March was a busy month in the world of poker legislation. The highlight: a possible change in focus by Sheldon Adelson, the head of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the man who once pledged to spend “whatever it takes” to rid the US of online gambling.

In the middle of March, Gambling Compliance published an article saying that Adelson, instead of focusing on banning regulated online gaming in the United States, would instead turn his attention to shutting down unregulated offshore sites. Adelson had been pushing a bill call Restoring America’s Wire Act, or RAWA, but support for it appears to have waned after a disastrous committee hearing last December. RAWA would eliminate iGaming in the US, including in the three states where it’s already legal.

“We haven’t backed off of our focus on [RAWA], but we need to find a way… to be able to shut down illegal offshore operators,” Sands spokesperson Andy Abboud said.

“If Sands is serious about addressing the unregulated offshore market, they should join us in trying to replace it with a regulated US market,” said John Pappas, Executive Director of the Poker Players Alliance.

On Capitol Hill, 2016 is an election year and could feature the confirmation and appointment of a new Supreme Court justice to replace the late Antonin Scalia, who passed away in February. As such, lawmakers will have plenty on their hands besides deciding whether to ban Texas Hold’em games online.

“The people who are espousing that should be embarrassed to think that anyone on the Senate Judiciary Committee wakes up in the morning wondering, ‘Am I going to take up the nomination of a Supreme Court justice or RAWA?’ It’s nonsensical,” Abboud told Gambling Compliance.

Online Poker Part of New York Budget Bill

In New York, the fourth most populous state in the US, regulated online poker moved one step closer to reality in March after the state’s Senate included internet poker as part of a budget plan. S5302B is included in the budget plan after a committee approved it in early February.

“Budget negotiations are currently underway and decisions are already being made about what is in and what is out,” Pappas said. “It’s good that internet poker is under review and even if it is not included in the final budget, it’s clear that it is a public policy that lawmakers are comfortable pushing forward. We need players to continue to voice support for iPoker in the budget or any other opportunity this year.”

According to a story on Online Poker Report, regulating the iPoker industry in the Empire State could still be a long shot despite its inclusion in the 2016-2017 fiscal year budget.

“The inclusion of online poker in the budget is a sign that at least some politicians in New York are high on online poker for the current legislative session,” the story read. “But online poker has been on the agenda of the legislature before, with very little progress being made.”

Next door to New York is Pennsylvania, which is pursuing online poker as well. Any movement in Pennsylvania could force New York’s hand, and vice-versa. New Jersey, which touches both states, already has regulated iGaming and PokerStars launched there on March 21. Accordingly, if New York were to regulate online poker, it could prompt nearby states to follow suit, creating a sort of domino effect.

Insider Trading Charges Could Derail Online Poker Legislation

In late March, David Baazov, the head of Amaya Gaming, the parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt, was charged with five counts of aiding with trades while in possession of privileged information, influencing or attempting to influence the market price of Amaya securities, and communicating privileged information. He promptly took an indefinite paid leave of absence.

The investigation by Canadian authorities could have a ripple effect on states looking to regulate online poker. It’s also possible that New Jersey regulators act if the charges against Baazov turn out to be true.

According to another report on OPR, “The ‘bad actor’ issue was thought to have receded in importance… Part of what was said to have helped tamp down the issue was the sale of PokerStars to Amaya and Amaya’s subsequent approval in New Jersey. But the charges filed [in Canada] could be seen as neutering that argument and could potentially serve as a lever to widen a gap between competing stakeholder coalitions that had been steadily shrinking.”

Baazov has proclaimed his innocence and said he will “vigorously contest these accusations.”