MASSACHUSETTS ONLINE POKER STILL HAS A CHANCE

Tuesday, October 18, 2011 : One more opportunity remains, but Winslow proposal may be diluted
 
The proposal by Rep. Dan Winslow that intrastate online poker be legalised in Massachusetts was diluted to the status of an investigation in the House vote  but removed before a final vote from the Senate version by the Ways and Means Committee last week.
 
However, the prospects for the bill, albeit in a somewhat weakened form, are not yet completely dead.
 
Because there were so many amendments to what was originally a measure to introduce expanded land gambling in the Eastern state, and because differing versions have now emerged from the two legislative bodies, a bi-partisan conference committee comprised of three members each from the House and the Senate will now take control of the bill, tasked with refining it into a final version.
 
It is possible that during this process, the Winslow amendment could be reinserted, according to political observers.