In the Assembly, though, it was a different story. It came unstuck miserably in the lower house; in fact, it wasn\u2019t even debated, with its sponsor Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-89th) at one point wondering out loud whether poker was a game of skill at all.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nEyebrows were raised and Bonacic declared himself to be \u201cconfused\u201d by Pretlow\u2019s misgivings.<\/p>\n
This year, though, having schlepped across the Hudson for a fact-finding mission in New Jersey, Pretlow has had his concerns laid to rest by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and has declared himself to be fully behind the bill this year.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, it will need to work its way through three Assembly committees before it can go for a vote on the floor, which suggests the odds may be stacked against it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some individuals within the administration that are really opposed to this,\u201d Pretlow announced ominously in February, although he also said he believes he can build the support to get it through.<\/p>\n
Tribal Opposition <\/b><\/h2>\n
Online poker\u2019s chances may have been hindered over the past few years by the fact that the state has legalized commercial casino gaming.<\/p>\n
The mood was that there would be no new gambling expansion at least until the new casinos were up and running. Now that they largely are, online poker\u2019s odds may have improved.<\/p>\n
It will, however, likely face opposition from the state\u2019s tribal casino and the lawmakers who represent them. As the language of the bill stands, it would not limit online poker licensees to land-based casino operators and their partners.<\/p>\n
This is the case in the states that have regulated online gambling elsewhere. Instead, any existing gambling licensees would qualify, such as video lottery gaming operators, for example.<\/p>\n
Tribal operators, already unhappy about the new commercial casinos, will not be pleased.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New York State\u2019s online poker bill sailed through the Senate Finance Committee\u00a0on Tuesday and now heads to the Senate floor for debate, and ultimately, we hope, a vote. Senator John Bonacic\u2019s (R-42nd) bill, S 3898, would legalize online poker as a game of skill, or specifically hold\u2019em and omaha, which are deemed by the senator, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":50088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
New York Online Poker Bill Clears Senate Finance Committee But Tougher Tests Await<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n