The US has a new leader in the race to become the first state to implement regulated igaming as the Iowa State Senate Government Committee approved a new online poker bill by nine votes to six.
The vote now means that the bill advances to full Senate from where it will need approval from the Iowa House before entering into law. The significance of yesterday’s vote in Iowa has increased with the breaking news that New Jersey will now await a referendum in November after Governor Chris Christie surprisingly vetoed a bill to modernise the state’s gambling regulation.
New Jersey has long been acknowledged as the state best equipped to pioneer a regulated isaming industry in the US, with its proximity to New York and the financial markets and a technological infrastructure that would position it as the "Silicon Valley" of online gambling.
However, Iowa could now steal a march on New Jersey’s ability to gain ‘first mover advantage’ by becoming the first US state to regulate intra-state online gambling activity should the Senate File 1165 online poker bill pass both senate and house approval.
According to a report in the Des Moines Register, an approximate 150,000 Iowans are playing online poker illegally, accounting for upwards of US$30m in potential taxes that the state is currently forefeiting. Iowa has been seen as the second most-likely state to advance its online gambling regulations after New Jersey, with California and Florida still a long way off formulating realistic support and regulation. However, it now appears in pole position to lead the US into a new dawn of igaming regulation.
