PokerNews.com has obtained a replica of the letter that nine industry leaders sent to Assemblyman Adam Gray, chair of the committee and co-lead sponsor of the bill. Within the letter, the industry expressed support for the bill with a couple of reasonable caveats:
- The $60 million annual payment to horse racing isn't changed. Assemblyman Gray told PokerNews last month that the figure was not up for negotiation.
- Tax rate and licensing fees (that have been left blank within the bill after being 15 percent and $15 million within the initial draft proposal), remain reasonable. So long as there’s a little bit wiggle room at the originally proposed numbers, this shouldn’t be a topic. Racing’s concern is that its $60 million comes from the costs collected by the state, which won’t reach $60 million if the state isn’t collecting that much from online poker.
- Any fair or association that ceases to provide live racing should now not be eligible to take part within the fund. Just a bit inner-industry jockeying.
- Language is added to the bill clarifying that giving up the best to take part as an operator in online poker doesn’t preclude a horseracing association from participating in any future Internet gambling activities allowed by the state, nor affect its ability to continue offering online wagering on horses.
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