While many states are moving forward to legalize internet gambling there is one state that is actually moving backwards and that state is Kansas. It should come as no surprise that Kansas is attempting to ban internet gaming. The states far right governor Brownback has been a long standing foe of gambling and the religious right wields an inordinate amount of power in the state. Last week a bill that would ban all forms of internet gambling was sent to the state senate. Fortunately for gamblers in Kansas most experts say that the bill is unlikely to go any further.
House Bill 2055 was created to modify the current statutes dealing with gambling in Nebraska and to ban any form of wagering on the internet. The bill was promoted to allow more casinos in the southeast region of Kansas and would make is easier to build casinos in the area. If the bill had passed several things would have changed. The cost of a state casino management contract would move from $225 million to $50 million and the Kansas lottery would not be allowed to place slot machines in racetracks until 2032.
Even worse the bill made internet gambling a crime. House Bill 2055 would classify internet gambling as a Class B misdemeanor and the ‘offense’ would carry a fine of $1,000 and a possible jail sentence of six months. The bill did not opt the state out of federal options so the state could offer internet gambling if legalized by the federal government. Fortunately for the state’s internet bingo and poker players the bill dies in the Senate. The bill, which sought to attract a casino to an unoccupied “gambling zone” failed by a 24-15 vote. The bill had included the internet gambling ban to appease anti-gambling right wing legislators.
Last week the proposed legislation, Senate Bill 2055, has passed the internet gambling ban by a separate vote of 26-11. Several of the senators who originally voted to add the ban to the measure changed their votes to nays when the complete bill with the ban was up for consideration. The sparsely populated southeast corner of Kansas is the only designated gaming areas that have failed to attract casino developers. Lawmakers representing the sparsely populated area were the bill’s most ardent supporters. The failure of HB 2055 does not mean that similar provisions could be placed in another gambling related bill later.
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