Iowa officials debate legalizing online gambling
On a national level, playing online blackjack and other casino games on the internet for money is illegal, but many states are pushing to legalize online gambling within their borders. A bill is currently making its way through Iowa's Senate that would legalize online gambling though Iowa-based casinos. The Associated Press reports that a three-member panel of the Senate State Government Committee has given its approval of the bill, and it will soon make its way to the entire committee for debate.
"Right now you have a lot of gambling going on via the internet, which is illegal right now in the state of Iowa," Sharon Haselhoff, general manager of Grand Falls Casino and Resort, told local news network KELOLAND TV. "So, what the bill does is, through the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, it allows folks to go into a casino, register to make sure they're not on the statewide ban list, make sure they're 21 years of age to set up their account, then be able to go home, within the state of Iowa, and play internet poker against folks throughout the state of Iowa."
Allowing Iowa residents to gamble from the comfort of their own homes, whether they enjoy blackjack or slots, will benefit the state. Legalizing online poker has the potential to bring in between $3 and $13 million in revenue for Iowa, according to a recent report by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission. The report indicates that there are two separate methods of taxing the online gambling sector - one affecting the providers and the other impacting the gamblers. Taxation of the site providers, known as Gross Gaming Revenue, is the more popular option. Taxing players' deposits individually would result in less revenue, according to the report.
Even though the sub-committee has approved the bill in the preliminary stages, and the Gaming Commission has thoroughly studied the benefits of legalizing online gambling, many Iowans still oppose the idea. A recent poll conducted by the Des Moines Register indicates that only 28 percent of respondents support the legalization and regulation of online poker. While the results show a 69 percent opposition, this is an improvement over the 73 percent who disagreed with the idea in 2011.
Do you think the bill stands a chance of being signed into law? Could Iowa's proposed management model serve as a reference for federal regulations?
Published on 22 February 2012