- A new gambling bill to bring online poker to North Dakota passed in the North Dakota House of Representatives.
- The bill House Concurrent Resolution 3012 (HCR 3012) passed with a 54-40 majority.
- The bill will need Senate approval for the next phase.
BISMARCK, N.D. – Online poker may soon be coming to North Dakota after a new bill passes in the House of Representatives.
House Concurrent Resolution 3012 (HCR 3012) was initially presented on February 2, 2021, and has already swayed enough votes in the House to pass to the State Senate.
If the bill successfully passes in the Senate, then USA online poker will be one step closer to be offered by regulated operators in the Flickertail State.
Online Poker Bill Shows Promise
It has been a long fight by legislators to launch North Dakota gambling as the state has failed in the past to have any bill go forward. This new bill does have lawmakers feeling optimism, however.
HCR 3012 passed with a 54-40 majority in the House. This shows that a strong effort to launch online poker is beginning to bear fruit.
The Senate will have to be convinced next. Lobbyists in favor of online poker in North Dakota are promoting the potential revenue boom that the Flickertail State could see.
North Dakota has no form of regulated USA online gambling at all, but online poker could be the gateway into more gaming options.
The bill's main sponsor, Rep. Jim Kasper has been pushing for online poker for 16 years but has failed to gain traction due to worries about violating the Wire Act. These concerns have faded in recent years.
Now that the online poker bill has made it through the House, optimism for the eventual launch is apparent.
A sports betting bill, HCR 3032 has also passed in the senate with a 70-24 senate majority. Both of these types of gambling, if passed by the state legislature, will be put on the 2022 ballot for North Dakotans to vote on.
The tides may possibly be turning in the usually anti-gambling Flickertail State. There is a bright future for the online gambling market in North Dakota.