2024 appears destined to be a year where no US state legalizes online poker, as a last-chance measure sponsored by New York State Senator Joe Addabbo remains stagnant in its initial Senate committee assignment more than two weeks after its May 7 introduction.
With the current NY state legislative session ending June 6, more than half of the 30 days available to move from introduction to passage have already elapsed. The lost time renders Senate Bill 9226's demise as all but a foregone conclusion, perhaps little more than a show of support from Sen. Addabbo, a long-time proponent of online poker and other forms of online gambling in the state.
Since Addabbo introduced SB 9226 as a standalone online-poker measure with other forms of online gambling removed from earlier measures, neither he nor his office have issued any statement specific to the bill. And that's not the only indicator that the SB 9226's future is dark.
Measure omitted from recent committee hearing
At least two other prominent signals exist that Addabbo's bill is a dead horse walking. After its introduction, SB 9226 was immediately sent to the New York Senate's Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, which Addabbo chairs. Addabbo had a brief window in which to add his online-poker bill to the list of bills being considered during the standing committee's last meeting, on May 14, for the current legislation session.
However, Addabbo chose not to add the bill to the meeting's agenda, despite nine other New York gambling-related measures being included, each of which was at least briefly discussed. At least one affiliate site erroneously reported that SB 9226 was among the bills to be mentioned; instead, it wasn't part of what was less than a 20-minute meeting, which was likely the committee's last gathering for the year.
Senator Addabbo also omitted mention of SB 9226 or online poker from a poll he offered to constituents via his NY Senate home page. The poll asked voters to offer their opinions on topics that he has continuing interest in. An earlier generalized online-gambling bill, since shelved, was among those listed, but the poker-only SB 9226 was missing from a short list that also touched on self-euthanasia, mass transit, and legalized prostitution measures.
