First state to legalize poker this year

There has been much discussion in recent months about various initiatives by state lawmakers to regulate online gambling. In Maryland, the first yes vote of 2024 goes to a project aimed at legalizing online poker in the United States. The plan received 70 percent approval in the House and is now headed to the Senate.

HB 1319 Presented by Republican Rep.Vanessa Atterbeary. The bill initially passed the House Ways and Means Committee on a 15-7 vote. The bill then went to the House, where it passed by a 92-43 vote.

The opposition group attempted to amend the bill five times before approval, but was rejected each time. One of them is to register an account and deposit money in person. Another scheme attempts to force each user to authenticate in two steps every time they log in. There is also an attempt to include an amendment aimed at setting a $100 limit on daily deposits in online poker rooms.

Fortunately, all of these amendments were voted against and the bill is moving forward. It must now be approved by the Senate.