West Virginia’s 2019 legislative session started this week and with it came the introduction of Home Bill 2178, a brand new online poker and gambling bill.
This marks the third consecutive year that West Virginia lawmakers will consider on-line gambling regulation. Even though the measure looks extremely similar towards the proposals put forth in 2017 and 2018, there is one various element involved in this year’s bill: sports betting is already up and operating within the Mountain State.
There are plenty of gambling industry veterans who’re of the thoughts that the repeal on the ban on sports betting that was handed down by the US Supreme Court final May will eventually result in states that offer sports betting to also go all-in on online poker and gambling also. With West Virginia among the initial states spurred into action following the sports wagering ruling, it may be that i-gaming legislation will not be far behind.
The bill is sponsored by Delegates Shawn Fluharty and Joseph Canestraro, who are both aligned with the Democratic celebration. Ought to the proposal turn out to be law, it would fall below the authority from the West Virginia Lottery Commission.
Particulars of the measure include a $50,000 license charge, that is rather affordable in comparison to license charges which have been tossed about by other states. Licensees would pay an internet gaming tax of 14%. These would be the exact same tax rate and charges proposed in two prior i-gaming bills in the Mountain State, even though neither gained any momentum.
License eligibility would be restricted to the handful of land-based casinos operating inside the state. Those casinos are: The Casino Club in the Greenbrier; Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races; Mardi Gras Casino and Resort; Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort; and Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack. The application procedure would begin 90 days following passage of legislation.
With regard to on-line poker, HB 2178 includes a provision that would permit West Virginia to join forces with other states to increase liquidity. Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey are currently pooling players below a multi-state agreement. Pennsylvania, the only other regulated state in the moment, has yet to roll out their on-line poker and gambling offerings to their residents.
Also particular to poker, the bill outlaws the use of robotic players or “bots” as they’re typically called. Artificial intelligence continues to advance as time marches on, so a provision that requires all players to become from the human variety certainly is forward-thinking.
The measure is void of any “bad actor” language, but does include wording to the impact that no branding of third parties could be permitted. In other words, the licensed casinos should marketplace games provided under their very own brands that are currently familiar to West Virginia residents.
The legislative session in West Virginia runs via March 9. The two online gambling bills proposed in prior years by no means produced it out of committee. Let’s see if 2019 will probably be various.