Lottery Sales Tied To Poker? Maryland Lawmaker Believes So

There are many reasons that have been offered as to why online poker should not be regulated in the US on a federal level. Yesterday, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley gave a reason that sponsors of a new online gambling bill in Congress quickly rejected.

O'Malley told legislators that they should not pass online poker regulations because it would hurt his state's lottery sales. There has been no data to back up O'Malley's concern, although the governor gave his opinion to the committee that held the hearing on the online gambling legislation on Tuesday.

"Such proposals would diminish significant sources of revenue for the states when we have already had to endure significant revenue reductions," said O'Malley. "Historically, states have had the right to make their own decisions about whether to offer gambling and how to regulate the industry. These proposals would strip states of these rights."

Ironically, Maryland has expanded their own gambling industry in recent years, without concern for their state lottery system. Maryland has added land-based casino gambling to their list of offerings, with the promise of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue being the trade off. Analysts believe that online poker could open the door to billions of dollars in tax revenue, much of which would be made by individual states.

Maryland would have a lot to lose if their lottery system is compromised. Currently, the state's lottery brings in $519 million each year. With Maryland gamblers spending that much on the lottery, the state could also gain hundreds of millions of dollars if those same gamblers also played poker online. That is a point that pro-online gambling legislators made to O'Malley at the hearing on Tuesday.

October 26, 2011
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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