Marking a monumental opportunity for proponents of online gambling and, in particular, online poker, a bill has been introduced in New York state that would effectively make New York the fourth state in the union to permit legal online gambling, but only with regard to poker.
Introduced by Republican State Sen. John Bonacic, the poker-focused bill aims to “amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law and the penal law, in relation to allowing certain interactive poker games.”
In short, the bill omits poker from the state’s designation of a “contest of chance.”
“Poker in many instances has been defined as a game of skill and a New York Federal Court in U.S. v. DiCristina … assessed that under federal law poker was predominantly a game of skill,” the bill reads.
Although there are many hurdles for this bill to jump before it becomes law (assuming it does), the prospect of legalized online poker is enough to excite many throughout the gaming world today.
“New York would be an extraordinary market for this type of entertainment,” MGM Resorts International President Bill Hornbuckle said, according to the AP. “We are excited by the opportunity to offer online poker to New York players and will pursue it aggressively.”
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