At a time when President Obama has lost his supermajority in the Senate and the future of online poker legalization at the federal level is uncertain, it appears as though the states may be starting to take matters into their own hands as far as this issue is concerned.

The trailblazing state on this issue is New Jersey, the same state that recently legalized medical marijuana unambiguously. Now, in an effort to enhance the quality of life for its residents and make a little money in the process, the State Senate appears to be poised to start debating the legalization of online gambling strictly within the geographical boundaries of the Garden State.

One reason as to why this bill appears to be coming up now is the relative logjam that has occurred at the federal level. The current political situation is nothing short of gridlock and with California currently in an embattled position and therefore unable to take its traditional lead on issues of personal freedom within the state levels of government, New Jersey appears to be thinking that enough is enough.

Another reason is an issue of freedom for the 50,000 people within the state that are estimated to play online poker on a regular basis. Rather than ridiculing and potentially criminalizing these people, some New Jersey lawmakers feel that since they’re not hurting anyone by playing online poker, there is no sense in leaving this as an illegal activity.

Finally, another reason that has been cited on a regular basis is the financial aspect of this whole online poker debate. Current conservative estimates place the revenue that could be earned from online gambling at around $100 million per year for the state and even more for the people that actually start running the online gambling institutions.

The people that would be running the legalized online poker institutions in New Jersey would be Atlantic City casinos. The revenue they earn from online poker would help them offset some of the losses that have come about as a result of the current economic recession. On almost all fronts, this idea seems like a winner.