Harrah’s, the Las Vegas gaming group that owns Caesars Palace is to install Mitch Garber, a former chief executive of Party Gaming, as the head of a new company formed to house its internet operations and the popular World Series of Poker.

The gaming giant is spinning these businesses out into a newly-created entity. The move is likely to fuel speculation over the possibility of Harrah’s making acquisitions in the online-gaming sector.

Many observers think it is simply a matter of time before online gambling is legalised in America.