PokerWorks

It seems that California isn’t the only state considering intrastate online poker in the state legislature. A bill has been introduced to the New Jersey legislature as well, which proposes to examine the topic of online poker and casino games on an intrastate basis.

California has been struggling with the issue since a bill was first introduced in 2008, but its reintroduction in 2010 shows that the casinos and Indian tribes of the state are finally prepared to consider its billion-dollar-per-year revenue that could come from the 300 to 400 entities that could also benefit from the intrastate online poker business. But as states like California come to grips with their desperate need for revenue in these tough economic times, the option becomes more plausible.

Enter New Jersey. Only days after the legislature returned from the holiday recess and started the new year, State Senator Raymond Lesniak introduced S.B. 490, which hopes to bring state-level poker and casino games to the residents of the state through intrastate online websites that operate via the Atlantic City casinos, as those are the only entities to be eligible for licenses. The industry would be regulated by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, which handles A.C. casinos presently.

Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association Chairman Joe Brennan commented, “We’re happy that New Jersey has taken this issue into their own hands. New Jersey is recognized as having the toughest gaming regulators in the US, but as a leading gaming state with a long track record of doing things the right way, Internet gambling will have a great home here and the opportunity to begin normalizing the industry.”