Congress Hearings on Internet Gaming Set; NJ Voters Want to Bet; Christie Will Buck NFL
US Regulation
Two Congressional Hearings on Internet Gaming Next Week
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By Charles – pokernewsreport.com
Regulation of online poker in the United States continues to make progress as two hearings on online gaming have been scheduled for next week before Congressional committees.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold the first of the two hearings on Nov. 17 entitled, the “Future of Internet Gaming: What’s at Stake for Tribes?” Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Chairman Alfonse D’Amato has been invited to testify as a witness, just as he did in an internet gambling committee hearing last month.
On the following day, Friday, Nov. 18, the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will also convene to discuss online gambling. The topic of Friday’s hearing is “Internet Gaming: Regulating in an Online World.” This is the second hearing in as many months before this particular House subcommittee. Last month’s topic, “Internet Gaming: Is There a Safe Bet?” focused on consumer protection. D’Amato also testified at that hearing, as did FairPlayUSA Chairwoman Parry Aftab and National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) chairman Ernest Stevens, among others.
A Senate committee has not debated the issue of internet gaming since 2006, making next week’s hearing a turning point for proponents of online poker legislation.
“It’s significant,” said PPA Executive Director John Pappas. “Even though the subject matter may be limited to how this impacts Indian tribes, the PPA being able to testify will insert the positive reasons for consumers into the discussion. Were we not to testify, I’d be more concerned, but I feel much more optimistic now.”
The U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs asked D’Amato to testify at the hearing, noting his involvement and testimony in last month’s subcommittee hearing. “They invited him,” Pappas said. “They recognized that the PPA is the leader in the discussion and welcomed our presence there to help educate them about internet gaming and the marketplace today. We obviously have thoughts on how tribal governments can play in this market. They saw all of that and wanted us to testify.”
Pappas also added that D’Amato is a logical choice as a witness. As a former Senator from New York who served his constituency for three terms, D’Amato garners a great deal of respect by his Senate colleagues.
Many online poker players in the U.S. will indeed be encouraged by the fact that progress is being made on regulating the industry. However, Pappas pointed out that these hearings are fact-finding opportunities for lawmakers and that any possible legalization of online poker is still in the preliminary stages.
“These are informational hearings,” Pappas said. “There won’t be votes at these hearings, but these do set the stage for a vote, at least on the House side, very soon, perhaps after the Thanksgiving recess. It’s encouraging that the House subcommittee is acting so quickly. They could have punted to after Thanksgiving, but they chose to tackle it before the break.”
Lawmakers on the Senate committee are expected to ask the hearing’s witnesses many questions, making certain to consider tribal rights in any future internet gaming regulations. “The Indian community has a lot of questions,” Pappas admitted. “They’ve been behind the curve on planning for this natural expansion of gambling. This is an opportunity for them to express their concerns about the issue.”
As of this writing, the complete witness lists for the hearings hasn’t been made public. However, both hearings will be able to be seen live online.
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US Regulation
New Jersey voters approve sports betting at casinos and race tracks by wide margin
By Donald Wittkowski – pressofatlanticcity.com
New Jersey residents want to bet on the Super Bowl, the World Series, the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament, and other professional and college sports.
By about a 2-1 margin Tuesday, they approved a ballot referendum to legalize sports betting at the Atlantic City casinos and the state’s horse-racing tracks – providing a potential boon to two struggling industries. Unofficial returns showed the measure was favored by 66 percent of the voters, with 34 percent opposed.
But first, a federal ban on sports betting in all but four states would have to be lifted by Congress or overturned by the courts for New Jersey to offer wagering on professional and college teams.
“A big ‘yes’ vote will send a strong message to Congress and the courts that New Jersey has the same right to the revenues, jobs and tourism that legal sports betting brings to the state of Nevada,” said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union.
Lesniak, one of the state’s biggest sports betting proponents, plans to introduce legislation as soon as this week to get the ball rolling. New Jersey’s ballot question authorizes the Legislature to amend the state constitution to make sports betting legal. Betting would be permitted on professional and collegiate sports, except for athletic events taking place in New Jersey or games involving New Jersey colleges.
Lesniak hopes a sports betting bill can be approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie by Jan. 10, when the current legislative session ends. The governor has expressed his support for sports betting.
“He wants to get it passed when it’s still hot and put it on the governor’s desk,” said William J. Pascrell III, a lobbyist who is working with Lesniak on the sports betting campaign.
Lesniak and Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Salem, Gloucester, Cumberland, also plan to be back in court by February with their lawsuit to overturn the federal ban on sports betting, Pascrell said. Currently, only Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana are allowed to offer sports betting because they had it before the federal ban was enacted in 1992.
Casinos and racetracks lobbied heavily for sports betting in hopes that it will revive two slumping industries. Pascrell said an estimated $800 million in additional revenue would be generated annually for the 11 casinos and the four tracks, including Atlantic City Race Course in Mays Landing.
Citing a University of Pennsylvania study conducted last year, Pascrell also said sports betting is expected to generate more than $10 billion in annual wagering. New Jersey would get an 8 percent cut of the betting action through the state’s gross wagering tax.
“That’s $800 million off the top before anybody wins or loses,” Pascrell said of the state’s estimated share.
Additional income for the state would come from New Jersey’s income tax. Pascrell said gamblers would have to pay income tax on their winnings.
Not everyone is enamored with sports betting, however. The major sports leagues lobbied against it, claiming that it could lead to cheating scandals. Arnold Wexler, former executive director of the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling, fears that sports betting will lead to more problem gamblers.
“I believe that anytime you add or expand gambling, you get more people to try it and it adds to addiction,” Wexler said.
Wexler argued that New Jersey’s sports betting efforts may simply be a waste of time. He predicted that Congress will not lift the federal ban, saying the chances of a repeal are “zero to none.”
“I can’t see them getting it, because I can’t see the feds allowing it,” Wexler said. “I can’t see it happening. Not in our lifetime.”
Atlantic City casino customers interviewed Tuesday said they are anxious to begin placing sports bets. One of them, Mike Pisko, 77, of Freehold, Monmouth County, said he would come to Atlantic City more often if sports betting became legal.
“If they got it here, it would bring me down on Sundays for football,” said Pisko, who was wearing a New York Giants jacket and a baseball cap bearing the logo of the Haskell Invitational thoroughbred race at Monmouth Park.
Pisko, a retired harness-racing driver who owns thoroughbreds, believes sports betting is crucial for revitalizing New Jersey’s racetracks. He characterized the tracks as a “dying industry.”
Michael Luna, 45, an Atlantic City resident, said sports betting would boost the local economy and complement efforts to turn the gambling town into a more appealing tourist destination.
“Helping out the local economy in terms of bringing more revenue to the casinos is a plus,” Luna said. “It also adds to the opportunity of Atlantic City becoming a magnet for families and entertainment. And with this being a football and baseball area, it would be a win-win.”
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 NJ sports betting won’t be slowed by NFL opposition, Chris Christie saysBy Bob Jordan -mycentraljersey.comGov. Chris Christie said he is prepared to buck any opposition from the National Football League on legalizing sports betting in New Jersey, even with the NFL committed to siting the 2014 Super Bowl in the Garden State.Voters in a statewide referendum Tuesday overwhelmingly approved allowing sports betting in New Jersey, but only if a federal ban affecting the state is lifted or repealed, with 64 percent in favor.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday that the league has “a long-held unwavering opposition to gambling on NFL games,” but declined to comment on whether the 2014 Super Bowl could become leverage in stopping New Jersey’s plans. A gaming analyst said it is possible that the NFL could dangle the Super Bowl to have New Jersey reconsider its plans. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see the NFL test the waters a bit to see what the initial reaction would be should they threaten to pull the Super Bowl,” said Christopher Costigan, publisher of Gambling911.com. But Costigan predicted that for the NFL to actually carry out a relocation “would turn out to be a PR nightmare on their part and would go against the will of the people who have voted in favor of legalized sports betting in the state.” A sports betting bill is being introduced in the New Jersey Senate by Union County Democrat Raymond J. Lesniak. Christie said that if the proposal clears vetting by his administration, he “wouldn’t have any problems signing it.” “The people of New Jersey want sports betting, which is clear to me now, by a 2-1 margin almost that they do. One of my jobs as governor is to listen to the people,” Christie said. “They’ve spoken. I’ll work as hard as I can to try to make it a reality. I want to caution the people that it’s going to be a long process. ‘’ Christie said he is aware of statements from the NFL against the proposal. “I find this kind of funny, actually. There’s betting going on the NFL knows about every Sunday. We have betting every week, as we do for every week of every NFL season. The idea that somehow it’s more threatening to have that done publicly in a regulated manner than to have it done by organized crime and other criminals underground is kind of a mystifying position to me,” he said. Christie said he has not been contacted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell since the referendum was held, and added: “I’m sure that if he has a real problem with what we’re doing, he’s got my number. He’ll pick up (the phone) and give me a call.” |
