Vegas company wants NY to join NJ, Nevada and Delaware??
A new online campaign called Let NY Play, which urges lawmakers in the Empire State to legalize online poker for cash, originated with Vegas-based casino giant MGM Resorts International.??
MGM has no casino in New York, the Times noted, and is not among the 16 bidders vying for one of the four casino licenses in the state. But earlier this year the company lobbied in support of legislation to legalize online poker.
Though the games are still illegal, the pot is huge: a study by MGM estimated that New Yorkers bet as much as $110 million in illegal online poker games. If the games were legalized, the study said, it could mean $50 million to $80 million in annual taxes for the state, and an additional $80 million from selling licenses to operate the sites.
??Unfortunately for supporters of the legislation, they cannot point to the states where online poker is already legal to pitch their case. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie projected that online gambling would generate $150 million in additional taxes in its first year. So far, online revenue has generated an anemic $10 million a month, for a fraction of the tax revenue.??
“It’s been a little bit slower to start than some had expected,” said Alan Feldman, an executive vice president of MGM. “But we think over time it’s going to be exactly what they did expect and more.”
