New Federal Online Gambling Bill With Poker Carveout Making Rounds in Washington

Online Poker Report – A new online gambling bill that includes a carveout for online poker is said to be in play at the federal level. That’s per Nevada journalist John Ralston, who posted a copy of the bill draft on his site here. Ralston did not offer much additional context for the bill, saying only that it is “floating around DC,” and adding “I smell a Nevada company.” The bill draft is titled the “Internet Gambling Prohibition and Control Act of 2014” – a variation on the original title of the Sheldon Adelson-backed “Restoration of America’s Wire Act” (RAWA)…

Holland igaming bill held up but final process not in doubt

iGaming Business – Holland’s remote gaming bill should be presented to the country’s parliament before the Summer recess despite the coalition government cancelling a planned meeting to discuss provisions in the bill at the end of last week. The meeting was cancelled due to disagreements between different members of the governing coalition, which is made up of the Dutch People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Labour Party. The Dutch parliament breaks up in early July and igaming and lottery reforms were due for discussion at last week’s meeting. Justin Franssen, partner at the law firm Kalff Katz &…

New Jersey Senator Lesniak to craft sports betting bill for casinos

North Jersey – State Sen. Ray Lesniak, D-Union, on Monday announced at the East Coast Gaming Conference in Atlantic City that he is preparing a bill to allow for private operation of sports betting at the state’s racetracks and casinos – threatening to call the bluff of the federal government regarding sports betting, . Lesniak spearheaded legalization of online gaming in the state as well as its challenge of a federal law now negating the state’s sports betting law. He said he will move forward on the bill in the Legislature should the U.S. Supreme Court decline to hear the…

UK remote gambling bill given Royal Assent

iGaming Business – The Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Bill is to enter into UK law after it was granted Royal Assent by the British monarchy. The new legislation amends the 2005 Gambling Act and will enable the Gambling Commission licensing system to cover all UK remote gambling operators. Under the previous Act, remote gambling operators that located their remote gambling equipment overseas did not need a remote operating licence from the Gambling Commission regulatory body, where as UK-based companies were required to have one. The new legislation will require all remote gambling operators in the UK market to obtain a…

Rhode Island bill would allow casino to extend $75K in credit

Providence Journal – The  owners of the private Twin River casino are seeking legislative permission to give up to $75,000 in “interest-free, unsecured credit” on state-sponsored gambling. The bill was introduced last Thursday by new House Finance Chairman Raymond Gallison, D-Bristol.  It has not yet been scheduled for a hearing, but came to light on the same day the House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on a  second, tangential bill to protect unlucky gamblers from having a Rhode Island place a lien on their property  for an unpaid gambling debt. The preamble to the bill allowing Twin River to…