Florida Next to Legalize Online Poker

Following New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s veto of a bill that would have legalized Internet gambling in his state, others are hoping to become the first to do so, including Florida.

From the News-Press:

Legislation has been filed that would license the state's pari-mutuels - horse and dog racing tracks and jai alai frontons - to tap into gambling revenues on the World Wide Web. It's yet another proposal to help dig the state out of its $3.5 billion budget hole.

A Senate committee report last month estimated net revenue of almost $37 million by the third year of regulated poker. State Rep. Joseph Abruzzo said a gaming company that studied the issue estimated even more revenue. There are 900,000 Floridians registered to play online poker, and a third of them play for money.

A handful of other states are looking to legalize online gambling in the coming months, including Iowa and California. 

Federal legislation is expected to be introduced next month.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com