Mar 21, 2005 - 14:36:05 CST
2:34 p.m. - BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- The Legislature's dalliance with Internet poker regulation ended abruptly Monday, when a bill to make North Dakota the first state to license cyberspace poker tables got only three votes supporting it."This is just another vehicle for more gambling in North Dakota, and I'm not sure that we want it," said Sen. David Nething, R-Jamestown.
The measure lost in the Senate, 44-3, after a brief debate Monday. It squeaked through the House last month, 49-43, and its sponsor, Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, has been lobbying senators on the measure's behalf.
Other critics of the bill said they were wary of the U.S. Justice Department's stand that Internet gambling in general is illegal. North Dakota's attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem, and Gov. John Hoeven have declined to endorse the legislation.
Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands have approved measures that would authorize state regulation of Internet casinos, but they have been reluctant to move forward given the opposition of federal prosecutors.
"There are at least three federal laws out there that make this legislation suspect," said Sen. Carolyn Nelson, D-Fargo. ------
The bill is HB1509
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