Legal online poker on the cards in New York
Operators on standby as state moves one step closer to legalising and regulating the activity
New York has thrown its hat in the ring to become the next US state to regulate online poker after politicians included language that would legalise the activity in the state’s budget bill.
The budget has to be finalised in the next two weeks, and a resolution published yesterday confirmed language that would “authorise and regulate” online poker had been included.
The language referred to is from online poker bill S3020B, which was introduced by Senator John Bonacic back in May 2015.
Bonacic is the chairman of the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, which voted in favor of progressing the bill in February.
Under the bill, the state would award up to 10 online poker licences, with licence fees set at $10m (?7m) and taxes at 15% of gross gaming revenue.
While there is no guarantee online poker language will remain in the final bill, it marks significant progress over previous years.
Since New Jersey opened its digital doors back in November 2013, no new states have legalized and regulated online gaming.
However the mood appears to be changing, with California and Pennsylvania both making progress in recent months.