At the Friday May 13 meeting of the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee, Governor Brian Sandoval said that he was willing to sign an interstate compact to share online poker liquidity with New Jersey immediately. “I’m ready to go,” said the governor, adding, “It’s a win-win for both states.” The governor was immediately backed by A.G. Burnett, the chairman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Burnett said that he was “ready, willing and able” to sign an interstate agreement with New Jersey. The Policy Committee was clearly unsure as to why New Jersey was not equally enthusiastic. The committee told the…

The California horse racing industry has come out in official support of online poker bill AB 2863 in advance of next week’s hearing in the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee. PokerNews.com has obtained a copy of the letter that nine industry leaders sent to Assemblyman Adam Gray, chair of the committee and co-lead sponsor of the bill. In the letter, the industry expressed support for the bill with a few reasonable caveats: The $60 million annual payment to horse racing is not changed. Assemblyman Gray told PokerNews last month that the figure was not up for negotiation. Tax rate and licensing…

To the surprise of no one, the insider trading charges filed by Canadian regulators against former Amaya CEO David Baazov (Baazov has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his position as CEO and Chairman of the Board) are already having a negative impact on efforts to pass an online poker bill in California, and based on some of the comments coming out of the Golden State, it could lead to a major shakeup among the coalitions that have formed between certain stakeholders. The situation PokerStars is now facing has bolstered the company’s detractors, evidenced by tribal lobbyist David Quintana’s…

Hopes were raised in the U.S. online poker community earlier this week when it was reported the New York Senate included a provision in its budget proposal that would legalize online poker in the Empire State. And now, a recent article by Gambling Compliance has raised hopes even higher. According to Gambling Compliance (paywall), the Chairman of the New York Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee, Gary Pretlow, is ready to tackle the issue, telling the industry trade publication he wanted to make sure the state’s land-based casinos were on board with such a proposal. “I don’t want to throw any…

There may yet be hope for ending the long stalemate between California tribes and racetracks on Internet poker. PokerNews.com has received a copy of language Assemblyman Adam Gray has floated to industry stakeholders to fill out his shell bill AB 431 from last year. The new bill may be introduced in the next week, prior to the Feb. 19 deadline for bills to be introduced in 2016. The major development in this proposed language compared to previous bills in the state is a $57 million annual stipend to the horse racing industry in exchange for acceptance not to be operators….

New York will have another crack at online poker. Legislation that would regulate online poker sites in the Empire State was re-introduced this week. The measure was considered last year but didn’t gain any traction in Albany. The bill is from Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, who is pushing legislation along with Sen. Bonacic, who has yet to re-introduce his proposal. Both are at the helm of gaming and racing committees. The latter’s poker bill was up for public discussion in the fall, although a vote wasn’t held. New York held the hearing in early September on whether to regulate online poker…