Legislators in the state of New York will try again to legalize online casinos. The state already has online sportsbooks.
Assembly Bill A3634 was filed in Albany and states that authorizing online casinos wouldn’t require amending the state constitution.
Both online slots and online table games like blackjack would be allowed.
“The New York state constitution was recently amended and provides ‘casino gambling at no more than seven facilities as authorized and prescribed by the legislature shall hereafter be authorized or allowed within this state.’ It has been, and continues to be, the sense of the legislature that this provision is not contravened by a statute that authorizes the acceptance of a wager by an individual who is betting by virtual or electronic means and the wager is accepted through equipment located within a licensed gaming facility; provided that any such wager meets other safeguards ensuring that the plain text of this provision is honored in such structure.”
The motivation behind the bill is to expand gambling in the Empire State to keep pace with industries in neighboring states.
Both New Jersey and Pennsylvania have online casinos.
“Interactive gaming is now legal online in seven states, including the bordering states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, while it is permitted only in person in New York at four upstate commercial gaming facilities and Native American class III gaming facilities,” the bill stated.
“The legislature hereby finds and declares that an interactive gaming wager that is made through virtual or electronic means from a location within New York state and is transmitted to and accepted by electronic equipment located at a licensed gaming facility, including, without limitation, a computer server located at such licensed gaming facility, is a wager made at such licensed gaming facility, notwithstanding any provisions of the penal law to the contrary.”
In addition to the online casino proposal, there’s a separate measure on the table that would legalize peer-to-peer online poker.
Online sports betting has been booming in New York, with a more than $900-million windfall for state coffers so far.
