California Online Poker Bill Being Revived By Sponsors
Sponsors of California’s Online Poker Bill are starting to amend it in preparation for a possible resurrection of the bill. We can recall that this bill has been previously shot down a few weeks ago before it was even voted on by the Senate. They say it is set to have a possible hearing before the legislative body goes on recess.
Senator Roderick Wright and Darrell Steinberg are to meet some of California’s gambling interest groups this week to listen to their concerns. This step will create an impact on the amendments they are to make on the bill. These amendments will be made in an effort to appease all concerned parties. The task alone is quite hard to accomplish because almost everyone wants to get a piece of the revenue that online poker would bring to California. We are talking about cardrooms, tribal casinos, and horse racing and they all want to get a part of it.
Harsh Parikh, gaming attorney from Snell & Wilmer, LLP in Costa Mesa, said that the problem is a lot of these groups are self-interested. They believe they have the right to online gaming just like tribe casinos, which is largely debatable.
Issues spring from tribes and cardrooms insisting on excluding horse racing from online poker regulations. They’re claiming that race tracks have no experience in poker. Therefore, it should not be given the opportunity to enter into the poker scene. Members of the legislative body, who have great affinity with horse racing, think otherwise.
Tribal casinos are not too convinced that online poker will get the revenue that everyone else is expecting. Their concern revolved around the thought that online gambling in general will lower their profits. But the bill sponsors have sought help in studying this concern. They want to prove that online gambling won’t be dragging down every other betting game.
California’s legislative body session will end on August 31st that’s why bill sponsors need to work faster and diligently to make the amendments and be able to present this before the recess. When all gaming interests are met and satisfied, Wright and Steinberg could breeze through the application in both legislative bodies.
