The years-long tug of war between gambling fans and foes has been heating up since the U.S. banned online gambling in 2011, but with state debts mounting and legalization on the horizon, the so-called volunteer tax has been looking pretty appetizing. 

While gambling taxes are hardly the cure for state's daunting debt woes, they may provide new sources of revenue needed by the indebted to pay down obligations, help fund state-sponsored projects and spark job creation. 

"The main political motivation for legalization of gambling is tax revenues and employment," said Doug Walker, an economics professor at the College of Charleston. "It is unlikely that online gambling will lead to significant increases in jobs, but generally, more economic activity is better than less."

The gambling sector in the U.S. is highly lucrative, and if individual states start adopting online poker, they may be able to make use of the excess cash.