Mississippi Re-introduces Online Poker Bill
Mississippi is one of those US states that seriously considered the pros and cons of legalizing online gambling after the Department of Justice (DoJ) published its re-interpretation of the Wire Act of 1961, according to which online casino gaming and online poker gaming are not against the law. The state re-introduced an online poker bill, also known as the Mississippi Lawful Internet Gambling Act of 2012 or simply House Bill 254. This bill bears a striking similarity to the online poker bill that was introduced last year. Bobby Moak, who is sponsoring the bill, hopes that the bill will be more successful this year than it was last year. The online poker bill of last year had expired within the committee.
The existing gambling laws in the state, in addition to the online poker bill of 2013 if passed into law, will provide a much awaited escape from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Besides, the bill mentions the federal government’s re-interpretation of the Wire Act of 1961, which was published on Dec 23, 2011 and states that this re-interpretation puts the state in a position of authority to regulate and legalize its online gambling industry.
If the bill is passed into law, the Mississippi Gambling Commission will be empowered to issue licenses to operators and service providers who wish to launch online gambling products within the state. It may be recalled that the regulatory body in Nevada has already issued similar licenses to several operators to launch online poker rooms within Nevada. The licenses issued by the Mississippi Gambling Commission will remain valid for a period of five year. Operators will have to pay a licensing fee of $200,000 to launch one online poker room; besides, they will be required to deposit an annual sum of $200k, which will be divided between the Mississippi Gaming Commission and the State General Fund and used to deal with the various problems that arise from a regulated online gambling industry.
The Mississippi Gambling Commission will also impose a “license fee on the Internet wagering gross revenue per calendar month of a gaming license in the amount of five percent of such revenues,” in addition to the licensing fee mentioned above.
If the bill is passed into law, it will require players to be above the age of 21 to legally register for real money play at an online poker site in Mississippi. Players will also be required to furnish age proof, email addresses, physical addresses, and so on. The law will also prohibit those employed at casinos from wagering real money on the games at the same venue.
Industry analysts doubt if this bill will ever be successfully passed because Mississippi has several staunch opponents of online gambling. The only US states that have successfully passed online gambling bills are Delaware and Nevada. New Jersey has also passed an online poker bill, but Governor Chris Christie has to approve it before legalized intrastate online poker can become a reality in the state.
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