When it comes to gaming in the States of America, you certainly have fifty different approaches to it. A couple (Utah and Hawaii) outright ban the activity, online or live, although Hawaii is looking to change that. Every other state, through lotteries, DFS, online sports betting, or full-on casinos (online or live), has established regulatory gaming. Some states are adjusting those regulations, however, and there are changes that players need to know about.
Arkansas Looks to Allow Online Casinos
The state of Arkansas is the first to look at legalizing online casinos if they are operated by one of the three casinos in the state. Two bills, HB1861 and SB524, are identical in their wording (meaning there would not be a need for reconciliation), which would put the Arkansas Racing Commission in charge of operations. The operations allowed under the new regulations would be traditional casino gaming, sports betting, and poker, with the revenues raised going towards collegiate athletics and the school’s different NIL (Name/Image/Likeness) funds.
An interesting piece in the proposed bills would make it illegal to offer an unregulated option inside Arkansas’ borders. “We’re in a highly regulated space…so we have an obligation to the citizens of Arkansas to best manage this risk…by making sure legitimate licensed actors are the only ones doing it,” Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa of the Saracen Casino Resort noted. What is not known is the position of Governor Sarah Huckabee, but even if the bills become law, it is not thought that the Arkansas market of three million citizens would support online poker.
New York Examines Banning “Sweepstakes” Casinos
In the state of New York, the moves being made by the legislature are trying to protect its land-based operations. While the Empire State does not have regulated online gaming, there are something called “sweepstakes” casinos that do exist. These “sweepstakes” casinos, which sell tokens that are used instead of actual currency and cash in those tokens after a session of play, have become quite popular for those who cannot access online casino gaming.
The New York General Assembly is looking to end that. With S5935, such “sweepstakes” casinos would be banned inside the state in what would be a two-pronged approach. The actual sites would be prohibited, but financial institutions would also be prohibited from facilitating financial transactions for such activities. Fines of up to $100,000 have been proposed, but the legislation has only been passed in the Senate; the Assembly has yet to pass a bill, although one has been proposed.
Pennsylvania Rules Against “Character” Clause
Pennsylvania is getting ready to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement, but the state’s Supreme Court has ended one of the tools the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has used in the past. The PGCB, in charge of regulating gaming in the state, has in the past refused licensing for gaming operators who have run afoul of what was called the “good character” clause in the state’s regulations. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has determined that it was an “unfair” act.
The Supreme Court stated that the PGCB could not rule on the “character” of those who are offering the gaming. This is regarding bars and other areas that offer games of skill, yet unregulated by the state, in particular video gaming terminals. The decision from the state’s High Court may yet be a temporary victory for these operators; it is expected that the Court may rule on whether these types of games, outside of a casino operation, are legal by the end of the year.
North Carolina Protecting Home Gaming?
The penny-ante game is where many got their start with playing poker. Playing around a kitchen table is also illegal under the current gaming laws in North Carolina, but a bill proposed in the North Carolina House would change this situation. Under the proposed bill, HB424, different gaming options would be allowed in a home (or other private property), with certain limits on how much is wagered.
The fight over this bill may be over before it starts. Although it passed out of the House Judiciary Committee by a 7-3 vote, there was a great deal of discussion about just how big a “private” game could become. WRAL News in Raleigh reports Representative Dean Arp, a Republican from Union County, as saying ““The way this bill is written … you can open this up to casino style gaming tables across the state, possibly inadvertently,” Arp also doesn’t believe that the bill is necessary because of a lack of arrests from private games.
What is driving these moves in these different states? Simple…money. States are trying to scrape whatever revenues they can get from wherever they can and gaming, be it online or live, is one of the methods that states are entertaining. The chances of any of these bills passing are unknown, but states will continue to try to find every dollar they can out of gaming activities.
