector.

Under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, the payment of online gambling transactions through financial institutions, wire transfers and credit cards is illegal but there is confusion to what actually constitutes illegal online gambling—American lawmakers haven't done anything to clarify either.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board's chairman, Dennis Neilander, told the Senate Judiciary Committee that so long as there isn't a definition of illegal online gambling, Nevada isn't likely to enter the online gambling arena reports the Associated Press.

But the UIGEA was passed under the former Bush administration and with a new administration assuming power, there is speculation that president Barack Obama, a poker player, and his government might take a different stance.

"Neilander also said that Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., has proposed a comprehensive study of the issue. Berkley has said the Bush administration embarked on a 'prohibitionist crusade against Internet gaming' that led to the flawed rules being issued 'at the very last minute,'" reported the Associated Press.

The AP went on to say that at least 50 percent of online gambling's total yearly haul of $16 billion comes from the United States despite the legal ambiguity.