Posted on Monday, 25th January 2010 by admin
While the politicians in Washington scramble to deal with the potential legalization and regulation of online gambling in the US, at least two states are trying to make their own attempts at allowing online customers to play their games – and, consequently, boost their tax revenues.
California is exploring the option of allowing intrastate online gaming sponsored by Native American tribal casinos, while New Jersey is considering a similar measure to breathe life into its horse racing industry.
Robert Martin, chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and one of the officials at the Morongo Casino Resort in Southern California, spoke to a group of other Native American tribes that operate casinos about proposed legislation that would allow residents of the Golden State to play online casino games, including online poker, safely and legally. Mr. Martin also testified before Congress in support of the bill proposed by Representative Barney Frank regarding federal regulation of online poker.
Mr. Martin and his tribe have joined forces with many of the major California cardrooms, including the Bicycle Club in Gardena, the Commerce Casino in Commerce, and Hollywood Park in Inglewood, to support legislation that would open up internet gaming sites for Californians. In his speech, he compared the fate of the casino business to that of the newspaper and recording industries: overwhelmed by new technology with which it could not keep up.
On the other side of the country, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak introduced a bill that would legalize many popular casino games for online play, including poker, blackjack and slot machines. The bill states that the online servers would only be housed in Atlantic County and that the software would contain protection against identity theft, money laundering and underage gambling.
Joe Brennan, chairman of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association, a leader in the online gambling industry, has voiced his support of Senator Lesniak’s bill. He also state that the structure of this regulation could lead to other states adapting New Jersey’s model and instituting their own intrastate online gaming laws.
Tags: gambling, poker
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