Online Poker Discussed in Massachusetts Committee Hearing

On Thursday, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies held a hearing to review proposals to expand gambling within the Commonwealth. Speaking on behalf of the online poker industry was Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Massachusetts State Director Randy Castonguay.

The PPA representative traveled to Boston to speak at the Gardner Auditorium. The goal was to include language in any casino bill that licensed and regulated online poker, which will likely bring in over $40 million per year in revenues to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, according to figures released by the PPA. Castonguay told Poker News Daily prior to Thursday’s hearing, “Initially, we tried getting internet poker put on this year’s ballot. We were going to have the voters decide whether it should be regulated and taxed to protect the consumer.”

The Boston Globe newspaper noted that 17 bills focused on gambling would be heard on Thursday and that lawmakers were expected to remain in the city “well into the night” listening to proposals. The PPA has 25,000 members in Massachusetts out of more than one million total.

When the Commonwealth took up the issue of gambling, a provision in the proposed casino bill made playing online poker a crime. Castonguay explained in his testimony, “While the game as evolved, the way politicians think about it has not. It is hard to believe that when gaming expansion legislation was introduced two years ago and again this year, the bills included provisions that make poker on the internet a crime punishable by two years in prison and a $25,000 fine.”

On this year’s version of the casino gambling bill, Castonguay told Poker News Daily, “We want to get the language criminalizing online poker out of the current casino bill. Essentially, they took last year’s bill, made a few changes, and put it back in. They didn’t take out the language that criminalizes internet poker. We think that’s ridiculous.” Massachusetts’ inclusion is similar to the Washington State’s stance on internet gambling. There, playing online poker constitutes a Class C felony.

Castonguay tried to submit a copy of a petition backed by the PPA that calls for the regulation of online poker in Massachusetts. He explained, “Unfortunately, our petition was not certified by the Attorney General’s office due to a disagreement with our language. Fortunately, however, this Committee and our State legislature can regulate internet gambling through the formal lawmaking process.” PPA Executive Director John Pappas explained that the disagreement was with “how the petition was drafted and whether it could be put into a sensible ballot initiative.”

Castonguay’s focus was on advocating online poker as opposed to broader initiatives like internet gambling or online wagering on sports. The Massachusetts State Director explained, “We are advocating regulation of internet poker, not internet craps or roulette. And as every member of this Committee knows, unlike craps or roulette, poker is a game of skill that has been played in the home since the dawn of the game.”

A separate Globe article noted that a new casino bill is expected in January. Proponents have argued that allowing casino gambling in Massachusetts will bring badly-needed jobs and revenue to the Commonwealth, while adversaries argue that addiction and other societal ills will increase.

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) has introduced a similar measure on the national level. HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, was introduced in May and has attracted 62 cosponsors. The measure outlines a complete licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States.

Read Castonguay’s online poker testimony.

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