Don’t expect Congress to get its act together on federal poker legislation.

Don’t hold your breathe if you’re waiting for the Federal Government to regulate online gambling. That’s the gist of remarks made by MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren at the Southern Gaming Summit in Biloxi, Mississippi last week.

“It won’t be here likely at a federal level because the federal government is doing what they are best at, nothing at all,” he said in his keynote address. “It will be done at a state-by-state level and (MGM) will be actively engaged.”

Murren pointedly criticized house Republicans for their inaction on Federal poker legislation, “If it isn’t happening, don’t blame Sen. Reid. Blame the House Republicans. That’s where it is being held up.”

A number of states are racing to bring intrastate online poker networks online in the wake of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) reversal on their interpretation of the Federal Wire Act last December. That move wasn’t necessarily as good for big casino companies like MGM Resorts as it might sound.

A patchwork of state-by-state gaming regulations creates major headaches for national firms looking for a piece of the poker pie. Another potential regulatory headache is that many states are likely to limit gaming licenses to companies with a physical presence in their borders.

The good thing is that the DOJ decision in spurring some action, even if it’s only at the state level so far. State action will then push the feds to do something.

Here’s a photo of the new VIP lounge at the new Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland. Bullz-Eye.com has a review of the new Cleveland casino that is located in the heart of downtown. There are plenty of perks for high rollers, so if you’re in Cleveland make sure to check it out!

Game developers like San Francisco Zynga have introduced a new era of social gaming. Social games can be played on PC’s, laptops and mobile devices. People can play online with their Facebook friends and Zynga’s games offer several features not found in more traditional online casino games. The advent of social gaming has forced many gaming companies to join the fray or risk being left behind in a rapidly changing industry. Earlier in the year, an article in the Wall Street Journal said that Zynga is making plans to enter the online gaming industry.

Some gaming companies are planning a foray into Zynga’s turf. The gaming companies have been emboldened by December’s ruling by the Justice Department that indicated that many forms of internet gaming could become legal. Gaming companies have been cautious since last April’s ‘black Friday’ seizures of several top online poker sites. The companies had their assets frozen and several people were indicted on a variety of charges. The December ruling has made gaming companies more confident that full online gambling legalization will take place soon.

One of the companies making the move towards social gaming is Las Vegas based International Game Technology, which just shelled out $500 million to purchase Double Down, a company that developed casino style games for Facebook. Although Double Down’s Facebook games don’t involve any actual gambling they are extremely popular with millions of regular players. The games involve the purchase of ‘virtual currency’ that players can spend playing games or for entertainment purposes.

Patti Hart, the CEO of International Game Technology, says that social gaming for real money is “going to come eventually.” Hart added “Think about how big Zynga Poker would be if it were about money, if you could win a jackpot and win a check.” If states allow social and real money gaming to mix the result could be $30 billion global business next year. Estimates say that social gaming revenues in the United States could reach $4.5 billion.

Even without real money bingo and other gambling games, social gaming is already a big business. It has been estimated that people will spend $2.9 billion on virtual goods in 2012. In 2011 people spent about $2.2 billion on virtual goods. The figures so not include revenues from advertising. IGT is planning to bring the company’s extensive collection of real world games to the Double Down casino. Players can access the games using PC’s, iPhones, iPads or through Facebook.