BISMARCK — Supporters of legalizing online poker have once again come up with a losing hand.
The North Dakota Senate voted unanimously on Tuesday, March 30, to fail House Concurrent Resolution 3012 , which would have put the legalization of internet poker on the 2022 general election ballot.
The House approved the bill last month, but the upper chamber has shown a strong aversion to gambling bills, failing a resolution last week to put the legalization of sports betting on the ballot.
The resolution was introduced by Fargo Republican Rep. Jim Kasper, who has unsuccessfully pushed the issue in the Legislature for more than 15 years. Proponents like Kasper say North Dakotans are already playing poker online, but the state is not regulating or taxing the activity.
There was no debate about the resolution Tuesday, with Grand Forks Republican Sen. Scott Meyer, who carried the legislation to the floor, acknowledging that the Senate would surely fail the resolution given its attitudes toward legalized gambling.
