LUN 29 DE ABRIL DE 2024 - 03:47hs.
Chris Christie

New Jersey Governor signs pro-online gambling bill

Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey state, has put his signature on a pro-online gambling bill that urges US President Donald Trump and the Congress not to implement a federal ban on this type of activity. Internet gambling is only legal in three states: New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware.

It can be said that out of all three, New Jersey’s iGaming market has been the most successful one. It was opened in 2013 and saw a particularly good year in 2016, when casinos offering online gambling options raked in US$ 196.7 million, up 32% from a year earlier.

The bill that was first approved by the state Legislature and was later on signed by Gov. Christie argues that the introduction of a federal online gambling ban would have quite a lot of negative consequences for New Jersey’s casino industry. The legislative piece points out that the investments already put into implementing and regulating iGaming would be dismantled if this type of activity is prohibited at a federal level.

Several other states have been trying to regulate online gambling over the past few years, but any progress they have accomplished may be marred by staunch opposition coming from powerful casino industry people as well as from their ally legislators.

Reports have recently emerged that Rep. Charlie Dent, a lawmaker whose name has long been associated with anti-online gambling efforts, would once again try to sneak the RAWA bill into the Congress.

Generally speaking, RAWA, or Restoration of America’s Wire Act, urges lawmakers to ban all forms of online gambling from being provided anywhere in the US. The piece of legislation has never made it to the Congress, although ambitious attempts have been made.

Source: GMB / Casino News Daily