The state of Massachusetts has begun looking into adding online poker to its list of revenue raising activities. Headed up by state representative Dan Winslow, this latest development in the legal US poker cause could see a plan of action as soon as next summer.

Specifically, the newly created Massachusetts Gaming Commission would be tasked with preparing “model legislation and regulations by July 1,” according to iGaming Business, “so that poker games have integrity and consist of games of skill and not games of chance.”

The State House is set to debate Winslow’s proposal tomorrow. Should the legislation gain traction, Massachusetts would join the ranks of New Jersey, Nevada, California, and Florida as states actively seeking to inject online poker into their population’s gaming culture.

The main impetus behind Winslow’s new bill comes from his own realization that, quite frankly, online gaming is already a reality within his state. But, rather than offering patrons a reasonable deal of security, these offshore-run gambling giants funnel a great deal of money out of the nation’s economic equation. As the longstanding argument goes, bringing America into the online poker world would provide the government with a major source of revenue.

“The gambling legislation has great potential to create jobs at casinos and for construction,” said Winslow. “Internet poker has great potential for creating high-tech jobs, developing the software and also the regulatory software to ensure the integrity of the games.”