3 state legislatures looking to ban online poker

Currently there is just a single state in the United States that has outlawed playing online poker, Washington State. But there are now two more states looking to follow in Washington’s footsteps and ban online poker, Florida and Kansas. Both states are exploring legislation that would ostensibly ban online poker, with Kansas explicitly banning online poker in a second bill that passed the state house this week.

Spearheaded by State Senator Margerita Prentice, Washington State passed a law back in 2006 making playing online poker a felony, a law that was upheld by the Washington courts in 2012, although it should be noted that no Washington State player has ever been arrested or charged with playing online poker, and it’s unlikely anyone will be in the future.

So since 2006 Washington State has stood alone as the only state that explicitly prohibits the playing of online poker, but now, with a number of states rushing to pass legislation legalizing and regulating online poker there are a few outliers who are looking to pass measures doing the opposite.

Florida Bill HB 155

In an effort to close loopholes in their current laws that have allowed “illegal” Internet cafes to spring-up across the state –where patrons gamble online—the Florida legislature has passed a new bill, HB 155, that may have some unintended consequences. The legislature easily passed the bill by a vote of 108-7 but pro-gaming groups are worried that the bills non-specific, generalized, language could make playing online poker in Florida a thing of the past.

We’ll keep an eye on HB 155, The Electronic Gambling Device Ban, and update you as more information becomes available.

Kansas Bill HB 2055

Another potential bill in Kansas is far less obtuse, as HB 2055 calls for a ban on all online gambling including poker, punishable by up to year in prison and $10,000 fine (that would be the bad-beat story of all bad-beat stories right there). The amendments to the bill easily passed the State Senate by a vote of 26-11, but fortunately the bill itself failed by a vote of 24-15, which means Kansas residents can play online poker without fear of a police raid… for now…

New Mexico Compact

According to the Albuquerque Journal, New Mexico lawmakers and its Navajo tribes are in talks regarding a new gaming compact that would see the state ban all forms of online gambling. Interestingly, under the compact as written, if New Mexico were to adopt online gambling in the future the Navajo tribes would no longer have to share slot revenue with the state.

A representative for Governor Susana Martinez, Enrique Knell, told the Albuquerque Journal. ��This provision was intended to discourage the adoption of Internet gaming in the state, while ensuring that, if Internet gaming is adopted, revenue sharing continues in light of any new benefit/detriment to the (Navajo) Nation,”

You can read the full article here: http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2013/04/03/news/navajo-pact-could-mean-no-internet-gambling.html