The bill would legalize the online playing, for money, of any game currently offered at the 12 Atlantic City casinos, including poker. In order to comply with a requirement of the state Constitution that casino gambling be conducted only in Atlantic City, all computers, servers, monitoring rooms and hubs used to conduct the online gambling must be located either in a restricted area on the premises of a casino, or in a secure facility inaccessible to the public off the grounds of a casino but within the city limits of Atlantic City.
The location issue was one that Christie cited when he vetoed the first Internet gambling bill in 2011. But supporters of the bill have since solicited testimony from top legal scholars that having the computer and other equipment located in Atlantic City would be enough to comply with the state Constitution.
The bill would tax Internet gambling revenues at 10 percent, up from the 8 percent that the casinos pay for money won on their premises.
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Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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