Lesniak to Introduce 'Foreign Gambling' Bill in New Jersey

Thursday sees the start of a 5 day trial in New Jersey regarding online gambling. Should everything run smoothly then it's the green light and all systems go, however the Senator that's responsible for pushing the whole thing through, appears to be looking at a much bigger picture. Senator Ray Lesniak is about to announce his intentions on the international online gaming stage, proposing that New Jersey offer its services in other regulated countries.

The move is expected to be confirmed soon, and Senator Lesniak has mentioned the idea in the past, and seems set to push for legislation to be able to do so. For New Jersey online poker, nothing will change it all comes down to players at tables, and although the Garden State has a much larger population than both the regulated states of Delaware and Nevada, it still may not be enough to generate the interest and the income that is expected. This new idea does not change that and to do so there are a few things in the way i.e at present there is no legislation that provides for either interstate compacts or international deals and that would of course need to be changed first and US Federal law does not extend beyond US borders.

Update: In a press conference Senator Lesniak stated that his idea is to offer restricted foreign internet wagering licences. This bill would have no impact on US legal poker and any interstate or international compacts would still have to be made. The exact wording was...

"Holders of restricted foreign Internet wagering licenses shall solely conduct restricted foreign Internet wagering activities in jurisdictions outside the United States in which such activities are lawful. Conduct of restricted foreign Internet wagering activities in violation of federal law, the law of the State of New Jersey or any other state or Tribal area in the United States, or in any foreign jurisdiction, shall lead to immediate suspension or revocation of a restricted foreign Internet wagering license, at the discretion of the division."