New Jersey Senate committee approves online gambling bill

New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak’s latest bid to legalise online gambling in New Jersey received a major boost Tuesday when a Senate committee approved it by 11 votes to one abstention for a full Senate vote.

The bill seeks to empower Atlantic City casinos take bets from gamblers in other states and even other countries, as long as federal and state authorities agree it’s legal.

Associated Press reports that New Jersey has been racing to try to get Internet gambling up and running and stake an early claim to leadership in a potential multi-billion-dollar industry.

If it is successfully approved, the bill will ultimately be at the mercy of Governor Chris Christie.

Although he has taken a more conciliatory stand this time, and Sen. Lesniak has made changes to make the bill more palatable to him, Christie last year exercised his absolute veto in killing an earlier attempt.

The bill would allow bets to be accepted from other states and nations if the state Division of Gaming Enforcement determines it doesn’t violate federal laws

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