Massachusetts State Senator Mike Rush has penned a new bill which, if passed by his fellows, would legalize online gambling within the borders of his state. Rush, who also serves as a Lieutenant in the Navy Reserves, is now serving overseas in Iraq.
There is one major difference in this bill which separates it from similar legislative attempts in California, New Jersey, and Nevada. Instead of allowing patrons to make deposits with their own debit and credit cards, the proposed Massachusetts system would issue special prepaid vouchers to qualified individuals. This would allow for a greater measure of regulation while helping to ensure that the new program remains free of underage players.
“Massachusetts has always been at the forefront of innovation in state lottery gaming,” said Rush’s Chief of Staff John Regan, “and I believe that to continue to do so means adding robust online lottery gaming to the current offerings. This is more bitcoin blackjack than just allowing the purchase of lottery tickets online. This is a new and interactive way of playing the lottery through new online games of chance.”
While proposals in other states have drawn interest with talks of a million dollars or so in added revenue, the Massachusetts bill is much more ambitious. According to iGamingBusiness, the state’s government could see an influx of a billion dollars each year, depending on the final shape of the law.Ever since April 15, US poker players have been in a scramble to find a site that would allow them to play. Many had to abandon their usual site and even some quit altogether.Phil Galfond is taking a different route. Known for winning millions of dollars in online games over the course of 4+ years, Galfond has decided to move. His new residence is in Vancouver, Canada, allowing him to play at his former sites.
News broke out during his tweet: “Hey twitter I’m in Canada…staying here for 3-6 months and then re-evaluating.”
He’s been seen playing at PokerStars at the highest stakes. Rival Isildur1 was quick to recognize this and added a bit of humor chatting “Oh no, he’s back.”
Of course, Galfond isn’t the only high stakes US player who has made their way up north. Cole “CTS” South has previously made the move to allow himself to still play at FullTilt.
In the end, Galfond ended up a loser in his first session back at PokerStars. In about 2,500 hands, he was down $18,000 before calling it quits. He still seems happy to be back by later tweeting “Oh well. Still happy to be playing. I love the game.”
What Phil Galfond has done will probably be the path that other higher stakes US players take so don’t be surprised. In Galfond’s case he is only staying for 3-6 months for sure and then will be re-evaluating. Most players hope by then poker will be allowed at the previous big names like PokerStars.