Pennsylvania may be the next state to make online poker legal.

Lawmakers in several states managed to do the impossible; they kept online poker supporters glued to their computers and mobile devices to watch live streams of the tedious and confusing goings on that takes place during legislative sessions, as two legislative bodies voted on and passed an online gaming bill, the New York State Senate and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, while two others have online gaming legalization on their radar, California and Michigan. Also of note, a Massachusetts committee approved a bill that would allow the Massachusetts Lottery Commission to sell tickets, and introduce games online.

To put this in perspective, over the course of the previous five years, only four other states managed to pass an online gaming bill through at least one house of their legislature. And of the four, three now have legalized online gambling -the lone exception was Iowa. The Iowa Senate passed an online poker legalization bill in 2012 that died in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Without further adieu, here’s where online gambling legalization efforts stand in Pennsylvania, New York, California and Michigan.

Pennsylvania on the precipice

Pennsylvania continues to be the odds on favorite to legalize online gambling in 2016.

Online gaming, along with a host of other gaming reforms, is being used by the legislature to help fund the state’s 2016/2017 budget. As a key funding component, the bill, HB 2150 was passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and seems better than 50/50 to pass this year.

The passage of HB 2150 by the House, came after a protracted battle over VGT expansion, as some members of the Pennsylvania House wanted to allow taverns and bars to install up to five Video Gaming Terminals. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted down the bar/tavern VGT amendment and passed an omnibus gaming reform bill by a 114-85 majority, sending it to the State Senate for consideration.

Among its provisions, the bill legalizes online gambling and daily fantasy sports.

The Senate has yet to consider the bill (it’s been languishing in the Senate CERD Committee since it passed the House), and the latest rumors coming out of the halls of Harrisburg indicate the Senate will forego the House bill and introduce their own gaming reform bill. This will almost assuredly slow down the process, and could potentially derail online gambling legalization if the Senate and House can’t come to an agreement on the specifics.

The Senate bill is expected to be introduced after the holiday weekend.

The good news is there doesn’t appear to be any other viable ways to generate the $250 million – $300 million in revenue these reforms are estimated to bring into the state now that Governor Tom Wolf has scrapped the idea of tax reform, a proposal that has been a nonstarter in the legislature, and caused last year’s budget to go 10 months overdue.

The situation in Pennsylvania is very fluid, and online poker supporters should take a page from the DFS advocates who managed to get a DFS bill passed in New York, and plead with and harangue lawmakers in the Pennsylvania Senate to take action. As PokerNews.com reported:

“Poker Players Alliance executive director John Pappas told PokerNews that poker players made 10,000 contacts to New York lawmakers during that final week of the legislative session. While that number is impressive on its own, FanDuel CEO and co-founder Nigel Eccles said that New Yorkers sent more than 100,000 emails plus made thousands of phone calls to legislators.”

New York folds on the river

Speaking of New York, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives isn’t the only legislative body that passed an online gaming bill in 2016. By an overwhelming margin, 53-5, the New York State Senate passed a bill that would have legalized online poker in the Empire State.

Despite its support in the State Senate, the Assembly decided to not even hold a vote on the bill, to the dismay of the poker community, and for what seems like a very odd reason, if we believe Assemblyman Gary Pretlow’s version of events.

That being said, considering the ease of passage in the Senate, online poker seems destined for future consideration in 2017; even more so if Pennsylvania takes action this year.

Michigan still in play

Meanwhile, in Michigan… the legislature has gone home for the Summer and will not fully return until the tail end of 2016, leaving the State Senate’s online gambling bill in limbo.

This shouldn’t be viewed negatively. Unlike in New York or California, when they return, the Michigan legislature is in session through the end of the year, and could pass a bill legalizing online gambling as late as December 31.
The reason for the legislature leaving the matter unresolved appears to be political, and was expected by the man pushing for online gambling legalization, State Senator Mike Kowall.

According to Kowall, the entire Michigan House of Representatives is up for reelection this year, and because of this he believes any action on the bill, at least in the House, will likely occur after the elections.

In other words, we can shift our focus off of Michigan until November.

California remains an enigma

The state that saw the most “developments” over the course of June is without doubt, California. Yet California is arguably the farthest away of the four from getting a bill passed, despite having been working on passing an online poker bill for a decade.

Over the course of June California’s online poker bill has been a proverbial rollercoaster ride, with the suitability of PokerStars at the center of the debate and a seemingly unsolvable issue. The bill went from collecting dust at the beginning of the month, to passing the Assembly Appropriations Committee after two hearings, and two rounds of amendments.

The bill can now be considered on the Assembly floor, and was rumored to be on the docket this past week. Alas, the California Assembly didn’t bring AB 2863 to the floor for debate or a vote, and they’re now on recess for the remainder of July.

The amendments filled in a lot of taxation and licensing fee blanks. They also tackled the bad actor issue by imposing a two-year sit-out period or a one-time fee of $20 million on any site that operated in California between December 31, 2006 and December 31, 2011.

However, despite the number and breadth of supporters being at an all-time high, a coalition of seven politically powerful tribes led by Pechanga and Agua Caliente remain staunchly opposed to the bill – a bill that needs to pass the Assembly and Senate with a 2/3 majority.

The opposition coalition did offer a potential compromise, saying they would be amenable to a 10 year sit-out period coupled with a $60 million fine for PokerStars and any other company that operated in California between 2006-2011 period. Needless to say, this proposal is not being seriously considered, and the group continues to be labeled “obstructionists” by members of the coalition of the willing.

While not online poker related, another interesting development to keep an eye on in the Golden State was the recent decision by the California Bureau of Gambling Control that will require California’s licensed card rooms to adjust the way they offer player banked casino games such as blackjack and pai gow poker.