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Governor's Bill Questioned

The online casino industry in the United States has been seriously limited due to last year’s Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). The majority of offshore internet gambling companies (and really any company related to the e-gaming industry) were forced out of the U.S. market with the threat of severe consequences from the U.S. Department of Justice for any companies that continue to operate or support online casinos in the U.S. And though that bill was enough to significantly cut down on the amount of internet gambling in the U.S., Massachusetts’ Governor Deval Patrick has taken the internet gambling ban one step further with a newly proposed bill that expands land-based casinos in the state, yet makes online casino gambling an offense punishable by imprisonment.

Patrick’s 28 page proposal, known as the “Act Establishing and Regulating Resort Casinos in the Commonwealth," proposes that the state build three resort-style land-based casinos that would bring in billions each year in additional revenue for the state. But what isn’t outwardly stated in the bill – and is in fact hidden within the dense wording of the bill, is a paragraph that would make online casino gambling punishable by up to two years in prison or a $25,000 fine.

The now highly debatably issue about making online casinos illegal for Massachusetts residents is just one of the many problems contained in the gambling bill. The Poker Player’s Alliance (PPA) has campaigned heavily in the media to alert Mass. residents to the hidden clause that would pass through along with the land-based resort casinos legislation. But even beyond that, most are surmising that there is scarcely a chance that the legislation will pass because of grossly overstated revenue claims and underestimated costs related to building the three planned casino resorts, let alone the highly controversial paragraph about online casinos gambling.

"They're short in all of the accounts,” remarks Massachusetts Representative Dan Bosely. "There isn't enough for public infrastructure, mitigation, or all sorts of social ills. It's pie in the sky, and they're not going to do this." And that sentiment is certainly a relief to many Mass. residents and closet online casino poker enthusiasts.