iGaming bills keep coming for NY state

The Empire State of the United States, New York State, has already received three bills for the online gambling market to be some day legal within the great US state. What concerns to lawmakers and legislators from New York is that we are only on the first month of the year 2015 and the online gambling market is still one of the most punished industries in the country. Three online gambling bills in only two weeks, shows that there is something wrong with the legislation in the US state of New York.

Gary Pretlow, New York Assemblyman as well as Chairman of the Racing and Wagering Committee, is positive about seeing finally NY iGaming legislation for this year 2015. The Assemblyman has publicly stated that the Empire State is now studying the possibility to open the online gambling markets in the year of 2015. The comments from Gary Pretlow are having a great effect on the gambling market in the Empire State as the Assembly member is the first choice to be appointed as the lawmaker who will write the bill for the online gambling market. Pretlow had already introduced another iGaming bill into the Assembly during the last year of 2014 along with Senator John Bonacic, who did the same in the NY Senate. However, not only lawmakers are realizing the huge mistake that the state of New York is making by criminalizing any online gambling activity.

A few months ago, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, one of the few ones that applied for a casino license in New York, created the Let NY Play campaign, movement for the legalization of online gambling in the state. The company did not get its license as casino granted, but its initiative is becoming one of the most relevant in the battle for an online gambling regulation. However, the reality is that the Empire State is the one leading the country and, legalizing the online gambling would mean opening the debate over and over again. Even Assemblyman Pretlow has recognized that “online poker will not happen within the year”. However, New York’s goals in terms of gambling are not taking online gaming seriously; the Empire State is only going to work on the development of the land-based gambling industry, granting so far three casino licenses.