The online poker hearing by the New York state Senate’s Standing Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering turned out to be a lonely affair for the sponsor of the state’s online poker legislation.

State Sen. John Bonacic, who introduced New York’s S 5302 online poker bill earlier this year, started Wednesday’s hearing flanked by two other legislators, both of whom were gone before the day’s third of seven scheduled speakers had a chance at the microphone.

Bonacic insisted their exits were nothing to do with anything the speakers may have said but were due to their having made prior commitments, although that did illustrate the lack of legislative urgency surrounding online gambling in the state.

Poker Players Alliance executive director John Pappas, a fixture at these types of hearings, popped the day’s cherry with his usual stump speech regarding the need to authorize and regulate online poker to protect consumers from “fly by night” operators. Pappas made two references to defunct ponzi scheme Lock Poker to add weight to his claims.