Senator Jeff Danielson’s intrastate online poker legalisation measure SF 2275 has made it through the state Senate on a bipartisan vote of 29-20, but faces another ‘time funnel’ deadline of this Friday as it heads for the House and a further committee hearing.
House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican, said after the positive Senate vote Tuesday that the issue faces dim prospects for passage in the House, especially by the Friday committee procedural deadline.
The measure’s introducer, Sen. Jeff Danielson, remained optimistic on its chances, describing the legislation as ‘consumer protection.’
Rep. Peter Cownie, the Republican chairman of the House State Government Committee that will now consider the bill, was non-committal about its prospects.
?We haven?t discussed this in committee and I don?t know what the vote count is,? he said. ?My personal policy is I like bills to have support of the majority of the Republican caucus.?
In the Senate vote no one spoke against the bill, and the final vote turned out to be an interesting exercise in bipartisan politics, with eight GOP senators joining 21 Democrats in supporting the measure, while five Democrats and 15 Republicans opposed it.
Iowa Republican Governor Terry Branstad, who may have to sign off on the bill should it pass both deadline and the House, is on record as saying that he is open to considering the bill.
“In terms of regulating and controlling gambling in this state, our top priority has been to keep it honest, clean, open, transparent and keep the criminal element out,” Branstad has said.
Senate File 2275 would allow competing hub operators to partner with state-licensed casinos under the control of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to operate online poker sites for registered players ages 21 and older within the state subject to the state?s current gaming fee structure.
Supporters of the measure say that it will provide protection for Iowa players, curb underage participation, and generate adjusted gross receipts estimated between $30 million and $60 million for state-licensed casinos and between $2.9 million to $13.2 million in yearly tax revenue for the state.