程阳：美国数州互联网博彩的新进展

More Legal Online Gambling Updates in the USA

Internet, Mobile & Sports Betting

【说明】Notes:  Articles states "While many state legislatures such as California, Illinois and Pennsylvania have been considering various online poker and gambling measures, other states such as Florida have made moves in the opposite direction by outlawing Internet cafes. The recent proposals in Massachusetts and Ohio mirror those past polar opposites."  These are not "polar opposites".  Outlawing illegal i-gaming operations and effecting laws to enforce the laws are a necessary part of any state regulatory and taxation framework for Internet gaming.  These articles all tend to treat the matter of i-gaming as whether or not U.S. state lawmakers are making it easier or harder for the consumer to go online to gamble.  Simplifying it in that way is what paves the way for a federal framework to treat the issue properly.  States need to clarify their regulatory program, what is legal, what is not legal, what is the taxation scheme for the legal forms of i-gaming, and what are the enforcement mechanisms for banishing illegal operations like unlicensed Internet cafes.

More Legal Online Gambling Updates in the USA

Online gambling in the United States continues to be an uphill battle. Every week, it seems as though new states enter in to this debate and either begin issuing new legislation to offer the gaming options online or legislation is created to block internet options from taking place in individual states.

New Hampshire and Nevada are two states that have been introducing new bills and new online poker software that have kept the fight for federal laws alive.  Below is a small update concerning the recent going’s on with casino and online poker options in these particular states.

New Hampshire

The state of New Hampshire was working on a bill that would allow for expanded options at the current gambling facility in the state but this bill was recently shut down. This past week, the State House decided to shut the bill down after the bill was recommended to not be passed.

The bill could still be brought back to life but many feel this is unlikely. If moved forward and passed, the bill would have brought additional table games and slot options to the state.  It’s not known yet if the state’s legislature will bring in any type of online poker option down the road.

Nevada

Better news comes out of the state of Nevada. Online poker is alive and well and by summer, more options are expected to release. Caesars Entertainment Corporation will be launching a new poker site based on the World Series of Poker and 888 Holdings will be providing the software for this venture.

Another option that should be available soon is the Treasure Island offering. Treasure Island Casino will also be debuting a new real money online gambling option in the near future. A recent report by CardPlayer, states that a spokesperson for the company spoke with the news site and stated that Treasure Island plans on offering their site by the end of summer.

It will be interesting to see as the weeks go by if the sites actually are up and ready to go and if any more sites are ready to launch. Nevada is certainly paving the way for online poker sites in the US.

U.S. Online Gambling Legislation Update Massachusetts, Ohio

Lawmakers in Massachusetts and Ohio have proposed bills regarding online gambling, the former hoping to approve and the latter aimed at closing Internet cafes.

While many state legislatures such as California, Illinois and Pennsylvania have been considering various online poker and gambling measures, other states such as Florida have made moves in the opposite direction by outlawing Internet cafes. The recent proposals in Massachusetts and Ohio mirror those past polar opposites.

Massachusetts Proposes Online Gambling

In Massachusetts, the proposal comes in the form of a budget amendment for 2014. Republicans in the Senate have proposed that the state’s three land-based casinos and one slot parlor also be allowed to offer online poker and gambling. Under the plan, tax rates would be assessed at 20% and an initial license fee would be at least $300,000. Renewals on a yearly basis would cost at least $150,000, the Taunton Daily Gazette reported.

The online games offered would not be permitted to mimic those run by the state Lottery. Players would be required to be at least 21 years of age and prove their location to be within state borders.

Massachusetts legislators approved the opening of three brick and mortar casinos and one slot parlor in 2011. Online gambling legislation attached to that bill was dropped before passage. A new measure introduced last year failed to gain support. Another proposed online poker bill added to the budget as an amendment earlier this year was also unsuccessful.

The land-based gaming operations in the state are not expected to be accepting live wagers prior to 2016. Should the latest measure win approval, its possible that online gambling could be offered to residents before players actually set foot in one of the casinos.

Ohio Seeks to Close Internet Cafes

Ohio legislators approved HB 7 by a vote of 27-6. The bill now makes its way to the desk of Governor John Kasich, who will reportedly sign it, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The measure will limit sweepstakes machine payouts to $10, thereby putting a hit on the state’s more than 600 Internet cafes that are allegedly running illegal games.

Some lawmakers went on record as stating that HB 7 does not go far enough in outlawing the cafes. And although the bill will likely receive Kasich’s rubber-stamped approval, it can be overturned if enough Ohio residents support a possible referendum on the ballot in November of 2014.

Still to be debated are types of gambling allowed for charitable organizations as fundraisers. Veterans groups and fraternal organizations have been allowed until August to convince legislators that their particular electronic gaming offerings will conform to state statutes.

Some Ohioans have argued that the Internet cafes should be regulated instead of closed down. That sentiment was also expressed by many Floridians earlier this year when Governor Rick Scott signed a bill shutting down hundreds of Sunshine State Internet cafes. Florida’s crackdown was implemented when 57 individuals were indicted on racketeering and money laundering charges. No such arrests have been made in Ohio.