After a successful first year with legal mobile sports betting, state Sen. Joseph Addabbo is now working on legalizing poker, craps, and blackjack in New York. The reintroduced legislation improves upon the 2023 version to fit the fiscal budget. Addabbo aims to bring in roughly $1 billion a year from online gaming and lottery, with a 30.5% tax rate and a $2 million licensing fee to offset any deficits.
State Assemblyman Gary Pretlow is on board with the proposal and is already looking to introduce the Assembly version of the refreshed bill within the year. With these plans already underway, it’s worth considering the state’s current stance on poker and how likely legalization is to happen.
New York’s laws on online poker
Much of Sen. Addabbo’s urgency is due to the significant market being taken by neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Currently, New Yorkers are flocking to these states to have legal access to digital casinos and other gambling avenues. This is due to the continued rut in New York’s decision to legalize these activities after more than half a decade.
The interesting factor is that online gambling is already legal in a limited form. At the same time, live poker in New York has long been legal as well. While the state has not legalized online poker, it hasn’t restricted access to trusted global platforms. This means that players who may want to try online poker in New York are relegated to using a reliable site while waiting for local regulation. Americas Cardroom is a popular, secure choice because of its international platform and established brand. While it clearly caters to American players, it sits comfortably in a workaround zone because it operates internationally and isn’t necessarily covered by regulation.
Since it employs offshore sites with SSL encryption and independent auditing, players can join securely without infringing on existing regulations or risking their data. Newbies just getting into the sport may likely be more comfortable traveling to nearby states to participate in any online poker activity.
The Big Apple’s poker boom
The popularity of online poker in recent years is mainly due to its accessibility. With pro players sharing their careers on social media and inviting more people to take part in tournaments, amateurs and experts alike are becoming more enticed to go digital. Famous players naturally increase the popularity of this mind sport, and the growing theme of the community has been stewardship for new players looking to go pro.
One of the most prominent leaders in this arena has been Americas Cardroom’s Chris Moneymaker. The man infamously popularized online poker in the first place with his 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event win, and he continues this legacy by being the ambassador of a platform known for the biggest tournaments in the US. He even fronts Moneymaker Tours to give players from different skill levels the chance to join him on Main Events and cash out.
Joining Moneymaker in this pantheon of poker leaders is online influencer Dan Bilzerian, whose active posting has enticed more players as he shares his lavish lifestyle. A considerable part of this narrative has been his poker career, where he has openly shared making most of his winnings through private games over his WSOP placements. Topping off this trio of impact is Ryan Depaulo, a proud pro player from New York, who notoriously won his WSOP title in a supermarket parking lot in New Jersey.
These kinds of stories make Addabbo and Pretlow’s push for full regulation and licensing in the city understandable. What makes this iteration of the online poker bill different from previous attempts is the promising attitude from the current administration. Experts who favor online casinos have noted US president Donald Trump’s support for the gaming industry and see it as a sign that renewed efforts may finally be realized. Although the final call will still be a state decision, the presidential backing may be the ticket to New York’s official online poker era.
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