Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey are the only three states in American to have legalized online poker. New Jersey was the last state to approve online poker in 2013 and since there more than 10 states have taken steps to pass online gambling legislation but so far none of them have succeeded. Some of the states that have pushed for the legalization of online gambling in recent years include New York, California, Pennsylvania and Hawaii.

Legislators Struggle To Push Bill Through

Gaming analysts have kept a close watch on California and Pennsylvania as many expected one of these two states to become the fourth state in America to legalize online poker. One of the reasons for their optimism over Pennsylvania was because the state cleared a 2016 budget which showed $100 million being generated from the online gambling industry. However legislature did not clear the bill as there were issues concerning video gaming machines.

Many believed that legislators in Pennsylvania would be able to work out a solution with opponents of the online gambling industry and come up with an amendment that was mutually beneficial to both parties. Gaming analysts suggested that a legalized online gambling industry in the state could generate as much as $350 million in revenue by 2022.

Gaming legislators did make amendments to the online gambling bill in 2017 which saw a reduction in the number of video gaming machines. They also reported in the budget that $250 million would be generated from the online gambling industry but it still wasn’t enough to convince opponents and get a majority vote.

The proposed amendments were once again opposed and the ongoing battle over the legalization of online gambling in the state frustrated Gov. Tom Wolf. The Governor decided to take the money required for the budget from liquor profits in the state and it is now highly unlikely that an online poker bill will be approved in 2017.

Poker Players Will Have To Wait Till 2018

Legislators in Pennsylvania will have to once again start their campaign to legalize online gambling in 2018. They will definitely use New Jersey’s stats to highlight their case. The online gambling industry in the Garden State generated more than $100 million for the state coffers in 2017 and has helped boost Atlantic City’s stagnated land based casino industry.

The Poker Player’s Alliance (PPA) has been one of the biggest proponents for legalizing online gambling in America. The PPA has thrown their support behind legislators in Pennsylvania who are in favor of legalizing online gambling. They have pointed out that poker players in Pennsylvania are forced to access illegal gambling websites and subject themselves to risk as they can be exploited by unscrupulous operators and be manipulated as there is no recourse since online gambling is illegal.

Both Pennsylvania and California have failed to legalize online gambling in 2017 but legislators in favor of online gambling have promised to continue their campaign next year.

Tags: California, Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, Online Gambling, Online Poker, Pennsylvania

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 8th, 2017 at 8:27 am and is filed under Poker Industry News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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