Card Player – Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill that would end online lottery sales and could also basically put a preemptive ban on other forms of online gambling in the state. The state Senate has strongly supported the plan. The House will now look at the bill.
Minnesota’s governor told the Associated Press that he wouldn’t veto the bill if the House vote is also lopsided in support of the plan. He does want the lottery to be given a grace period to phase out the online games, though.
The lottery began offering online scratch-offs in February, but first dabbled into online sales back in 2010, without consulting with legislators, the report said. Supporters of the online lottery sales say that safeguards are there to prevent minors from playing, and that the revenue is good for the state.
If the measure passes it could spell trouble for Minnesota being home to legalized online poker someday. Many states across the country have flirted with the idea, as there likely won’t be any federal measure authorizing such real-money gaming nationwide.
