New Jersey Brings Back Internet Gambling Bill

The New Jersey House of Assembly approved the progress of the state's online gambling bill, which would include amendments that would widen the scope of the bill beyond just offering internet poker.

The bill is formally titled A2578 and was sponsored by State Senator and gambling advocate Ray Lesniak. Lesniak predicted that the bill would be voted on by the Assembly by December 17th and passed by the Senate by December 20th.

“It’s still not too late for Atlantic City to become the Silicon Valley of Internet Gaming," Lesniak said in reference to the bill.

The bill was vetoed by the Garden State's Governor Chris Christie in 2011, but was revived when politicians agreed to take another stab at the issue. The bill was re-introduced in March of this year, but came to a standstill when the State Senate and House of Assembly passed two different versions of the bill. The passage on Tuesday was of a harmonized bill, which both assemblies find to be agreeable.

If the bill were passed into law, it would allow for all types of internet casino games to be offered within the state; not just online poker as was previously discussed. As part of the proposed bill, all gaming servers would be based in Atlantic City casinos, with serves being offered to New Jersey residents.