New York will have another crack at online poker. Legislation that would regulate online poker sites in the Empire State was re-introduced this week. The measure was considered last year but didn’t gain any traction in Albany.
The bill is from Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, who is pushing legislation along with Sen. Bonacic, who has yet to re-introduce his proposal. Both are at the helm of gaming and racing committees. The latter’s poker bill was up for public discussion in the fall, although a vote wasn’t held.
New York held the hearing in early September on whether to regulate online poker in the future. The hearing was largely favorable to online casino games, but testimony did indicate that the games would not likely come until the new brick-and-mortar casinos are open. New York could be the largest online poker market among the states currently considering the activity, with the exception of California, which has about double the population of New York.
Kevin Cochran, Senior Legal Analyst for GamblingCompliance, testified at the hearing that the New York online poker market could be more than $120 million in the first 12 months after launch.
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