Poker activist Curtis Woodard is a persistent man determined to legalise online poker in his home state of Washington, which has arguably the most draconian anti-online gambling laws in the Union, allowing it to prosecute its own citizens for even playing.
This week he told the publication Bluff that despite two previous failed attempts, he is now gearing up for a further run at legalisation through his Washington Internet Poker Initiative group.
“I’ve been pushing an idea for legislation based on the network model, separating the card rooms from the software providers, with emphasis on shared liquidity,” Woodard told Bluff. “There has been some interest shown but I haven’t really made any big strides this year… This is a work in progress and I don’t have all the details worked out, and actually I want the Tribes to give some input to assure they know we are concerned about their interests.”
The climate might be a little better these days, following the legalisation of online gambling in Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada.
Chris Stearns, a Commissioner with the Washjington State Gaming Commission, told Bluff that as internet gaming, grows in popularity in the United States, the Commission is monitoring developments.
Woodard’s goal this year is to come up with a measure that can be agreed upon in the 2015 legislative seasons that begins next January. If that doesn’t fly, a further attempt can be made to put the measure on the state ballot for 2016.