The New Jersey Assembly today released its list of bills to be voted on in general session on Monday, and online gaming and a horse racing are among the 28 bills and continuing resolutions on the agenda.
Bill A-2578 ?authorizes Internet gaming at Atlantic City casinos under certain circumstances.?
The online bill being batted around in Congress these days would permit online poker nationwide, but expressly outlaw any other form on internet play. New Jersey seeks to go a different route:
?Any authorized game or authorized gambling game, as defined in section 5 of P.L.1977, c.110 (C.5:12-5), that is authorized to be played in a casino may, with the approval of the division, be offered through Internet gaming,? says the bill (see above link).
So New Jersey residents could bet on variations of any casino game as long as they are within state boundaries, with the bet deemed to have been placed in Atlantic City since the servers will be located there. Or as the bill puts it, ?Internet gaming in this State shall be subject to the provisions of, and preempted and superseded by, any applicable federal law. Internet gaming in this State shall be deemed to take place where a casino?s server is located in Atlantic City regardless of the player?s physical location within this State.?
That could avoid complications with the state Constitution, which says that such gambling can only take place in Atlantic City.
If all this sounds familiar, it should. Governor Christie vetoed a similar measure almost a year ago, in large part on that constitutional issue.
Of course, the state?s casino industry is in even worse shape now than it was a year ago ? and it was in bad shape a year ago. Supporters of the bill seem to be hoping that fact, plus a finding by a Seton Hall law professor that the bill passes Constitutional muster, will lead Christie to change his mind.
This version does clarify that ?internet cafes? can?t be set up where owners advertise to attract customers to online gaming ? another Christie concern last year. The provision that could have allowed the state Racing Commission to allocate up to $30 million to horse racing purses in the first three years of online gaming operations ? another no-no for Christie ? has been deleted in this version.
The recent news of PokerStars looking into buying the staggering Atlantic Club (formerly the Atlantic City Hilton) seems contingent on this bill passing, too. So what happens to that casino if Christie vetoes the bill again?
Oh, and here?s some other interesting new language in this version:
?In the case of an application for licensure submitted by a prospective Internet gaming affiliate that is headquartered outside of the United States or that does significant business outside of the United States, as determined by the Division of Gaming Enforcement, the division shall consult with officials of the United States Department of Justice prior to making a recommendation to the Casino Control Commission regarding licensure of the applicant.
As part of their respective investigatory, licensing and oversight powers, the Division of Gaming Enforcement and Casino Control Commission shall review each Internet gaming affiliate applicant?s past history and its asset utilization in the context of past and current Federal and State law and, following such review, may impose limitations and conditions upon the granting of the license or the utilization of its assets, or both, with respect to New Jersey operations.?
FYI, you have to be at least 21 to get an online gaming account.
The horse racing bill is a lot less complicated. A-2913 simply clarifies that Freehold Raceway will have the same percentage of purse money designated for horsemen aid that the Meadowlands Racetrack and Monmouth Park already have. Looks like housekeeping, basically, so it should breeze through the Assembly.
Many of these same bills will also get a vote in the state Senate on Thursday, and state Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Union, vows that the online gaming bill will be among them.
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