NEW YORK — As budget deficits continue to increase, several states are getting more serious about legalizing online gambling as a potential revenue source.
Nevada, Iowa, New Jersey, California and the District of Columbia are among those whose leaders are taking steps to allow citizens to play poker online, The New York Times reported Jan. 17.
The American Gaming Association says legalizing online poker could generate as much as $2 billion per year in tax revenue, The Times said.
Some states won’t stop at poker, The Times said. The District of Columbia is considering blackjack and bingo, and New Jersey already attempted to legalize all sorts of casino gambling online.
A report commissioned in Iowa found, “Given the ease, convenience and constant availability of online gambling, it is speculated that legal Internet gambling could exacerbate problems for an unknown number of Iowans with, or at risk of developing, gambling problems.”
The U.S. Department of Justice in December cleared the way for states to generate revenue through online gambling, including lotteries, poker and other games that do not involve sports by reversing a longstanding position that all forms of online gambling were illegal in the United States.
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