The landscape of legal online gaming in the United States is changing quickly as more states look to complete regulation of online gaming or begin to investigate the viability of said gaming in their state. To help keep you up to date and abreast of all the rumors and facts, PokerUpdate has written this handy column to break everything down for you!
Pennsylvania to Investigate Online Gaming Viability
Senate Resolution 273 passed with nearly unanimous support from the assembled Senate members in Pennsylvania to take a major step towards regulation by approving an investigation into the viability of online gaming. This decision comes six months after the idea was initially tabled in subcommittee as lawmakers decided to take a wait and see approach. With the passing of this resolution, the Senate has decided that it has seen enough success in Nevada and New Jersey to warrant at least holding hearings on the issues to find out if Pennsylvania is correct in its desire to have regulated online gambling.
While this might sound like a pretty mundane and inane development, it’s a huge first step in the process that is needed if there is any hope of the eventual passage of gaming regulations in the state. Further, with such overwhelming support not only from the legislature, but also the governor, it’s easy to see that this gaming regulation foray has serious legs and might result in a favorable outcome for those living in Pennsylvania. While it’s still exceptionally early, these positive movements show potential, so those living in Pennsylvania should spend a few minutes and contact your local representative and tell them that you want gaming in your state and that this is a major issue for you. Contacting those in power and letting your opinion be heard is the best way to get the movement you desire on any piece of regulation, and online gaming is no different.
ACH and eWallets Provide Hope for New Jersey Residents
U.S. federal law aimed at prohibiting financial transactions between players and gambling sites is once again rearing its ugly head and making life harder for those who want to legally play online poker in New Jersey. High failure rates of credit card deposits have reduced the public to find other means to get money online. Luckily, that’s been made a bit easier by the fact that ACH and eWallets have been a viable solution for the residents of the state.
ACH is a direct bank transaction that allows users to bypass their credit card company completely and fund their accounts from their available money in the bank. While this might make some customers a little bit weary as they are sharing banking information online, the fact that New Jersey closely regulates the sites that operate within its borders should reduce that fear for the most part. If you are still a bit too uncomfortable, there are different online eWallets that provide the ability to fund an account with little personal information being used. Different eWallets provide different options for depositing and research should be done to find out what is best for those looking to put money in these eWallets. The reason that these two options work better is that banks in New jersey are able to allow transfers to gaming sites much easier because they will have less requests from illegal off-shore gaming sites and eWallets work as a wallet and not as a credit instrument like credit card companies.
New Hampshire Prepares for another Attempt at a Casino Bill
When a bill in May failed to pass that would have allowed online gaming in New Hampshire, many feared that it was something that might not be picked up again by proponents not willing to put their political capital on the line. This fear has turned out to be less of a factor than previously envisioned, as another bill is being prepared to be introduced by the Gaming and Regulatory Oversight Authority by at least December 15th. The changes to this new bill are still unknown as it is still being finalized, but it’s a positive sign for those hoping to get legalized online gaming in New Hampshire and it proves the notion is not completely dead. The northeast has seen some of the greatest successes in regulated online poker as New Jersey and Delaware have legalized online gaming and many other states are taking a serious look at the viability in their states. When the bill is introduced, it’s again important for the residents of New Hampshire to make sure their voice is heard loud and clear about how important online gaming is to them by informing their elected officials.
Majority of Americans Support Regulated Poker
OnlinePokerReport.com recently conducted a survey that asked 1,500 Americans what they thought of online poker being regulated and over 60% of people asked were either strongly in favor of or at worst neutral to the idea. Full data can be found here. While this is a small survey and might have some issues in terms of neutrality of respondents, it’s clear that online poker regulation is something that the public is not against. This data also flies directly in the face of what Las Vegas Sands CEO and online gaming detractor Sheldon Adelson has said. He had a survey conducted that he claims reveals that there is strong opposition to online poker and gambling in the U.S. This survey, however, has come under some heat as the questions that have been released are of dubious quality and only four states were polled during the research. While the truth of where the public probably stands is somewhere in the middle of what each group found, it’s important to note that there is research out there that has a significant sample size that shows Adelson might be wrong about his assumptions. A great way to show Adelson that you are not a fan of his stance on online gaming is to boycott his properties and make your voice heard through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.
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