Governor Chris Christie may not have many friends in the New Jersey gaming fraternity right now. His stock has risen in the central state of Iowa though.
In giving bill S-490 a conditional veto the Governor has set it up so that Iowa will likely become the much vaunted “Silicon Valley” of internet gambling in the US should legislation be approved later this year.
We reported yesterday that the bill has already passed a Senate Committee and is now only months from entering law, if the Senate and Iowa House also agree to the bill.
Iowa’s “Senate File 1165” online poker bill now has the chance to steal the march on Jersey, California, and Florida in becoming the pioneer of online gaming at an intra-state level.
The fallout from yesterday’s veto has also gathered momentum back home in Jersey as Senator Lesniak gained the backing of Gov. Christie to continue working on gambling in the state.
In a statement Lesniak explained that Christie will “work with Senator Lesniak to make sure Internet wagering comes to the Garden State.”
The statement also said, “While the Governor expressed concern with some aspects of the bill today, he’s committed to the general idea that we have to expand gaming product in order to bring our gaming industry back from the brink of fiscal insolvency.
“I’m encouraged that he’s expressed an interest to work together to maintain the core idea behind Internet wagering while making sure that such operations cannot be hijacked by unscrupulous operators.”
Whatever the reasoning behind Christie’s veto, it’s fair to say that the first state to regulate won’t be far off. Whether it is Iowa, California, or Florida you feel Christie may rue the decision to veto.
