Pretlow says that he will redouble his efforts this Assembly session…is it a ‘third time lucky’ push?
With online poker legalisation bill S3898 making good progress through the committee stages in the New York Senate (see previous InfoPowa reports), attention turned this week to companion bill A5250 in the state House of Assembly.
InfoPowa readers may recall that for the past two years both initiatives have been fruitless; the Senate has approved bills that have stalled in the Assembly, and Assembly bills have failed to make the floor in last minute pushes – Assembly Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee chairman Gary Pretlow says partly due to opposition from female lawmakers.
This year the Senate bill’s journey began afresh and as reported earlier has passed its first committee hurdle – a promising start.
In the Assembly, A5250 from last year carried over to this session’s Assembly Codes Committee and if successful will face the scrutiny of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee before it can reach the floor for debate and a vote.
Reports this week are that Pretlow remains committed to getting the legislation through the Assembly and has pledged to redouble his efforts to that end, engaging with relevant legislators and selling the proposal.
However, he has pointed out that other issues – not least the state budget – are likely to command much of the attention of legislators in the next two months, and it is likely that decisions on internet poker may not be high on the agenda.
Industry observers have pointed out that although there are legalisation bills in both the New York Assembly and Senate, state governor Andrew Cuomo has not included potential tax and fee revenue from legalised online poker in his budget proposals for the coming fiscal year.
That is not necessarily a reason for despondence; there is still ample time for amendments and inclusions.