Good points.
The company I work for sells IT services to a few casinos. You would be suprised at the # of IT folks they already have. Security, gaming, and even just running a business have been going towards the need of more technology for a long time even for the B&M. With that said I gurantee many of them do not have the # of developers, Database, and IT security people needed to put a major site up at this time.
I would suspect every large B&M casino has a plan or at least a few ideas for how they would like to get their piece of online gaming once it is cleared out of the legal grey. (I think the CEO of Harrahs did a interview on this last week... did not see the entire thing and may confirm or refute my suspicions...) For some casinos to enter into the market they will as you mentioned form partnerships with existing sites... I think that also many others will buy out an existing company.... and a few casinos will develop and run their own software and site.
I suspect that partnerships or being bought out will be what happens with the big online players once Black Friday is cleared.
Up for sale: FT, PS, AP (either software or company)
Up for partnerships: online companies that left the US Market in 2006-2009
If FullTilt/AP/PS cant be in the US Market with current execuitve team, what is stopping a B&M buying the company, paying off current managment (who cant do business in the US because of legal issues) and bringing the company in under their B&M umbrella?
Once things are legal and the black Friday mess is cleared, we will see things happen. If the big 3 cant get this money laundering thing cleared or find another way into the US Market I think they will be forced to sell thier company/software. If not, they would be doing their company stakeholders, thier customers, and the poker community a disservice.
I agree that we are used to steak dinner. I think once things get cleared and made legal (I am 75% sure this will happen... but still speculation) we will still get steak but it will be salisburry steak or an artifical imitation T-Bone and it will be 2x as expensive.