New York Senate Pushes Online Poker Bill Amidst Chaos
New York has been so close to legalizing online poker several times. Experts and industry analysts alike seemed certain that New York would pass a bill in 2018.
The year thus far, however, has been filled with chaos. In the Assembly, one member continued making excuses for why its poker bill has been and continues to have problems, while another member grabbed the torch and ran with it, adding nearly 50 co-sponsors to the bill in a matter of weeks. In the Senate, a bill that passed last year remained stagnant in a committee awaiting word from the Assembly side, though its champion is now retiring this year. And in the meantime, the United States Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act to allow states to legalize sports betting, while New York politics has been spiraled out of control to the point that the Senate now seems unable to function.
The Senate just made another move in the right direction, passing its poker bill through to another committee. However, there are two weeks left in the session, which ends June 20.
Can positive movement in the Senate make a difference in the Assembly? Does interactive poker legislation have enough bi-partisan support to pass despite the chaos? Will sports betting help or hurt poker? What are the odds that this can be done and signed into law in the next two weeks?
All eyes are on New York for the answers.
Senate Bill Moves Forward
As brought to light by OPR, the Senate online poker bill finally moved out of the Finance Committee, where it has been stagnant since January 2018. State Senator John Bonacic’s S.3898 then moved to the Rules Committee and awaits action there.
New York internet poker bill springs to life in the Senate. Could sports betting and #poker move together in the final days of the legislative session (ends June 21)? https://t.co/62xhqzVt7u
— Poker Alliance (@ppapoker) June 6, 2018
While this progress doesn’t guarantee the bill’s passage from the Rules Committee and then to the Senate for a vote, it does show that Bonacic has not forgotten about poker. Considering he passed this bill (and a previous version of it) in past years, he seemed to have no worries that it could pass again in 2018. However, he was likely waiting on action on his companion bill in the Assembly, which is sponsored by Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow.
That bill had been promised for several years, and while Bonacic held up his end of the deal in the Senate, Pretlow fell short of even putting Assembly version A.5250 up for a floor vote. Fellow Assemblyman Clyde Vanel joined Pretlow in 2018, however, and brought new momentum to the fight for poker. And while he was successful in garnering nearly 50 co-sponsors, his progress has been downplayed by Pretlow, who claims to still be unsure of enough support for Assembly passage. It should be no surprise that Bonacic sat back to see if anything would change on the Assembly side.
The latest move from Bonacic, however, is a bit of a surprise, as only two weeks remain in the session, which is scheduled to wrap on June 20.
Inside Knowledge
Clearly, Bonacic has a plan. He may have knowledge of something happening with sports betting legislation that could include poker.
Technically, sports betting is already legal in New York. Voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2013 as a part of the Upstate NY Gaming Economic Development Act that also authorized four land-based casinos. The recent US Supreme Court ruling put it into effect. What is required now is legislation to update the amendment and create a framework for the state regulator. There is widespread support for bills in both houses of the legislature, but the proposals’ details must be in agreement for voting. And this is not without its complications.
Likely the largest-ever contingent of gambling/sports interests have descended on the #NYS Capitol to press for a #sportsgambling law before 2018 session ends later this month. https://t.co/XfjJvsJs2b
— Tom Precious (@TomPreciousALB) June 2, 2018
Poker fans will await further actions from Bonacic on the internet gaming bill.
Further Complications
The New York Senate is in a state of disarray. When a Republican member of the Senate recently returned to military service, it left an almost even number of Democrats and Republicans in the chamber but neither with the 32 votes necessary to pass any legislation. And when Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul took over as Senate President to help Democrats achieve their majority, things quickly descended into chaos.
The negativity is so bad that some legislators have proposed an early end to the session. The session is scheduled to end on June 20, which only leaves two weeks as it is.
In addition, Bonacic is retiring this year. He likely wants to pass the poker bill that he’s championed for several years. This puts added pressure on him to finish what he started, though he cannot do it without cooperation in the Assembly.
https://twitter.com/JohnBonacic/status/1003679913369636865
Even with so many complications, the next week may clarify what exactly is happening with online poker in New York.
