New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill Thursday that would have allowed New Jersey to become the first state to offer legal and regulated Internet gambling. The bill was designed to allow intrastate gaming (only in New Jersey) and would have been a boon for tax collectors set to retain a 23 percent tax from the casino group's running the games.
Union County Democrat (New Jersey State Senator) Raymond Lesniak filed a federal lawsuit seeking to allow sports betting in all 50 states two years ago and also introduced the current legislation considered by the Governor. He personally blamed Gov. Christie's decision on the strong lobbying of the Caesars Entertainment group, which according to Lesniak, "don't want any state, particularly New Jersey, to take the lead on this."
Although several other states are considering similar bills, Caesars Entertainment may indeed be much more interested in a nationwide internet gaming bill that would provide a huge revenue stream as opposed to smaller sites providing services only for the residents of certain states.
Christie stated that he felt if casino gaming was to be offered outside of Atlantic City, then the proposal should be part of a referendum voted on by residents of the state. Or, perhaps he was unhappy with the fact that Leniak's bill would have taken in tax dollars and doled them out "to help build a bridge to self-sufficiency for our state's ailing horse tracks."
Perhaps an intrastate gaming bill that took a huge tax (like 23 percent) and gave the money to what is deemed a more worthy beneficiary, like the ailing school system would be an easier sell.
What are your thoughts on legalized internet gambling? Should the US ignore it, or try to regulate it and take in billions in new tax revenue while offering a safe, regulated industry?
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