However, that was in the second week of January, and no action has been taken since. What did happen was that a group of legislators decided that gambling and its effects on New Yorkers needs to be studied.
A bill is quickly moving through the Assembly now that could well put online poker on the back burner for several years.
“The commissioner, in consultation with the New York State Gaming Commission, is authorized and directed to commission a statewide evaluation regarding the extend of gambling by New York state residents, including, but not limited to the lottery, horse racing, Native American casinos, internet gambling, sports betting, and poker. Such evaluation shall be delivered to the governor and legislature no later than December 1, 2023. The evaluation shall be prepared by an independent entity and selected through a request for proposal process. Such evaluation shall include the percentage of New York residents participating in each gambling activity by age, race, income, education, sex, and any other demographic that would be relevant to the evaluation; and an estimate of the amount of money being wagered and lost by New York residents in each gambling activity.” The commission stated.
However, it is unclear if the study will try to delineate between online poker and other casino games or address the issue of offshore internet gaming. it seems unlikely that an online poker or other gambling expansion bill would make it through the legislature until the results of the study are received and analyzed.
So, in conclusion what has happen with the bill A.00591, is that was pre-filed earlier in January, and it does show a date of January 9. Already, A.00591 went to the Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee on January 23, and the unanimous votes of the 13 members sent the bill to the Ways and Means Committee.
Its summary seems harmless enough, but the purpose of the bill is to examine various types of gambling before allowing New York to expand it.
