by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Jun 1, 2012 | Updated on Jun 1, 2012Poker players in New Jersey are going to have to wait a while if they want to play on the virtual felt. That’s the news out of the State Senate, where Raymond Lesniak – the sponsor of the Internet gambling bill currently working its way through the legislature there – says that the delays are necessary in order to rally enough support to pass the bill.In April, Lesniak began efforts to move the bill – which would legalize online poker and casino games in the state of New Jersey – through the various committees necessary to move it to a full vote in front of both houses of the state legislature. Since then, Lesniak had targeted May 31 as the day when the measure would come to a vote.However, it seems as though that date is going to have to be pushed back if the bill is to have any hope of being passed.“Because of Governor Christie’s ambivalence on it and him sending messages that he doesn’t want ot to go through until the fall, we’re having trouble getting enough Democratic votes to pass it because of opposition from the racing industry,” Lesniak said to PokerNews.com. “We’re going to work on it until the end of June and see if we can get it done by getting the governor’s support or getting the Democratic votes.”This isn’t the first time that Governor Chris Christie’s tepid support for online gambling has been a setback for online poker in New Jersey. Last year, an online poker bill actually managed to pass both the Senate and House in the state, only to be vetoed on the governor’s desk. Christie has said that he is now on board with allowing Atlantic City casinos to run online gambling websites.Online gambling is not the only gambling battleground in New Jersey. The state is also facing a fight with the federal government over their plans to allow sports betting in the state – a right that is currently enjoyed only by four states.
