What may well prove to be positive news on internet poker legalisation in the state of New York emerged this week when it was revealed that the regulation of online poker envisaged in Senator John Bonacic’s S5302B measure (see previous report) has been included in the state’s $154 billion budget plan – still being negotiated despite the fiscal year starting in April.
The Bonacic bill has already survived a Senate committee vote in February, and in Senate Resolution R4330 its language was advanced to the budget bill. Bonacic has proposed steep multi-million dollar licensing fees, but the principal advantage could be the acceptance of online poker by lawmakers.
John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance commented this week that the developments are positive, but cautioned that it was too early to be certain of the outcome, and there have been previous disappointments. He urged PPA members to communicate with their political representatives, saying that there was currently more support for iPoker legalisation among both industry and political parties.