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With news that the state of Delaware is on the cusp of legalizing online poker following a measure sailing through the Senate on Wednesday, California is trying desperately to resurrect its own Web poker bill, one fraught with opposition.
The measure is currently being amended by its sponsors in preparation of a possible hearing on the issue prior to a legislative summer recess set for July 6.
The bill’s sponsors, Senators Roderick Wright and Darrell Steinberg, are in talks with gambling interests to try and come up with a way to appease the tribal casino operators, many of whom are opposed to SB1463 as it currently stands.
“The problem is that not all stakeholders want the same thing, each group is self-interested,” said Harsh Parikh, a gaming attorney with Snell & Wilmer, LLP, in Costa Mesa. “Some tribes believe they have exclusive right to online gaming. Most scholars and lawyers on the topic disagree.”
The conflicts of interests and agendas become abundantly clear as illustrated by PokerNewsReport:
One of the issues being discussed is the insistence by tribes and cardrooms that horse racing interests be excluded from any online poker regulations. The racetracks have no experience in the realm of poker and should not be afforded the opportunity to enter into something they know nothing about, tribes argue. This is expected not to sit well with Sen. Wright, whose legislative district is home to the state’s largest racetrack.
The odds of California getting anything done during this year’s legislative session seem especially low, but stranger things have happened we suppose.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
