We have another week’s worth of gambling news to share, starting with another missed opportunity for New York online poker. There are also some developments with sports betting regulations in Maine and Illinois. Plus, an unlikely part of America is about to legalize online gambling, sports betting and fantasy sports!
Hello players, and welcome to This Week in Gambling… I’m J.Todd. And for the record: I burned down your damn she shed Cheryl! I’m glad I did it! And I’d do it again! We got a show full of No’s to talk about this week, starting with the fact that there will be no show next week, as I will be traveling on business to attend the gaming conference… so you’re gonna have to get by without me.
On our last program we spoke at length about why there is NO online poker in the state of California, still. This week’s big story why there’s NO New York online poker, still. For the third year in a row the state legislature stepped over the dying body of Internet poker legislation on their way out the door for summer vacation. In fact bills to regulate the activity never even made it out of committee. Instead lawmakers in New York worked on sports betting legislation which they did manage to get passed, I’ll give them credit for that. The hope is that sports betting regulations this year will somehow help online poker legislation next year… but I ain’t holding my breath.
Next, as we reported, Maine sports betting legislation passed… but the governor there said “NO”… well sort of. It seems she wants to take some time to think about things before she makes her decision. She could sign the bill, she could veto the bill, she could do nothing with the bill and just let it become law… She could have a special session this summer or she could wait till the regular session this January… it’s really anybody’s guess, but the smart money says she’s going to wait until January and just let it become law.
Also residents of Illinois just got a big fat “NO” after sports betting was approved there recently although this one’s not quite as bad. It just seems that the state feels there’s no way they’re going to be ready to accept wagers on sporting events in time for the upcoming NFL football season. The hope is that they will be able to take action in time for the Super Bowl in February, and hey! Who knows! The way Chicago is playing maybe the Bears will be there!
There’s been some talk lately some speculation if you will that perhaps just perhaps the US Department of Justice could change their opinion on the Federal Wire Act one more time… you know, to go back to believe in the way they believed before they changed the way they believed back when they correctly held that the Act only applied to sports betting, and not to online gambling.
But at this point I think the odds of that happening are probably just one more big “No”. Even after losing their court case and encountering so much resistance from the states and even members of Congress it would still be a bit surprising to see the DOJ change course on this issue… but I mean yeah, sure, it could happen… and OJ could start looking for the real killers. You know, we’ve had so many NO’s on this program that I’ve started to feel like I’m back in high school… and I’m looking at you, Tammy Johnston!
But finally this week, a story with a YES, as online gambling could soon be legal and regulated in an unlikely place! Puerto Rico has passed legislation to regulate sports betting, fantasy sports and online gambling! The governor there is a huge fan of betting on sports, and that bill is already headed to his desk, and all he has to do is sign it! So Viva Puerto Rico Libre!
Find more about New York online poker and the other stories at This Week in Gambling!
