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| | | February 3 - Jim Kasper, Republican for US State of North Dakota put forward a proposal to the House Judiciary Committee this week stating that he wants online poker to be defined as a game of skill and not gambling in the state's Constitution.
Kasper argued that poker should not be considered gambling because an online player's skill is dependent on how they choose to play the cards they are dealt. He is hoping that if his proposal, contained in House Bill 1509, is passed, it would encourage the launch of many online casinos in North Dakota, resulting in millions of dollars of revenue for the state.
He stated that if federal officials blocked the law, he would be prepared to take the US government to court. However, many committee members were in doubt if such a bill would be passed and, if the case went to court, whether it could be won.
Opinion in the Committee was split. D-Grand Forks Republican Lois Delmore said that it was difficult to take the bill seriously as he considered online poker as gambling, while Bismarck Republican, Mark Dosch, was in support of the bill saying that North Dakota needed to move with the times.
Jim Kasper explained that the bill could generate revenues of up to half a billion dollars of new income for the state, as all casino profits would be taxed and players would be required to pay an annual registration fee of $10.
Should the bill be passed, a resolution would come into effect requiring North Dakota residents to vote to the change the definition of gambling in the state's Constitution.
Kesler said that he would utilise 60% of the revenue generated by online poker for property tax relief, 20% for public education and 20% for a general North Dakota fund.
The bill is still pending.
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