Gov. Chris Christie finally approves New Jersey gambling bill, online gambling now legal

Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, finally did the act, which was long awaited by many. On Tuesday, Governor Christie signed the online gambling bill into law. This has made the Garden State only the third in the country to regulate and license internet gambling, Approval from the governor came only 19 days following his conditionally veto on a similar legislation.

Similar to Delaware, the casino operators in the state are given the freedom to provide any game, which is available at a land-based casino.

There were only little doubts on whether this modified bill would receive a nod or not. When he conditionally vetoed the bill, he looked for changes in the tax rate from 10 to 15 percent on the gross revenue from gaming. He wanted the extra money to be given to the problem gambling groups.

Ray Lesniak, senator and one of the most ardent supporters of the bill, already gave an indication that the changes are going to be passed quite easily. Bill received 68-5 support at the Assembly, whereas the Senate got 34-1 backing. Again, within an hour timeline, Christie gave his sign to put the legislation into law.

John Pappas, who is Poker Players Alliance’s executive director, said, “The Garden State has made its way in. Our residents are now going to have access to a regulated and safe gambling world online. New Jersey is going to have a new source for creating jobs and generating revenue, which is something that even our federal government has failed in doing so thus far.”

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