Martin Shapiro Campaigns for iPoker authorisation in Florida

To date, only three states, New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada, have managed to successfully legalize online poker although a number of other states are pushing to follow their example. Recently, a tremendous effort has been made in Florida after one avid player, Martin Shapiro started a campaign to promote legalization. The campaign, called iPoker Florida has gained a wealth of support from people across the state and may succeed in its goal before long time stragglers like California.

The momentum and success of the campaign so far may be the result of the impressive amount of work put into it by Mr. Shapiro. Unlike other states where voters have put pressure on to legislators to introduce a bill in the state congress, Shapiro has taken matters into his own hands and drafted the Internet Poker and Licensing Protection Act of 2016. The bill, 30 pages in length, is an impressive feat for someone who doesn't “have any formal legal training.”

More importantly, however, is the driving purpose behind the bill, the protection of the players. Mr. Shapiro claims this is “greatly lacking” in similar bills and has structured his bill to outline specific safeguard requirements. Having read the bill in its entirety, this writer is impressed by the emphasis on safety. What strikes me as most notable about the bill is the amount of responsibility it places on iPoker providers to protect connecting players from theft, cheating, glitches, and similar problems that might occur in the online casino environment.

While other legislation has wording to dictate action in the face of cyber threats to player security, Shapiro's bill explicitly states that a network cannot get licensed without certain protection built into the system. This comes in the form of firewalls, anti-fraud/cheating/theft systems, anomalous play detectors, and disaster recovery programs. While the computer savvy may know that most computers come with a pre-programmed firewall, it is nice to see the protections listed as requirements for obtaining a license.

The bill also includes a 30 day trial period for any network looking to obtain a license. Any network looking to host online poker must start with this trial during which time the Division of Para-mutuel Wagering will examine and test to see if that network is safe and prepared to host a larger number of players. Additional bits of important information in the bill include, a 3 year Bad Actor Clause, a 10% tax rate on profits going into the California general fund, and a required iPoker self-exclusion form on the front page of any iPoker portal.

While it is certainly too soon to predict the outcome of Martin Shapiro's bill, the bills appears to have everyone's best interests at heart; the state, the players, and the casinos all benefit. While the campaign is currently relying entirely on grassroots support, I wish everyone at iPoker Florida the best of luck next year.