Bad news for US online gambling hopefuls hailed this week from New York, where it was announced that state legislators' vote on a final budget agreement this weekend will unlikely contain any words about the inclusion of online poker.
It has been specified that the proposals were not included in the final agenda agreed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and leaders of the Legislature, as suggested by Senate co-leaders Jeff Klein and Dean Skelos, who also noted that online poker market may be a new way to boost tax revenues.
According to the Poker Players Alliance, which supported the idea, raising the issue has at least laid the groundwork for further progress on legalization in the state.
“It's a meaningful accomplishment that we actually had the senate include the language as it did in the outset. We have a lot more work to do on the Assembly side. We plan to be heading up to Albany in the next couple months to get ready for the discussion [on internet poker legalization] in May,” said PPA executive director John Pappas, adding that his organization is striving to persuade Assemblyman Gary Pretlow to include the legalization of online poker in a bill he is pushing, that seeks to authorize land-based gambling games such as poker, blackjack, craps, roulette and slot machines.
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