Florida Looking to Speed Up Online Poker Regulation

Monday, 16 August 2010 - 21:06 Florida Looking to Speed Up Online Poker Regulation

Due to the effects of recession, the state of Florida, like many others in the US, has seen a significant decrease in tax revenues and is expected to have a $6 billion deficit for 2011.

So for a possible solution, proponents of online gaming are recommending Florida to promote legislation that will legalise Internet gambling sites, specifically online poker. This move could potentially make hundreds of millions of dollars for the state.

Rep. Joseph Abruzzo, D-Wellington is one of the supporters of the plan, saying that he will campaign for this legislation in 2011. Abruzzo claimed that the proposal would generate $200 million per year and there would also be a licensing fee of $500,000 for operators as well as a 20% tax on gross receipts.

Estimates say that US residents wager just under $6 billion per year at offshore gaming sites and it is believed there are over 1 million Internet poker players in Florida alone.

But it is actually the online poker players who are most opposed to the idea. Theresa Schofield, who represents the Poker Players Alliance (and their 1,000,000+ members) said “a Federal approach” would be better. Schofield also highlighted that, as only people from the state of Florida could actually play in these games, the prize money wouldn’t come close to what is currently offered online.

If you feel strongly about online poker and are against the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which seeks to keep US poker players from playing poker over the Internet, then visit the Poker Players Alliance and show your support.

Visit: Poker Players Alliance