Nevada's online gambling bill suffered a setback on May 28 when it failed to make its way through the state Senate.
Assembly Bill 578, which had recently been approved by the state assembly, had also earned approval from the Senate judiciary committee on May 21. The Nevada senate was scheduled to vote on the bill on May 25, but due to a legislative backlog, AB 578 was removed from the voting schedule on May 26.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Mark James, who supports the gaming legislation, commented that the bill "was a casualty of the machinations of the legislative process." The senate is currently dealing with an energy bill, as well as a seniors' prescription drug bill.
Online gaming law expert, Tony Cabot, doesn't believe the bill is stuck because of a lack of support. "Every indication we have is that the bill was stalled for reasons unrelated to the merits of the bill." He also expects that Governor Kenny Guinn will sign off on the bill if and when the legislative bottleneck clears.
Cabot did note, however, that the governor's signature wasn't an automatic green light for online gambling in Nevada.
The Nevada Gaming Commission still has to decide whether online gaming can be regulated and whether it is in compliance with U.S. federal regulations. No one will be launching a real money site in Nevada until that happens.
Supporters are determined not to let the bill die, and they will be pushing for a vote during this session of the legislature. But they're running out of time. The session ends by June 4, and the legislature won't be sitting another two years. And two years is an eternity in the world of online gambling.
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