States entertaining the prospect of legalized online gambling within their borders are stepping up efforts to ensure that any prospective digital gambling activity (and subsequent revenue) isn’t lost to unauthorized offshore online gambling platforms.
In the state of Mississippi today — where some lawmakers want to see legal online poker become a reality this year — a proposal has reached the state legislature for consideration that, if passed into law, would penalize persons who patronize unauthorized offshore markets with either jail time or a hefty financial slap on the wrist.
Per the terms of the proposal outlined by CardPlayer, “poker players who are caught having accessed offshore poker sites instead of, or in addition to, those licensed and regulated by Mississippi could face up to 90 days in county jail and/or a $10,000 fine.”
In effect, offshore sites would be classified as illegal in the state of Mississippi.
As mGamingWatch reported Wednesday, Mississippi Representative Bobby Moak recently introduced the Mississippi Lawful Internet Gaming Act Of 2015, a bill that, upon its passage, would usher in the era of iGaming for his state. Whether or not the bill will pass and become law is another question. But the debate is happening as we speak, and efforts to legalize online gambling in Mississippi are moving forward.
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