Possible online poker contribution to the state budget removed
Last week the inclusion of possible online poker revenues in the New York state budget (see previous InfoPowa reports) raised hopes that legalisation was just a step away, but that optimism has been dampened by the news that the provision has been removed in the final budget debate.
Instead, the state Assembly has delayed discussion on online poker measures until June this year, arguing that lawmakers still have to reach consensus on whether to class online poker as a game of skill rather than chance.
Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, who has championed bill A5250 authored by Sen. John Bonacic, explained: “It won’t be in the final budget, I don’t believe, because there are people opposed to it who are higher than me and don’t want it in the budget.”
Pretlow outlined some of the arguments used against defining online poker as a skill game, saying:
“When you question a poker player, one of the skill factors is defining tells in your opponent. There are no tells in online poker. You can’t read a facial expression. There is no interaction between players. To read the movement of an opponent – how they fumble chips — none of that is available in online poker.”
Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa
