The Massachusetts gambling bill that would have allowed the prosecution of online poker players has been voted back to a study committee, killing it for at least this year. The Massachusetts Casino Expansion bill would have allowed the state to license three more casinos, but also contained a provision that would punish online poker players and gamblers with fines up to $25,000 and jail time of up to two years.
The vote came after the state’s Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies voted against recommending its passage. Those who spoke at Tuesday’s public hearing on the bill include Harvard Law professor and Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) founder Charles Nesson and Randy Castonguay , the Poker Player Alliance’s (PPA) state representative for Massachusetts.
The PPA and GPSTS teamed up and organized a rally in Boston Commons the morning before the hearing. About 40 people attended. Click here to read about it.
The Massachusetts House of representatives voted 106-48 to send the bill back for more study. The vote came Friday, after a six-hour debate.
