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Kansas Legislators Turn Back Online Gambling Ban

 

A bill that was intended to expand casino gambling in Kansas and throw online gambling "under the bus" has failed in the legislature. Only 15 of the 39 legislators who voted were ultimately in favor of the bill, which had as its primary purpose the intention to attract a casino to the southeastern corner of the state, which is the only designated area that does not currently have an active gaming establishment. Apparently in order to get that casino developed the state thought it had to add a sweetener, and in this case it was banning online gambling, so that any new brick and mortar establishments wouldn't be threatened by the existence of such a thing in the state.

That came in the form of an amendment to Senate Bill 2055, and interestingly enough the amendment itself passed by a rather decisive margin (26 to 11). This particular part of the bill did not merely make it illegal for operators of online casinos in the state; it took the rather extraordinary step of making the participation in online poker and online casino games a misdemeanor for the player, meaning that state government was going to insinuate itself into the private computers and homes of its residents. Online gambling was defined in the bill as that which takes place on the internet or on any mobile device.

In order to add even more protection for would-be casino builders, the bill also banned slots and video gaming from the pari-mutuel facilities in the state until the year 2032. And there were added inducements to those who are contemplating an investment in land-based gaming, dropping the development commitment from a robust $225 million down to just $50 million.

The penalty for playing in an online casino would have maxed out at six months in jail and a $1000 fine. The misdemeanor idea was promoted by State Senator Jacob LaTurner. Mercifully the legislators looked at the bill as a whole and turned it down. So now it is back to the drawing board for whoever is interested in bringing another bill forward to promote the expansion of gambling in Kansas.

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