Casino Guardian has already reported the state of New York as one of the US states that has put implementation of online poker legislation among its top goals. The state has taken the first step forward by unanimously passing a piece of online poker legislation out of a Senate committee.
The piece of legislation is called S3898 and was backed by Senator John Bonacic, who has previously revealed his hopes for the bill progressing further, after it failed to complete the procedure last year and said he plans to make online poker one of the hottest topics in the state of New York in 2017. A few days ago, the online poker bill was considered by the Senate Racing, Wagering and Gaming Committee.
Previous versions of the new S3898 has already been presented in the 2013/2014 and 2015/2016 legislative sessions.
In addition, as Casino Guardian has already reported, the bill is the same as the A5250, sponsored by Assemblyman Gary Pretlow last week. The Bill is aimed at constituting certain interactive poker games as games of skill rather than games of luck, which would allow the piece of legislation go round the State’s official legislative prohibition. What is more, the bill includes definitions, minimum standards, authorisation and required safeguards. State tax implications and corresponding penalties are also included in the S3898.
As already mentioned, this is not the first time when online poker legislation is put on the agenda of the state. Last year, the New York Senate saw a lot of action in terms of online poker. It was Senator John Bonacic who introduced the bill and managed to get the approval of the Senate. However, it was the Assembly which became the the grand obstacle for legislation, considering the fact that the identical bill proposed by Pretlow saw no action.
With Governor Andrew Cuomo revealing his proposal for the next budget of state of New York, online poker has great chances to be included in the budget bill, especially with Bonacic indiating that he will make everything possible in order to make that happen. The state is facing a massive deficit of about $3.5 billion, which could be offset by making online poker legal thanks to the licensing fees and taxes that would be imposed on gambling operators.
- Author
Daniel Williams
