California To Hold Hearing On Internet Poker TodayGolden State Considered Most Likely To Legalize This Year |
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California will be holding an “informational hearing” today—Wednesday, April 23—on online poker.
The title of the robust 1 p.m. hearing is “The Future Public Policy and Fiscal Implications of Authorizing iPoker Gaming in California.” In other words, a lot will be discussed.
A pair of online poker bills were introduced to the California legislature in February. Assembly Bill 2291 and Senate Bill 1366 want online poker to be legalized and regulated.
The hearing will feature testimony from many California tribes, in addition to Mark Lipparelli, the former chair of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Tobin Prior, CEO of Ultimate Gaming, Tom Ballance, President of the Borgata in Atlantic City, Brian Mattingley, CEO of online poker site 888 Holdings, among numerous other casino industry elites.
Legalizing online poker in the Golden State has proven to be immensely challenging, as there are a lot of groups that would be affected one way or another by the online games. California is home to the nation’s top tribal gaming industry, in addition to big and successful card rooms. The impact on the state’s horse racing industry must also be considered.
To put it simply: There could be big winners and losers from regulated online poker.
California is considered to have the best shot to legalize online poker in 2014, among all other states, but still the odds are very much in favor of nothing happening this year. It is, after all, an election year in California, and the issue is controversial.
To listen to the audio of today’s hearing in California, check out this link.
Just three states—Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware—have legal online poker. There have been mixed opinions on how successful those respective industries have been so far.
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