- Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bill News
- Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bills
- Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bill Payment
- Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bill Update
You can’t fault New York Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow for a lack of persistence. The biggest champion of online poker in that chamber of the state legislature has once again introduced a bill to legalize internet poker in the Empire State.
Online poker has had some success in Albany, though it has obviously never been legalized and regulated. In both 2016 and 2017, an online poker bill passed the Senate easily and one made it through the Senate Gaming Committee last year, but even when they cleared the full Senate, nothing ever got done in the Assembly.
A second bill looking to legalize online poker in the state of New York was introduced late last week. The new bill A4924 was introduced in the New York House of Assembly by assemblyman, and Chair.
Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bill News
- Online poker is once again on the table in the New York state legislature, as a bill has been introduced that would legalize and regulate the pastime. Senate Bill 18, sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo (D – 15th District), would only legalize online poker, not online casino games, which have been more profitable in other The post Online Poker Bill Introduced in New York Senate appeared.
- Pretlow’s proposal matches up with an online poker bill introduced in the New York Senate last month by Sen. Joseph Addabbo. The Senate has twice mustered up enough aye votes to advance online poker regulation in past years, but lackadaisical interest in the Assembly stopped any further advancement.
Pretlow has been the one to introduce bills in the Assembly and has done so several times. He has also been unafraid to back off of his own bills if he becomes unsure that all of the bases are covered. While a lot of us would like him to just jam legislation through, due diligence is the proper way to go. In 2016, for example, he delayed his bill because he developed doubts about the ability of online poker rooms to curb cheating and be sure customers were playing from within state borders. He ended up going to New Jersey to meet with the Garden State’s Attorney General to learn about the technology used in its gaming industry. He took it all in and felt confident that said technologies worked, so he ramped things up with his bill again.
“When I do sign off on something,” he said in an interview with FIOS1 News at the time, “my colleagues feel that it is a good deal and they don’t question why I made a certain decision. They know that if that decision was made, it’s for good reason. So I don’t really see there’s going to be much opposition to moving this along.”
Of course, there was opposition, or at least little action for the bill, but his point still remains.
Pretlow’s current bill is essentially the same as his last one. Rather than making online poker specifically legal, it would classify it as a game of skill, which, in turn, makes the game “not gambling” and therefore legal. The bill doesn’t go through every little detail of regulation, but instead authorizes the creation of regulations, the granting of licenses, and the collecting of gaming taxes. The nitty-gritty would be penned later.
Though Pretlow has not had success getting a heck of a lot of movement on his previous online poker bills, that he is introducing another is a good sign. In December, he said that he would prioritize sports betting over poker if it came down to a choice between the two, simply because the sports betting returns in other states have already dominated those of poker.
Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bills
“Online poker, I think the revenue for the state is projected at $20-25 million, while this is $150 million minimum,” Pretlow told Online Poker Report. “I have a much better argument for sports betting.”
Pretlow seems more than happy to get both online poker and sports betting legalized, but he wants them done their own terms; he will not package poker with a sports betting bill.
POKERBY ON February 13, 2019
A quick summary of progress of online poker bills in New York and Kentucky, and an online casino bill in West Virginia.
Providing updates on the progress of online poker in the United States of America makes me want to put myself up for adoption. Sometimes, you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, so with likely close to zero chance of any more states giving online poker the green light in the foreseeable future, here goes.
Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bill Payment
We begin in New York, and Flushdraw’s Haley Hintze has pointed out that New York State Assembly member, Gary Pretlow, has tabled a new online poker bill (A4924). Using the word ‘new’ is overreaching after Hintze mentions that it’s the same bill that failed to make traction the last time Pretlow submitted it.
The New York Committee on Racing and Wagering has given the bill the thumbs up, but Pretlow is the chairman of that committee. The modus operandi is the same with Pretlow’s paperwork trying to prove to the sceptics that Justin Bonomo needed more than luck to win $44m playing poker.
Other details include a $10m fee to secure a 10-year license, 15% tax on gross revenue, the ability to forge partnerships with experienced online poker operators, and no bad actor clause. Revenue from online poker would go into the coffers of the New York State Lottery Fund.
Kentucky
Pretlow Introduces Online Poker Bill Update
From Haley Hintze at Flushdraw to Brian Pempus at USBets, and the news that Republican Adam Koenig submitted House Bill 175 on Tuesday. According to Pempus, 14 other Kentucky lawmakers are backing Koenig’s bill.
“It’s time to provide the freedom for those who wish to engage in these activities to do so legally. Let’s get ahead of the curve.” Said Koenig.
The new bill paves the way for online poker, fantasy sports and sports betting. There is wording that will allow mobile betting, and the online poker tax rate is 6.75% on net profits.
The Kentucky lottery will take care of things should the bill get the green light. There are no land-based casinos in Kentucky, and there are no proposals to change that in the new bill.
4.4m people call Kentucky home, more than Delaware and Nevada, yet significantly less than New Jersey and Pennsylvania, so it’s unusual that there is no wording around the creation of interstate compacts.
Sports betting regulations would fall under the jurisdiction of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, and a sports betting license would set you back $1 million. There will be a 10.25% tax bill for retail sports wagering and a 14.25% tax on any revenue taken over the Internet.
West Virginia
Finally, Eric Ramsey has reported that West Virginia is looking into the creation of online casino regulation. Writing for Online Poker Report, the veteran, Ramsey, advises that Democrat Jason Barrett is pushing the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act (H 2934).
11-months ago, West Virginia lawmakers approved a bill to introduce sports betting into the Mountain State, so as Ian Drury and the Blockheads used to remind us there are ‘reasons to be cheerful.’
The plan is to introduce online casinos through licensing of the five land-based casinos that currently exist in the state. The lottery commission would manage the shebang. A five-year license will set you back $250,000 with tax rates at a reasonable 10%.
There is no bad actor clause, but there is also no mention if online poker in the 29-page document you can read right here.
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