Online poker could be officially illegal in MA soon

[NewGuy]

[ QUOTE ]
Does it say the timing on this? Would it become illegal the same time the casinos are finished (something like 2013 IIRC) or right away?

[/ QUOTE ]

There is no language for delaying the ban until construction is completed that I could see. In other words, online gambling (including poker) would become a felony in Mass the 1st day the bill is passed, punishable by up to $25k fine and 2 years in jail.

The good news is that the proposed legislation is still in committee and we have time to lobby & fight to either:
a) remove / change the specific language criminalizing online poker, or
b) if they won't do this, fight to kill the bill before it passes. I have no idea on how exactly long this bill would take to work through the system to become law, but the Governor's Legilslative office indicated it would be "many months away, at least". (Personal layman's best guess, maybe 6-18 months, but that really depends on how significant a political battle is fought by anti-gambling types, PPA, etc.)