Two more states could potentially introduce online poker in their respective territories in the coming months. North Dakota and Illinois recently made some progress in their online poker campaign and things are looking up.
North Dakota Closer to Legalizing Online Poker
Rep. Kasper’s House Concurrent Resolution 3012 successfully passed the House on February 24, by a vote of 54-40. The bill now proceeds to the Senate, and if it ultimately supports the measure, residents in North Dakota will make a decision on whether or not to legalize online poker in the state during the November 2022 general election. If it gets enough support from the constituents, Constitutional changes would then be made to allow for online poker.
Apart from online poker, the issue about sports betting will also be placed on the 2022 general election ballot, if House Concurrent Resolution 3032 is also passed by the Senate. Another proposal, House Bill 1389, which tackles the licensing process for online poker if voters ultimately go for it, also received enough support from the House.
Under House Bill 1389, the attorney general would be tasked with laying out regulations and granting licenses. Operators would need to pay a one-time licensing fee of $10,000 upon application, and an annual renewal fee of $5,000.
A 10% tax would also be imposed on the operators’ adjusted gross proceeds, to be paid every month. Poker players should be at least 21 years old to be able to play online poker, and the poker games that would be initially allowed include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, stud, low ball, draw, and “any combination” of the said games. A portion of online poker tax revenue would also go towards a fund that would benefit local schools, as well as the problem gamblers.
Rep. Kasper has been a staunch advocate of poker in North Dakota. In fact, he also introduced an online poker bill 16 years ago, but it found very little success because of legal issues surrounding the Interstate Wire Act of 1961. During that time, all forms of interstate gaming were prohibited, and legislators were concerned that supporting Rep. Kasper’s bill would violate the law.
In his second attempt to bring online poker to The Peace Garden State, Rep. Kasper is optimistic everything would go well, especially with the latest ruling on the Wire Act case.
Rep. Kasper said a Senate vote on the bills could come out a few weeks from now.
Illinois Pushes for Online Gaming Launch
On February 19, Illinois representatives Robert Rita and Jonathan Carroll introduced a bill that would fast-track the launch of online gaming in the state, under the “Internet Gaming Act”. The bill will be voted upon by a committee, and if it gets the needed support, it will be considered for a floor vote.
Under the proposal, the Illinois Gaming Board must establish regulations within 90 days to speed things up. This significantly shortens the amount of time that the launching process needs to go through before an actual launch takes effect.
Additionally, the bill also recommends that the state regulators follow existing blueprints by other states, and fast track the license approval process by granting a temporary license to casino or online poker applicants which have already been approved to offer sports betting. The temporary license, valid for one year, must be granted by the Illinois Gaming Board within 30 days.
A total of 13 licenses would be granted, each costing $500,000, with operators also required to pay a $250,000 four-year renewal fee. The bill is proposing a tax rate of 12% of adjusted gross revenue.
The key highlight of the bill is a provision that would allow Illinois to take part in interstate gaming compacts. This means the state could join Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware in the existing multi-state online poker agreement.