New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., a Democrat from the 15th district, has taken a significant stride in the advocacy for online poker in the Empire State. A fresh bill seeking to legalize the online game has been launched, with swiftly increasing momentum, by the prominent legislator who hails from an esteemed lineage of civic service. The proposed law seeks to shift the classification of online poker from a game of luck to a game of skill—a move that would, in effect, legalize it.
The move came on the heels of a previous, slightly more controversial bill backed by Senator Addabbo. The bill’s ambition was to usher in a new era for not just online poker, but also online casino gaming, an effort that ultimately failed to catch wind among lawmakers. The exclusion from Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget in January marked the end of its run.
Finding the new path clearer and less bristled with opposition, Senator Addabbo, also the Chair of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering, has maintained his pursuit of online gaming’s legalization. The sole focus on online poker in the new bill, stripped of its controversial online casino counterpart, might just be the silver bullet needed to penetrate legislative and gubernitorial reservations.
For better context, one might look back at past efforts to legalize online poker in the Empire State—an effort that has been undertaken almost annually since 2014. Despite constant efforts from Senator Addabbo and his predecessor, retired Senator John Bonacic, the bills have met staunch resistance, soaring in the Senate but crashing in the Assembly, where Assemblyman Gary Pretlow championed the cause.
Looking forward, Senator Addabbo’s bill aims to carve out room for up to 10 online poker licenses, each bearing a $10 million price tag for operators. Revenues would be taxed at 15%—a considerable slide down from the 30% proposed in his earlier bill encompassing online casinos.
The New York Gaming Commission would be entrusted to flesh out the minute details and erect a robust framework of regulation for the burgeoning market. An integral part of this framework would centre around defining online poker as a game of skill—an argument the Senator has keenly backed, citing a New York federal court ruling that leaned the same way.
“As the internet has become an integral part of society, and internet poker a major form of entertainment for many consumers,” Senator Addabbo said in a written comment, “regulatory oversight is needed] to safeguard the integrity of the games and participants and to ensure public trust.
However, Senator Addabbo’s new bill arrives late in the state’s legislative session which is set to conclude on June 6. Nonetheless, the Senator, being a legislative leader, does retain the power to call lawmakers back for an extraordinary session—an option that might well come into play if the tides of fortune favor his bid to legalize online poker in New York.
