Online poker back on the table in New York assembly

February 2, 2017

Senator John J. Bonacic has again thrown his hat into the ring with the introduction of an online gambling bill to the New York Senate’s Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, a committee Bonacic chairs. In summary, S3898 allows certain interactive poker games be considered games of skill rather than games of luck; includes definitions, authorization, […]

New York senator john bonacic refiles online poker legalisation bill

January 31, 2017

New York state Senator John Bonacic has made good on his pledge to start 2017 with a renewed attempt to legalise online poker, filing Senate Bill S-3898 this week in the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, which he chairs. Observers have noted that the bill is very similar to last year’s S-5302 authored by […]

Virginia online poker bill splits the senate

January 31, 2017

The Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, had to use his casting vote in the Senate this week to break a tie on state Senator Louise Lucas’ SB1400, a bill that seeks to decriminalise poker tournaments as games of skill and take them out of the definition of gambling. Senators voted 19 for and against […]

Virginia poker skill bill on the move

January 26, 2017

Virginia Senator Louise Lucas, who introduced bill S.1400 earlier this month (see previous  report) enjoyed early success this week when the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee progressed her bill, albeit on a thin margin of 8 votes to 7. But, progress is progress; this is just the first hurdle as state law requires that […]

New online poker legalisation moves in New York?

January 20, 2017

Optimism that online poker may again be on the cards in New York state rose this week following reports of discussions between Assembly gambling committee chairman Rep. Gary Pretlow and the neighbouring New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement e-gaming regulator, which apparently created a positive impression. InfoPowa readers may recall that legalisation looked imminent last […]

Poker Player Alliance urges Washington State lawmakers to legalise online gambling

January 19, 2017

The Poker Players Alliance’s energetic executive director, John Pappas, flew into Washington state this week to give evidence before a Washington state Senate committee on the benefits of online gambling legalisation. Washington has some of the most draconian anti-online gambling laws in the United States,but is re-examining the possibilities through the Senate Committee on Commerce, […]

Virginia senator hopes third time will be lucky for poker skill game bill

January 16, 2017

Virginia state Senator Louise Lucas is nothing if not tenacious…for the third year running she has introduced a bill to the state Senate seeking to legalise poker as a game predominantly one of skill, hoping to ride the crest of the daily fantasy sports legalisation achieved early last year (see previous  report). Her bill SB1400 […]

Poker Players Alliance musters the troops again

December 8, 2016

It’s not just civic associations that are warning against the introduction of a federal ban on online gambling in a denial of states’ rights (see previous reports). The Poker Players Alliance action group has begun mustering its over a million US members in a campaign as well. In the past, helping players to contact their […]

Online poker enforcer to remain in office following US changes.

December 1, 2016

The US federal enforcement official widely seen as the strategist behind the prosecution and shutdown of US online poker back in 2011, Preet Bharara, was in the news again this week following a meeting with US president-elect Donald Trump in which he was apparently told that he would be remaining in his post under the […]

Poker pro loses Borgata case

October 22, 2016

Phil Ivey has lost in his four-year legal tussle with the Borgata over baccarat winnings; on Friday a US federal judge ruled that he and a companion violated New Jersey state gambling regulations in the manner in which they won nearly $10 million playing at the Atlantic City casino. U.S. District Court Judge Noel Hillman […]