NJ Senate passes online gambling bill
November 23rd, 2010 It pains me to say this, but it looks like New Jersey will the first state to accomplish something in America. It looks like they will be the first to legalize and regulate online gambling. Yes, folks, the same state that brings us Snooki and the Situation, the same state that is responsible for Bon Jovi, may be a trendsetter. That is a state that the Giants and Jets are so ashamed of that they go by New York even though they play in the Meadowlands.
On Monday, the New Jersey Senate voted 29-5 to let Atlantic City casinos offer online gambling to residents of the Garden State. Now that the bill has passed the state Senate, it still has to pass the state Assembly and be signed by the governor. Since Governor Christie has been outspoken about saving jobs in Atlantic City and getting the government out of people’s personal lives (such as how they spend their money), it is likely that he will sign the bill. Even if he is not a proponent of online gambling (he does not seem to have taken a stance on the subject), I would be shocked if he vetoed the legislation. It now seems likely that the bill will become law this year.
Aside from giving New Jersey residents the freedom to gamble online, the bill would also increase revenue to the state by levying a 15% tax on gross gaming revenue. The bill only allows Atlantic City casinos to operate the internet gambling websites. Interestingly, though, people overseas would be able to gamble at the websites. Residents of the other 49 U.S. states, however, could not.
Senator Raymond Lesniak, who sponsored the bill, says that by passing the law and allowing international gaming in New Jersey, they would be “showing how juvenile our federal government’s policy is with regards to gaming.” He also pointed out that the federal government’s current policy towards online gambling is ineffective and also “unconstitutional and quite frankly just dumb in terms of governmental policy.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
