New York Lawmakers Against Proposed Federal Online Gaming BanState Wants To Preserve Online Poker Opportunity |
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At around the same time that another online poker bill emerged in the New York legislature, some lawmakers in the Empire State urged the New York congressional delegation to oppose the Sheldon Adelson-backed bill seeking to ban online poker at the federal level.
According to the New York Daily News, a group of Senate Democrats wants Empire State representatives to fight any attempt to “restore” the 1961 Wire Act which would prevent states from regulating online games.
The bill, dubbed “RAWA”, “usurps New York’s ability to determine for itself what forms of gambling are authorized within the state, a right which New York and every other state has historically exercised,” the letter to the delegation said.
New York’s lottery currently offers gambling via the Internet.
The New York online poker bill is being pushed by Sen. John Bonacic, a Republican.
According to the report, the fact that some Democrats in New York’s legislature want RAWA dead doesn’t necessarily mean they yet want online poker legal and regulated in the state. New York is currently overseeing the construction of up to four new brick-and-mortar casinos within its borders, so regulated online gaming is probably not coming for some time.
An analysis commissioned last year by MGM Resorts International estimated that New York residents spend as much as $110 million on offshore online poker sites. The study also estimated that New York could see $50 million to $80 million in annual taxes by making New York-licensed intrastate online poker sites available. New York has 19.75 million people.
Like New York, Pennsylvania is thinking about regulating online poker and has made it clear that it wants the Adelson-backed proposal on Capitol Hill defeated.
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