Sen. Lesniak departs New Jersey Senate later this year

One of online gambling’s staunchest supporters in the United States over the years has been New Jersey Senator Ray Lesniak (71), who has continually presented legalisation initiatives that have seen his state at the forefront of online gambling and sports betting evolution.

New Jersey is today one of three US states that have regulated and licensed online gambling, thanks to the Senator’s energetic efforts, and his support for overturning the federal restrictions on sports betting imposed by the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) has undoubtedly helped to ensure that the issue will soon be heard by the US Supreme Court, with potentially far-reaching implications for sports betting throughout the USA.

Lesniak is currently working on New Jersey legislation designed to make the state an international online gambling hub by first doing away with the requirement that operators must have servers located in Atlantic City (see previous reports), but time is short as the Senator retires from the Legislature later this year.

Such an amendment could open the way for compacts with other states, markets and international companies, bringing jobs and tax generation to New Jersey, where competent and experienced regulation and licensing has already been firmly established.

Political sources have indicated that Lesniak may introduce the measure later this month when state politicians get back down to business and until then the detailed content remains open to speculation.

Sen. Lesniak’s intentions once he leaves the Legislature are not yet clear, but he remains a dynamic and energetic leader whose experience and drive could be advantageous for any number of organisations. In the past he made an unsuccessful run at the state governorship, and that could still be an option looking ahead.

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