Gary Pretlow expressed reservations about the 2016 bill, but seems more assured by the 2017 version.
New York State Assemblyman Gary Pretlow said 2017 might be the year his state passes an online poker bill. Assemblyman Pretlow said he has met with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to discuss issues of player security and safety in a future regulated online poker market in New York.
Gary Pretlow is a sponsor of an online poker bill in the Assembly. Towards the end of 2016, the longtime assemblyman indicated misgivings with the chances of passing an iGaming bill in 2017. At the time, he suggested the odds were something in the range of 1000 to 1.
Questioned Whether Poker Was Skill or Luck
Pretlow even questioned whether poker was a game of skill or luck at the time. At the time, New York State Senator John Bonacic, who has a similar bill in New York’s upper house, said he was “confused” by Gary Pretlow’s comments. Those comments might have had something to do with the online poker bill failing in the New York Assembly, after the bill passed in the Senate.
According to Assemblyman Pretlow, his main concern was about colllusion between online poker players. He said those concerns were alleviated after his discussions with the New Jersey DGE officials. New Jersey’s online gambling system is considered a prototype with other states considering passage of regulations for online casinos or online poker sites. Their officials have been consulted by politicians in a number of states, including Texas.
New York Player Liquidity
If a bill were passed in New York, it would have tremendous implications for the future of online gambling in the United States. With a population of 20 million people, the inclusion of New York’s poker community would have consequences for player liquidity in the US online poker industry. New York would have to sign deals with other states to make an impact, but Nevada/Delaware have an interstate poker compact and New Jersey would be anxious to sign such a deal.
Also, the United Kingdom has discussed signing an online poker agreement with New Jersey. If New York added its player pool to those negotiations, the resulting set of agreements might bind together US poker gaming, while adding a lucrative outside partner. New York’s inclusion might bind together the US online poker industry
The bill championed by Pretlow and Bonacic last year focused more on the demand side than the supply side of the business. It discussed how consumers would be affected by having more legal choices for gaming, stating “The internet has become an integral part of society, and internet poker a major form of entertainment for many consumers.”
Unregulated vs. Regulated Online Gambling
Unregulated online gambling is less safe and secure for the players, while it has few protections for those who struggle with problem gambling. Regulated online gambling, though, allows the legislature to insist on self-exclusion lists, panic buttons, helplines and hotlines for compulsive players, and public awareness campaigns.
That is what the 2016 online poker bill, which is likely to be similar to the 2017 bill, focused upon. It said, “Any interactive gaming enforcement and regulatory structure must begin from the bedrock premise that participation in a lawful and licensed gaming industry is a privilege and not a right, and that regulatory oversight is intended to safeguard the integrity of the games and participants and to ensure accountability and the public trust.”
Gary Pretlow on Sports Betting
Assemblyman Pretlow indicated in recent months that he closely follows the New Jersey sports betting case. If and when the federal ban on sports gambling (PAPSA) is scrapped, Pretlow hopes to pass a sports betting bill in New York state.
If Pretlow follows the New Jersey model, as he said he plans to do with online poker, then legalized sportsbooks would be opened at the state’s racetracks, like Tioga Downs and Aquaduct (Resorts World New York City). In New Jersey, the state planned to look the other way as Monmouth Park/William Hill opened a sportsbook.
