The State Government Committee in Iowa voted in favor of legalizing and regulating intrastate online poker in the state. Wednesday’s vote was 9-6 and will advance to the full Senate floor. The positive steps came on the eve of New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie vetoing a bill that would have made his state the first in the country to allow online gambling.
Iowa’s 1165 will allow the state’s racing and gaming commission to license and regulate online poker “hub” operators. These operators would need to pay $3 million upfront, credited against future taxes, and based on revenues. Only residents of Iowa will be allowed to play at online poker sites and certain player protection mechanisms would need to be set in place.
In the meantime, Governor Christie’s decision to delay New Jersey’s online gambling efforts for now was greeted by disappointment by proponents of the bill. However, they were left with a slither of optimism after Christie said that although he vetoed the bill, he still suggested that efforts could be made to revive the bill by asking voters to approve online gambling through a referendum.
“The expansion of gambling in New Jersey has been slow and cautious,” he said in his message. “If the Legislature believes that expanding gambling outside of Atlantic City is in the best interests of the State of New Jersey, it should place the question on the ballot for voters to decide.”
Christie said that one of his misgivings about the bill was that revenue would go towards supporting New Jersey’s horse racing industry. The governor wants to remove the industry off state subsidies and feels that the online gambling bill would be taking his efforts backwards.
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