“I don’t like a gun being put to my head.”

OPPOSITION from the state’s horse racing industry looks like it could stand in the way of the online gambling bill. However, despite the obstacles, it is still very much in the race to become the first state to be up and running with online poker.

One of the bill’s sponsors, Senator Jim Whelan, who represents Atlantic City, was angered by tactics employed by horse racing lobbyists, who are hindering Whelan’s desire to win the race as the first state to provide online poker to its residents. “I feel like I’m being blackmailed,” Whelan said. “I‘m open to discussion but I don’t like a gun being put to my head and being told, ‘You will do this or else we will blow this whole thing up.”

In an interview with PokerNews, State Sen. Raymond Lesniak said that legislation for online poker should be approved by March 15. He thinks the governor will sign the bill this time around, which could see online poker being played in the Garden State by Sept 1.

“The race is on,” Lesniak said. “There’s certainly room for two major states to regulate the industry and combine with other states. If we get there first or they get there first, we’ll both be operating. We expect New Jersey to be the Silicon Valley of Internet gaming in the country.”

While the previous legislation would have only allowed for Internet gambling within state borders, another result of the DOJ opinion is that Lesniak now expects New Jersey to form compacts with other states to create a larger pool of players.

“Only a handful of states can have a regulatory scheme and possess the experience in operating these types of games — obviously Nevada and New Jersey, and likely California,” Lesniak said. “It would be a lot easier for most other states to have a compact with us and do a profit-sharing agreement. Market share is very important in this business, and that’s why it’s important to be there first.”