Optimism on the prospect of online poker legalisation in New York surged over the weekend following a television interview in which key Assembly lawmaker Gary Pretlow spoke encouragingly about the possibilities and revealed that he had filed a legalisation bill, supplementing that filed in the Senate earlier this year by Sen. John Bonacic (see previous reports).
Pretlow, InfoPowa readers may recall, failed to progress a Bonacic proposal through the Assembly last year which had achieved strong support in the state Senate, saying that he wanted to be sure about the efficacy of regulation.
Later reports noted (and he confirmed this in the television interview) that he had visited with the neighbouring New Jersey regulator and is now satisfied that regulation can be practically and efficiently enforced, leading to his support for the concept.
With both Bonacic and Pretlow – influential legislators in New York – behind the project (and the prospect that a new federal administration could prove unpredictable) there is good reason to hope that New York will become the fourth US state to legalise online gambling in some form.
Last year New York accepted daily fantasy sports, indicating a positive mindset among legislators.
Pretlow’s interesting interview with TV host Andrew Whitman, in which he explains the background and his current support, along with revealing that he has filed a bill in the Assembly, can be accessed here:
A few cliff notes on the interview:
* Pretlow now happy with the efficacy of geo-location technology and anti-collusion measures;
* He is keen to get legalisation “done”, implying that he will support passage through the Assembly;
* He is confident that there is enough support in the Assembly for legalisation;
* Bonacic’s S3893 in the Senate and Pretlow’s A5250 in the Assembly are very similar, reducing the possibility of conflict and delays;
* Both define online poker as a game of skill, envisage existing licensees forming appropriate partnerships for online poker firms as is done in New Jersey, and make provision for the issue of 11 online licenses;
* Licence fees of $10 million are planned, deductible against future taxes, which will be levied at 15 percent of GGR;
* Interstate player-pooling agreements are permitted;
* Players will have to be at least 21 years of age;
* Racinos would be included in eligible licensees.
The New York Legislature is scheduled to run through to June 21st this year, giving lawmakers ample time to progress, debate and approve two bills that are essentially the same and are easily combined.
Lawmakers in general already appear to have a positive or at least neutral perspective, although there is some opposition, but the success of the New Jersey online project will probably underscore the positive tax returns achievable, given that the New York population – at 20 million – is more than twice the size of New Jersey.
Observers have noted that given these numbers, and using New Jersey returns as a guide, the New York legalised online poker market could be worth $60 million a year.