One of online poker's biggest supporters in the New York state legislature recently spoke out against those in the US Congress attempting to banish the game. State Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (D – 89th), chairman of the New York State Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee, penned an op-ed for political website RollCall.com urging members of the U.S. Congress to reject Sheldon Adelson's Restoration of America's Wire Act (RAWA).
Opponents of online gambling often say that there is no technology that exists that can effectively keep minors off of gaming sites and be sure that players are located within the jurisdiction in which internet gambling is permitted. Pretlow dismissed these statements, citing neighboring New Jersey and Delaware's successes so far. "….the security technology they have employed has not only kept gaming safe within their borders, it has created a legal system where law enforcement can crack down on the fraud and any other illegal activity that currently runs rampant in the robust online black market," he wrote.
Though Pretlow's legislative focus right now is on internet poker, he is also very concerned with what RAWA would do to his state's lottery. "RAWA would ban online lotteries, risking education dollars in New York and over a dozen other states around the country," he said.
According to Pretlow, the lottery provided $3.11 billion to fund education in the 2014-2015 fiscal year, an amount that comprises 14 percent of the state's total education funding. Much of that would certainly still be viable should RAWA pass, as most people still buy lottery tickets at brick-and-mortar locations such as gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores, but eliminating New York's online subscription option would hurt, not to mention the future revenue growth online lottery sales could see.
Prohibition doesn't work, it merely exposes children and consumers to a system primed to exploit them. What does work? A well-regulated and highly advanced system based on secure technology and fully integrated with our law enforcement's needs. New Jersey's geolocation technology has been enormously successful and has ensured that users are of legal age and within the borders of the state. Were RAWA to pass, we'd have no such technology to help keep vulnerable consumers safe.
The equation should be simple: if we can find a way to promote economic growth and protect consumers, we should do it. New York, and every state, deserves to be able to determine what gaming exists within its borders and how it is regulated — we always have had that right and it defies logic that Congress would step in now to undercut it. Congress should focus on the things that will help states, not those policies that aim to take away our power to do right by our constituents.
In May New York State Senator John Bonacic (R-42nd) made another attempt to legalize internet poker (he sponsored a twin bill to Pretlow's in the Senate last year), introducing S5302. It is largely the same as his 2014 bill, though it did get rid of the "bad actor" clause, which would allow sites such as PokerStars who continued to accept U.S. customers after the passing of the UIGEA to apply for a gaming license.