Opposition to NJ Online Poker Legislation Presents New Hurdles
Written by Matt W | Sunday, June 20th, 2010
Just as it seems that New Jersey would become the first state to introduce a legalized intrastate online poker industry, another hurdle comes along and threatens to derail these plans. Last week, it was reported that the New Jersey Casino Association, which represents the 11 casinos in Atlantic City, opposes upcoming bills in the legislature that would bring about a referendum on allowing sports betting and online poker and gambling in land-based casinos.
The Association said in a statement that it opposes the referendum, as a positive outcome would mean that the introduction of intrastate gambling could violate federal bans.
“As the industry seeks to work with government to revitalize the economic engine that the Atlantic City casinos bring to the state of New Jersey, the last thing that the state needs at this time is to undermine the destination resort model by expanding gambling to other parts of the state,” wrote Joe Corbo, president of the Casino Association.
This new hurdle means that a review of the referendum has been delayed in the Assembly, and there are fears that this delay could impact the chances of its passage.
Those who support the bill believe that federal laws of gambling allow for states to offer online poker and gambling within their own borders (ie. intrastate gambling), and introducing a framework that would allow New Jersey citizens to gambling within their own state borders does not counter federal legislation.
US states are running a race with each other to become the first the offer online gambling, if only on an intrastate level for now. None are blind to the fact that the US will not be able to follow its Prohibition policy on internet poker and gambling for long, and simply want to be at the forefront when changes begin to happen.
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· Written by Matt W · Filed Under Poker Gossip · Comments Off
