While many politicians are working hard to try and legalize online gambling in Massachusetts, house speaker Robert DeLeo seems to have made it his mission to have the practice banned completely.

DeLeo recently introduced a piece of legislation designed to attract new casino resorts to the Massachusetts area. As part of the bill two new casinos would be welcomed to the state and the ailing racing industry would also get a boost by being allowed to install a limited number of slot machines the catch is the bill would make it expressly illegal to gamble online.

DeLeo’s bill states that any person who engages in wagering using telecommunication devices such as phones, internet, cell phones or a local area network within the state of Massachusetts could face some serious consequences. If the bill should pass anyone caught indulging in the practice could potentially face up to two years in jail along with a $25,000 fine; a pretty steep punishment to say the least.

Many in the online poker community are expecting several amendments to be added that would delete the controversial language from the bill but for the time being no one has confirmed whether or not any such amendments have been incorporated or not. About 216 amendments of DeLeo’s proposal have been registered but it will take legislators some time to leaf through them. Poker players are expecting online poker to be excluded from the category of internet gambling since it requires a certain level of skill but even then it would still require some major changes to the proposed bill.

On Monday DeLeo surged toward securing a veto-proof backing for his bill, telling deputies on the eve of the floor debate he had gained 104 commitments, House sources said. The debate is scheduled to take place today at which point amendments for the bill must receive two thirds vote in order to be approved. Hopefully they will be able to work something in that will take care of the online gambling problem.