State Senator Ray Lesniak has the bit between his teeth at the moment and the driving force behind New Jerseys' attempt at getting bill A2578 pushed through is up for the challenge stating that, "It's still not too late for Atlantic City to become the Silicon Valley of internet gambling". There are huge dates ahead of him and he needs a little luck. On December 17th the bill needs to be carried by a vote by the full Assembly and then on December 20th it needs to be followed up with a successful state Senate vote. The bill has been amended so as to not only include intrastate poker but also adds online casino games too, which if all goes well is nothing but good news for the gaming industry opening many new doors. The original bill was rejected by state Governor Chris Christie, however the new bill addresses the objections and Lesniak is hoping for a whole new ball game come 2023. Many external factors have stood in the way of the bill such as legislative recesses and of course the long running Presidential election campaigns. With the amendments to the bill and other states already well into the process of the legalization of intrastate poker then Senator Christie will have trouble in rejecting the bill this time around. With the Federal Reid-Kyl bill seemingly at a stand still, many states are anxious to get their own bills through to avoid the federal issues. They also wish to add more than poker which the Reid-Kyl bill is purely focused on. With Nevada leading the way and Delaware not far behind, maybe December is the month for New Jersey and Senator Lesniak.
