New Jersey Politician Seeks to Avoid Federal Online Gaming Ban

This week New Jersey Assemblyman Vincet Mazzeo introduced a resolution into the New Jersey Assembly that would urge newly minted US President Donald Trump and the US Congress to avoid banning online gambling at a federal level in order to protect his state's thriving online betting business.

Mazzeo's resolution comes amid a period of uncertainty regarding the status of online gambling in the United States. New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada have legalized and regulated the activity on some level, and states like Michigan and Pennsylvania are likely to follow suit, with other states also considering regulating the activity in order to protect players and generate tax revenues. Unfortunately, a push by billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and his cronies in Washington have vowed to outlaw online betting, and now that their political party is in full power, that could possibly be done.

The language in the resolution reads: "This resolution urges United States President Donald Trump, members of President Trump's administration, and Congress to oppose any measures and actions that would prohibit states to conduct Internet gaming."

"Recent measures in Congress, if pursued by the new Congress and supported by the President and his administration, would prohibit the transmission by wire communication of any bet or wager or of information assisting in the placement of any bet or wager, including Internet gaming. In his confirmation hearing as nominee for United States Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions indicated his desire to revisit the federal Justice Department ruling that currently allows the states to authorize Internet gaming."

"These measures and actions would invalidate New Jersey's implementation of Internet gaming, which the State authorized in 2013 to be conducted by Atlantic City casinos in partnership with their Internet gaming affiliates and under strict regulation and control by the State's Division of Gaming Enforcement.

"A federal prohibition against Internet gaming would directly and negatively impact New Jersey by dismantling the investments that the State and Atlantic City casinos have already made to implement and regulate Internet gaming, taking away the economic and employment opportunities already realized by the State and its residents, and foreclosing the future potential of Internet gaming to generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, create high-tech software jobs, and foster valuable business ventures for Atlantic City casinos in this State."

The resolution wouldn't have any legal standing, but would allow the federal government to know the Garden State's views on the issue, although judging from the millions of dollars generated over the last year, it is likely that view is already blatantly obvious.