Impreveduto Pre-files I-Gaming Bil

With the Democratic party in control of the New Jersey Legislature, the outlook for a bill that seeks to regulate online gaming looks much brighter.

Tony Impreveduto, an assemblyman from the Garden State, said he is confident that his bill, which was introduced last year but never made it out of committee, has a better chance of being heard before the entire legislature this year. He has already pre-filed the bill for the current legislative session and maintains a positive outlook on the bill's prospects.

"It will get a hearing for sure this time," Impreveduto said.

Under the terms of his proposed legislation, licensed Atlantic City casinos would be able to offer online versions of their games but would have to maintain strict standards of reliability or risk losing their land-based casino licenses. The legislation would restrict access from minors and protect consumers by offering fully regulated operations.

The bill, A568, is identical to a bill Impreveduto introduced last session. That bill went nowhere in the state's Republican-led legislature. Even as the bill's primary sponsor, Impreveduto didn't hold out hope for his bill getting considered during the last session.

"The Republicans said it was dead the day that I introduced it," he said.

But now that Democrats have control of the Legislature, this session's decision-makers will be able to give A568 some life. Impreveduto said he expects a committee hearing on his bill sometime in March.

In the same way that Impreveduto's bill wasn't given serious consideration last session, political insiders in New Jersey said a competing bill that was introduced last session, which would have allowed for Atlantic City casinos to carry real-time card table games via the Internet, doesn't stand much of a chance of getting out of committee. The bill was introduced by Republican Assemblymen Joseph Azzolina and Nicholas Asselta and was pre-filed this session in the same manner Impreveduto's bill was.

Sources familiar with the New Jersey Legislature told IGN today that Impreveduto's bill has wider appeal and score in Trenton than the Azzolina bill does and that with the Democrats in control it is not likely the Azzolina bill will pass.

Impreveduto is hopeful his bill can be passed this session, but he is also realistic. He said a hearing on the issue is the first step for New Jersey to accept online gaming.

"There needs to be a hearing so people can be educated on the issue," he said. "People need to know why it needs to be a licensed and regulated industry in New Jersey."

Following are the pre-filed versions of the Azzolina and Impreveduto bills: