New York Lawmaker Proposes Legalizing Some Forms of Online Poker

A New York State representative, J. Gary Pretlow, has proposed a law that would make some types of online poker legal by classifying them as games based on ability.

New York State Assembly Bill 1380, which seeks to control legal online poker in the state, has been presented to the Racing and Wagering Board for evaluation. The proposal would change New York’s Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law by adding a new section that redefines online Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker, “as well as any other poker game that the board determines to be substantially similar to the foregoing two games,” as games of skill rather than games of luck – thus making these games legal. The reasoning behind the bill is similar to a March 2022 New York Court of Appeals decision that found fantasy sports to be considered games of skill rather than games of chance.

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