Poker Game of Skill, Argues New Bill in New York

Game of Skill
  • Profile picture
  • PG News February 10, 2017
  • 2 Minutes Read

Overcoming the disappointment of 2016, where no state in the United States was able to pass any online poker bill, 2017 promises to be better. In January, both New York and Pennsylvania re-introduced online poker/gaming bills, besides several other states expressing interest in the same.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) posted the news saying, “Busy time for iPoker supporters! With recent bills/expected bills in NY, PA, MI, HI, NH and more…and that’s the way we like it!”

Of the above states, New York has begun moving with Senator John Bonacic filing a bill last week to legalize and regulate online poker in the state.

The move was followed with Assemblyman Gary Pretlow filing a similar measure A5250 in the Assembly. Pretlow’s bill is based on the premise that poker is a game of skill, as against one of luck and thus, not in violation of the state’s laws. Last year, the fantasy games bill was passed through a similar argument.

Co-incidentally, the same argument is also being used right here in India and has seen several petitions being filed in Courts, as seen recently in Gujarat and has already won reprieve in several states earlier (Karnataka and Bengal, etc).

If passed in New York, both Bonacic’s and Pretlow’s bills will clear the way for 11 iPoker licenses for operator’s on the payment of $10 million advance fees each. The advance would be adjusted against a 15% tax on gross gaming revenues.

However, all is not as well in Virginia, where a senator managed to introduce a bill for poker as a game of skill and got it to the Senate, but it seems stuck there with no hope of seeing the light of day.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Top Online Poker Rooms

Top
PokerGuru