Branstad still looking at online gambling issue

Gov. Terry Branstad said today that Iowa is pretty much saturated with gambling opportunities, but he's not prepared to slam the door on an expansion into Internet poker.

The governor told his weekly news conference that the current 18 state-licensed casino operations appear to be an “adequate number” and Iowa's market has matured – given that the state also operates a lottery and there are Native American casinos operating under a federal compact.

At the same time, Branstad has been told by casino interests that as many as 150,000 Iowans currently are playing poker online through off-shore operations providing the gambling activity via the Internet. The governor said he was concerned about the integrity of such illegal activities and how it might impact efforts to maintain the integrity and honesty of wagering in Iowa. Proponents of online poker also say the state could collect another $30 million in annual revenues if the activity was authorized at state-licensed casinos with proper oversight.

“I'm certainly not advocating it,” Branstad told reporters.

“This is kind of a new phenomenon and as I understand it, it's a pretty significant issue and one that I think deserves to be very carefully studied,” he added. “I want to make sure the integrity of the state is protected in the process and we certainly want to prevent our citizens from being defrauded by unscrupulous activities.”

Branstad said he might be open to the concept, but at this point he is uncertain whether the gambling measure on the Senate debate calendar will actually make it to his desk this session.

“It's usually my policy not to threaten veto on anything until I've seen it in its final form,” he said. “Things could change dramatically and I think it's important to learn as much as I can before staking out a position. I learned this a long time ago that it's important to have all the facts and all the information and not just make a snap judgment based on an inadequate amount of information.”