New Jersey a Step Closer to Online Gambling Legalization

With American gambling laws in a state of confusion, many gambling industry experts are shaking their heads and ready to go elsewhere. Yet, there are few lights on the horizon.

Recent American gambling news bring a state law update. New Jersey state senate committee just sent a bill seeking to legalize online gambling in the state.

This comes against very strong opposition from certain anti-gambling pastors as well as from horse racing industry. These are the Meadowlands, with the chariot horse racing, nice but boring, who are to lose on the legalization of Internet betting.

This is not to say that horse racing punters will now pursue mobile betting with their Androids or iPhones. Rather the Meadowlands worry that current horse bettors may go away and spend their money on video poker or at blackjack tournaments.

The horse racing industry will likely seek to push for a constitutional amendment to allow online gambling, hoping the amendment fails to reach needed majority.

Whether the bill will pass the state assembly isn’t clear yet. In addition, Governor Christie vetoed Internet gambling bill last year. As an anti-horse man, without real cowboy within, the Governor worried that the online casino revenues would go the horse racing industry rather than Atlantic City supporters running their own land-based casinos.

Now, the game of gambling regulation seems to evolve around the money, not whether online gambling should be allowed in the Garden State.

Who will win: the pastors, horse racing masters, Atlantic City casinos, or gamblers?