In a surprising turn of events in the United States online poker industry, the state of Mississippi was one of the first to propose legislation for the activity in 2015. The Mississippi Lawful Internet Act of 2015 was proposed by Bobby Moak, a state representative, but failed to move forward by the deadline of this past Tuesday. The legislation is officially declared dead and will not be considered by the committee.
The bill has been changed to listed as ‘dead’ online and is yet another unsuccessful attempt by the representative to see online poker legislation come to pass within the state. Over the years Moak has tried creating bills for the activity but never gained any ground. According to a report at CardsChat, Moak now feels that 2016 will be a better target year for giving online poker a push in Mississippi.
Speaking with PokerNews, Moak stated that his republican colleagues have not moved much on the subject of gaming and they are not looking at the incentives that businesses can get from offering gaming.
When introduced, the bill received attention as it was surprising to come from the state of Mississippi as well as including stiff penalties for game play. The bill stated fines and even prison time for those who offered online gambling services without licensing as well as punishments for those who took part in the illegal gaming options as well. This would include as many as 90 days in jail as well as $10,000 in fines.
This addition to the bill was one that many were not in agreement with. Many feel as though the player should not be punished as harshly as the operator who is providing the games illegally. The Poker Players Alliance spoke out against the language of the bill calling the player punishments misguided. Moak stated that he was willing to take things out and make changes to try and bring online poker to the state of Mississippi.
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