New Jersey State Senator Introduces Online Poker BillLegislation Would Allow Atlantic City Casinos to Offer Online Gambling |
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While supporters of intrastate online poker in California are still trying to secure a legislator to sponsor their bill, a New Jersey state senator has introduced a bill in the Garden State that would grant licenses to Atlantic City casinos for online gambling.
“There are probably 500,000 online poker players in New Jersey alone,” said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), the sponsor of the new bill, “and we’re missing out on around $100 million in revenue.”
The introduction of the bill — one of the first in the country to explicitly legalize and regulate online poker and other forms of Internet gambling within the boundaries of a single state — comes the same month as reports that New Jersey casinos had suffered their worst year since 1997. The gaming industry raised $3.9 billion in 2009, a 13.2 percent decline from 2008.
What is especially troubling for New Jersey casinos is that the situation doesn’t look like it will get better anytime soon without some major changes, especially with the new gambling laws that are being discussed and implemented in nearby states.
Neighboring Pennsylvania passed legislation earlier this month that legalized table games, including poker, in the state’s casinos. Those games are expected to be up and running by summertime. Last week, the Delaware House easily passed a bill to legalize table games by a 27-5 vote. The governor of the state has said that if the state senate passes the bill, he will sign it into law. Delaware is a drive of less than 90 minutes from Atlantic City.
“[Legalizing online intrastate gambling] would be a big boost to the casino industry in Atlantic City,” Lesniak told the Press of Atlantic City Media Group. “It’s a bold move, and in this economy we need bold moves.”
Lesniak’s bill would allow New Jersey residents to gamble online — and not just at poker. Online blackjack and baccarat would also be explicitly legal, and all casino revenue from the new games would be taxed at 20 percent — 12 percent higher than the top tax rate of any current casino. The state senator has introduced a separate bill to legalize sports betting in New Jersey, both in casinos and online.
Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan, Jr. has spoken out in favor of the bill, and he says that poker players in New Jersey would still be able to play at their favorite current poker sites. iMEGA said in a press release that it worked with New Jersey legislators on the new bill.
“We’re happy that New Jersey has taken this issue into their own hands,” said Brennan. “New Jersey is recognized as having the toughest gaming regulators in the U.S., but as a leading gaming state with a long track record of doing things the right way, Internet gambling will have a great home here and the opportunity to begin normalizing the industry.”
Brennan believes state action on this issue could prompt the Federal government to move at a quicker pace, saying that current federal efforts had “stalled in Washington, D.C.”
The Poker Players Alliance has not yet taken a stand on the bill, but PPA Executive Director John Pappas did say that the organization was “very intrigued” by the legislation. In a recent interview, however, Pappas said he didn’t know if New Jersey players would still be able on current poker sites if the bill became law.
Card Player called Lesniak’s New Jersey office last week for clarification on the bill. However, that call has not yet been returned.
Comments
bmpek
6 months ago
a tax of two hundred per player good luck collecting that or getting anyone to play on a small site
djbrit2002
6 months ago
ban internet poker already!!! its the devil and crooked!!!
whitemaw
6 months ago
first of all, legalized sports betting will never be in this state, there are too many things that prohibit it from years back, even if it was the revenue from it is not enough to save the state and the people would still use the books instead
second who would actually want to risk their roll on on-line blackjack, i can have a pit boss at the borgata kick me in the balls and just take my money if i want
kochujang
6 months ago
Sen Lesniak estimates about 500k online poker players in NJ alone? what is he smoking? prob not even 20% of that number ... which brings into question all/any of his other estimates ...
problempoker
5 months ago
Ethel, LLC, the owner of ProblemPoker.com, a website that helps those affected with online gambling addiction comments on California’s proposed Intrastate Gambling Bill. ProblemPoker.com has been successfully providing their Gambling Addiction help services since early 2006, and California’s consideration of legalizing online gambling causes some concern.
Two major safeguard that are known to prevent individuals from gambling online is the legality of gambling online, and the concern of Internet scam websites that could essentially steal money from an individual’s account. These concerns have been reinforced through Ethel, LLC’s many interactions with gambling addicts and during numerous corporate visits to various gambling addiction wellness centers throughout the country. It is the opinion of Kevin Jones, Director of Marketing, “…if the state decides to legalize online gambling, gambling reduction software like ours should have a presence in order to blunt the negative social concerns that such legalization would cause.”
Ethel, LLC does not take a position on legality of gambling. Nevertheless, the Company believes that support services and State funding must be provided to treat the thousands of individuals adversely affected by gambling.