A bill to allow physical-location casinos to offer gaming operations via the Internet has been put forward to the Massachusetts House by Senator Bruce Tarr. According to the proposal, operators will have to undergo additional licensing to have the right to conduct online games as long as the latter do not mirror the slot machine principle employed by the state lottery. For example, online table games such as poker fall out of the scope of the restriction.
Apparently, legalizing online gaming in Massachusetts has been in the pipeline for some time, evidenced by the creation of the Special Commission on Online Gaming, Fantasy Sports Gaming and Daily Fantasy Sports at the end of 2016. The outcomes of the research on online betting conducted by the body will aid legislators in the decision-making process. Chairman of the Commission Stephen Crosby, who sits on the gaming panel, has already endorsed an “omnibus regulatory bill” to include DFS and online poker.
Online gaming legislative processes are also under way in Hawaii, New York, Washington, California, Michigan and Pennsylvania.