[Online] poker is very popular, so why miss out on that segment? I think it’s something that you have to consider.

When Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) last spoke with Poker Industry PRO, it was mid-March and a bill that he had introduced the month prior called for legalizing online casino gaming and online poker in New York.

But the Senate did not include his bill, S4856, in the state budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. At the same time, a separate bill introduced by Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow (D-Mount Vernon) that would have legalized online poker was also excluded from the budget. It was also unclear if Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul was on board with the idea of expanded igaming.

Addabbo told PRO shortly afterward that he was done talking about igaming expansion for the time being.

Now, the chairman of the Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering is back. He confirmed to PRO in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that he plans to either introduce a new bill or an amended version of S4856 in December, and that it would call for legalizing online poker as well as online casino gaming and ilottery.

He also suggested that verbiage that would allow the Empire State to participate in a multi-jurisdictional gaming compact would also be included, although the details still needed to be worked out.

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