California gives up on Online Poker Legislation

California has finally decided not to go for 2015’s online poker legislation. The last attempt from the Golden State for online gambling brought the discord among several Native American Tribes, owners of casinos and card rooms along the state. The Capitol Hill also announced recently some discrepancies on the online gambling legislation comprising other forms of gambling, as an anonymous source stated a few weeks ago: “I do not see any momentum. There is no agreement among tribes. There is no groundswell of support from the people that are out there playing. There is nobody banging on the door to the state Legislature saying: we want you to regulate online poker. We have got water issues. We have got fires burning throughout California. This does not register as being critical on the governor’s agenda. I do not see what has changed. We know there are two big issues. But there are other issues as well that have not even been discussed. There are regulatory issues, licensing affiliate issues. These are all things that need to get worked out. I just do not see it getting done.”

This coming Friday is the close of California’s legislative session for 2015 and, the online poker bill is not going to be included in such legislature, despite the successful move that Assemblyman Adam Gray’s AB 431 made a few months ago. On the other hand, California seems to be working on a new gambling bill that would allow sports betting. Last week, Assemblyman Gray brought a new proposal that might allow California’s card rooms, tribal casinos, and horse race tracks to offer legal online sports betting. The new bill, AB 1441, California Interactive Sports Wagering Consumer Protection Act, could allow operators to accept bets “only using telephone, computer, or another method of electronic wagering communication”.