Dear Governor:

With the decision made as to where to locate the “Vegas style” casinos in New York State, it is now time to consider how online poker might be introduced in the state. Each of the three entities chosen to develop a full scale casino can initiate marketing and revenue generating activities while the physical construction of the facilities is taking place. There are several, already-established, online poker rooms that the casino developers can partner with in order to get a professional, proven website up and running and generating revenue.

New Jersey has already legalized online poker and has seen slow but steady growth in the nascent gaming sector. The state has already seen two of the more popular online poker rooms ‘share liquidity’ – meaning that they will allow players from each site to compete in games against each other increasing the prize pools and improving the customer experience.

Tens of thousands of New Yorkers have played online poker in the past and want the opportunity to enjoy the game they love, safely and legally. In addition to serving customers and building their brand, the new casino operators will have the opportunity to engage with potential visitors thereby strengthening their business. The state  would benefit by collecting taxes on the  online revenues.

New York State should be fully committed to ensuring the success of these new enterprises in any way possible. Legalizing online poker and allowing these entities to be the initial purveyors of this type of gaming is a definite step that the state can take now to show how important these new tax revenue generating enterprises are to New York.

Respectfully,

New York Poker Players