No Online Gambling For New York This Year
Published June 27, 2017 by Elana K
The New York State Assembly adjourned last Wednesday, and with its closing, the doors for legalizing online gambling in 2017 were closed as well.
The New York State Assembly adjourned last Wednesday, and with its closing, the doors for legalizing online gambling in 2017 were closed as well. The champions behind New York’s online gambling initiative, State Sen. John Bonacic and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, said that they will renew their efforts to legalize online gambling in New York in 2018 - but that is a long while away.
A Close Call
New York had come closer than ever to legalizing online gambling. Senate Bill 3898, which would have legalized and regulated online poker in the state, had already been approved by the state Senate earlier this year. It had also been approved by the Assembly Racing, Wagering and Gaming Committee by a 10-1 vote - the problem, for the second year in a row, was the inaction of the Assembly. It simply didn’t address the bill before its session ended on June 21.
Bad Actors Still Causing Problems
One of the main obstacles toward getting the bill passed was the “bad actors” clause, which refers to companies that continued to operate even once the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 prohibited it.
Room For Optimism
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the main lobbying group for online gambling, expressed optimism despite the setback. In a social media post, they wrote, “This year the bill not only easily passed the Senate, but also for the first time ever an iPoker bill passed an Assembly committee. This is progress.”
What Next?
Pennsylvania and Illinois are now in a tight race for the title of Fourth State to legalize online gambling. Right now only three states have legalized it - Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware. Both Pennsylvania and Illinois must make a decision by the end of the month. It will be interesting to see if either one of them takes the plunge.
