With only about a week to go in his allotted deliberation period, it is still unknown what Governor Chris Christie (pictured) of New Jersey is going to do with the online gambling and poker legislation that is sitting on his desk. While the time may be running out on the bill, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

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As you may remember, the New Jersey Legislature passed a full online casino gambling billthat included poker and sent it to Christie’s desk just before Christmas. Since then, Christie has been debating his options for handling the bill (sign it into law, veto it, or do nothing and have the bill become law after 45 days). After his comments last week on a New Jersey radio program, Christie has been garnering attention from fellow lawmakers as well as the gambling community as to what his intentions will be.

Last week, Christie answered questions from his constituents on his monthly radio program. During the episode, the Governor was directly asked what he planned to do with the proposed gambling legislation on his desk. At the time, he indicated that he didn’t know what he would do regarding the bill, but noted that he had reservations about it, specifically that it wouldn’t help Atlantic City and that it could lead to further problem gambling.

Following those comments last week, State Senator Raymond Lesniak (pictured), who sponsored the bill through the New Jersey Legislature, stated that the reasons given by Christie for potentially vetoing it were the “stupidest” reasons given. Lesniak went on to say that Christie was “clueless” in how the legislation would actually help Atlantic City instead of hurt it, as Christie believes. “If the Governor doesn’t sign it, Nevada is just going to clean our clocks plain and simple,” Lesniak stated.

Christie’s office has also been visited by a contingent of representatives from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) regarding the issue. PPA Executive Director John Pappas, New Jersey State Director Tony Salerno, and New Jersey PPA members Frank Sarah and Lisa Picknell met with an unidentified senior member of Christie’s staff to discuss the proposed legislation on Tuesday afternoon. According to John Brennan of NorthJersey.com, Pappas and his fellow PPA representatives met with a staff member for about 45 minutes.

Pappas stated that the meeting went “very well” because they were “given a great deal of latitude to expand on our two key points. We talked about the economic benefits of legalization and the consumer protections that can help problem gamblers.”

Pappas (pictured) first stated to the staff member that it is far easier for a person to walk into a casino in Atlantic City and lose several hundred dollars without the casino noticing. Online, Pappas stated, there is an accurate log of information that shows what a player is doing and, if it were to become necessary, a person can be blocked from playing if they show signs of problem gaming.

As to Christie’s concern with improving Atlantic City, Pappas stated that online gaming could be used to help drive customers to the eastern gaming Mecca instead of driving them away. Through online promotions such as comped rooms from play on the proposed sites or satellite poker tournaments, players would actually be driven toward Atlantic City, not away.

This, according to Pappas, would continue to keep good paying jobs in Atlantic City.
In 2011, Christie waited until the very last day of his 45-day deliberation period to veto virtually the same proposal that he is looking at now. Pappas said that he did not expect a decision from Christie this week, which leaves the online gaming and poker community looking to February 7, the final day that the legislation will be allowed to be in limbo.

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