by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Apr 5, 2012 | Updated on Apr 5, 2012For those hoping to see at least some of the stateside market to return to the world of online poker, there’s a little good news. A New Jersey online poker bill passed a Senate Committee by an 11-0 vote on Tuesday, facing little opposition on its way to being voted on by the entire State Senate.The bill is similar to portions of the bill that was passed by the state legislature during last year’s session. However, that bill was vetoed by Governor Chris Christie, who felt that the bill might not pass muster under federal law.However, like so many other states, New Jersey is taking a second look at online gambling after the decision by the US Justice Department that the Wire Act – previously used as a way to outlaw all online gambling – was only meant to apply to sports betting. Since then, several states have taken a hard look at the possibility of expanding into online poker and other online gambling games.Given the level of support last year’s legislation had, many expect the bill to once again pass both houses of the state legislature again this year. That would leave the bill once again in the hands of Governor Christie. And while many are fearful of a second veto, reports say that Christie is at least tentatively in support of the measure, provided the specifics are to his liking.One feature that makes the bill appealing to both the state government and New Jersey’s gambling industry is the way online poker would be licensed. In the current version of the bill, only Atlantic City casinos would be able to offer online gaming in the state, which could help the city’s ailing gambling sector.The New Jersey bill should be of interest to those throughout the United States and around the world. Unlike several other proposed intrastate online gambling bills, this legislation would allow these sites to take bets from players in other states or countries, provided that doing so was legal in the jurisdictions those players were wagering from.
