In a 47-0 vote, the North Dakota State Senate recently unanimously rejected House concurrent Resolution No. 3012, which would have allowed a voter referendum in 2022 to determine if the state should legalize online poker. As a result, it will be another two years before lawmakers can revisit the issue—and it’s unlikely conservative state Senators will change their anti-gambling stance.
The bill passed the state House in a 54-40 vote in February. But in mid-March, the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee voted 7-0 to send it to the Senate floor with a “Do Not Pass” recommendation, which the full Senate took seriously.
The measure’s sponsor, state Rep. Jim Kasper, who previously and unsuccessfully introduced online poker legislation, said North Dakota would gain $500 million from legalizing the activity. “There’s thousands of people in the state of North Dakota who are playing online poker. It’s not regulated. It’s not taxed,” he said. Analysts said Kasper’s revenue and player numbers are exaggerated.
In January, however, Kasper introduced House Concurrent Resolution 3032, which would have legalized sports betting in North Dakota. It passed the House by a 70-24 vote but narrowly failed in a 24-23 vote in the Senate.
