February Hearing Scheduled for Intrastate Online Poker in California posted by Paul
“I think it is workable as well as a potential source of new income,” said fellow State Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter). “How you structure it is the key.”
California — the cash-strapped state that has shown willingness historically to be a trendsetter when it comes to legislative action — is ready to hold a hearing on the merits of regulating online poker. Michigan State Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) told the LA Times this week that the state legislature is planning on holding a hearing on the issue in February.
“About two million Californians are playing poker offshore right now,” said Patrick Dorinson, a spokesperson for Morongo, referencing the popularity of current online poker sites that serve American players.
The Morongo Band of Mission Indians & the Commerce Casino are two entities in a group of gaming-associated groups who are calling for regulation. Both the Morongo tribe & Commerce hope to operate online poker web-sites if the legislation became law.
However, not all groups support the proposal.
Lawmakers are hesitant to predict how much intrastate online poker training could bring in to the state in terms of revenue, but the LA Times said that if the state operated poker like it does its Indian-run slot machines, over $250 million could be raised per year.
“Card game betting on the Web would take business away from brick-and-mortar casinos,” said Robert Smith, the chairman of the Michigan Tribal Business Alliance.
Anti-gambling advocates have also voiced concern on the issue.
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