A bill that would have allowed 3 casinos to open in the state of Massachusetts was defeated last week by a vote of 106 to 48. The bill also had a provision to charge online poker players with a prison term of up to 2.5 years and a $25,000 fine.
Protesters came out by the dozens to fight the bill. Some of them were protesting the opening of the 3 casinos and some were there to fight the stiff penalties for online gambling.
Many of the protesters were upset by the fact that In Massachusetts the fine for DUI is only $5000, but if the bill passed someone playing poker in his home over the internet could be fined 5 times as much then for someone arrested for being drunk behind the wheel of a car.
According to one protester "No one has ever died from online poker, yet every year thousands die from drunk driving related accidents" and another protester accused the state of unfair bias against gamblers.
The bill will be back with some changes made and many are hoping the anti online poker provision will not be on the bill. Many aids in the Governors office have made assurances that the provision is not a priority and will most likely be removed. The reason for its likely removal being that the new casinos will create 10,000 new jobs and bring in tens of millions in new taxes and licensing fees that will allow the state to fund many new social programs.
