While legislation to legalize and regulate internet poker on the Federal level in the United States is likely dead for 2012, similar legislation is moving forward in individual states. The latest: New Jersey’s Assembly passed an online gaming bill by a wide margin on Monday, with 48 of the Assembly’s 76 members voting in favor of the measure.

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The bill, numbered A2578, passed through the Assembly Appropriations Committee in June. It would allow all games that are already authorized in Atlantic City brick-and-mortar casinos to also be offered online. The gaming equipment, including servers, must be located within “a restricted area on the premises of the casino hotel within the territorial limits of Atlantic City,” according to a summary from the June committee passage.

A player must be physically present in New Jersey and all wagers would emanate from Atlantic City. Interestingly, the bill allows for players outside of New Jersey to play if their participation is not in violation of Federal law or the law of the state in which they are located.

This is not the first time an online gaming bill has made it through the New Jersey Assembly. A similar bill was passed last year, but Governor Chris Christie vetoed it. When the U.S. Department of Justice decided that the Wire Act of 1961 applies only to online sports betting in December 2011, Christie changed his mind and encouraged state legislators to give it another go. He said that last year he was afraid that the passage of such a bill would open up a Pandora’s box of sorts, paving the way for “gambling houses” to pop up all over the state.

New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union, pictured), who is the sponsor of a twin bill in the Senate, expressed skepticism of Christie’s motivations earlier this year when his bill, S1565, stalled after passing through the Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee. However, it was never voted on.

Lesniak told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he believed Christie’s political ambitions were to blame for the delay. At the time, Christie was being talked about as a possible running mate for Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. It was Lesniak’s opinion that Christie did not want to upset online gaming opponents, namely the National Football League and the brick-and-mortar casino industry, and put his chances to move up the political ladder at risk.

NewJersey.com’s John Brennan published portions of a press release issued by the New Jersey Legislature. In it, Assemblyman Ruben Ramos (D-Hudson) said what most online poker players have been saying for years: “The internet has long been a reality, and internet gaming in New Jersey should now be reality too.”

He added, “We have to move aggressively and thoughtfully to position our gaming industry to succeed, and this is another step toward that goal. It will mean economic growth and job creation for our state.”

Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) echoed those sentiments: “Most everything else has migrated to the internet and taken advantage of the consumer and revenue options it offers, and New Jersey’s gaming industry should be no different.” Prieto also noted that the revenues raised from internet gaming could go to benefit senior and disabled citizens.

The Chairman of the Assembly Appropriations Committee, John Burzichelli (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland), said, “We must position New Jersey’s gaming industry to thrive in the 21st century, and that involves authorizing a legally sound internet gaming law.”

The bill will now move on to the Senate, where it could be voted on as soon as Thursday.

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