Anti-Climax: Internet poker Bill defeated
Published: Friday, March 25, 2005 Online-Casinos.com
NORTH DAKOTA ANTI-CLIMAX
Internet poker Bill defeated
Associated Press reported early this week that North Dakota's flirtation with legalised Internet poker, Bill HB 1509 has come to an end following a decisive 44 - 3 vote defeat in the state Senate.
Senator David Nething probably summed up the feeling among voting legislators Monday when he said, "This is just another vehicle for more gambling in North Dakota, and I'm not so sure we want it."
The measure lost in the Senate, 44 - 3 despite the strenuous lobbying of fellow senators by the Bill's sponsor, Sen. Jim Kasper having passed the House last month on a 49 - 43 vote.
Sens. Connie Triplett, John Syverson, and Jack Traynor backed the measure. They supported it in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which reviewed the legislation. North Dakota voters would have had to approve a state constitutional amendment for the regulatory bill to take effect. Traynor said a Senate vote supporting the legislation would still leave the question in voters' hands.
"It strikes me that we should let the people of the state decide if they want this," Traynor said. "The promoters have told us it could amount ... to some significant economic activity in our communities."
Senators voted to approve amendments to the legislation Monday, before deciding to kill the bill. It was not sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further work, as is customary for a measure with a large price tag. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem estimated it would cost at least $1 million over two years to regulate the industry, an expense industry officials have said they would be willing to pay.
Critics of the measure said they were wary of the U.S. Justice Department's stand that Internet gambling in general is illegal. Stenehjem and Gov. John Hoeven declined to endorse the legislation.
"There are at least three federal laws out there that make this legislation suspect," said Sen. Carolyn Nelson.
North Dakota's Internet poker bill has been a frequently cited example of recent state attempts to broaden cyberspace gambling. South Dakota's Legislature has approved allowing telephone and electronic mail wagering on horse or dog races, as long as interstate betting is done using South Dakota bank accounts.
Lawmakers in Illinois and Georgia are considering bills to allow Internet lottery ticket sales. In Georgia, the measure is awaiting a Senate vote after winning easy House approval. The Illinois bill is still awaiting its first vote, in the Senate.
Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands have previously approved measures that would authorize licensing of Internet casinos, but the Justice Department's stance has stalled potential regulation in those jurisdictions.
One legislator said the Senate should not spend any more time debating Internet poker. "We have far more pressing priorities that we should be addressing ... whether they be K-12 education, or human services, or corrections, state employee salaries, renewable energy. Gambling is not one of those issues that's a high priority."
