California May Be Online Casino Bell Cow
Online gambling is emerging as the hot topic in statehouses across the US, as well as on Capitol Hill. Of the many governments anxious to enjoy the revenue infusion online casinos will provide, California may be the first to act, and give some idea of frameworks to come.Lloyd Levine has fought to bring regulated intrastate Internet gambling to California for some time. This year the state Assemblyman will be behind a bill allowing licensed poker rooms to operate online.
The UIGEA specifically allows states to determine online casino policy within state boundaries. Of course, this doesn't mean the problematic law won't accidentally interfere with payment processing.
But California is only the first to explore the potential of online gambling. The president of the Poker Voters of America, Jim Tabilio, says several other states have contacted his group for help in designing statutes to regulate Internet poker.
Tabilio lists Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York among other areas interested in licensing online gambling sites to operate within state borders.
Along with California, these states constitute the most populous states in the US, regions that are often credited with deciding national elections. This is no coincidence, as the push for a national strategy follows swiftly behind the states' initiatives.
Barney Frank's campaign to repeal the UIGEA should begin within weeks. The next confusion may result in a series of court cases, as legislators attempt to determine whether each state has the right to individually control Internet casinos, or whether that remains a federal matter.
