New California Online Poker Bill IntroducedProposal Currently Mandates Registration Be Done In Person |
|
The bill aiming to legalize online poker in California in 2015 is officially on the table. The legislation was introduced on Monday in Sacramento.
The bill would give licenses to tribes and card rooms located in the Golden State, as well as their technology partners and affiliates that may or may not be based in California.
It was introduced by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale).
“The status quo is a lost opportunity,” Gatto said in a statement on Tuesday. “California could receive significant revenue for merely regulating and legitimizing an industry that Californians already participate in but send their dollars overseas.”
According to Gatto’s office, 2.5 million people regularly play online poker in California.
The bill is dubbed the “Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2015” and would establish a framework to authorize intrastate Internet poker for those phsyically within California’s borders. Only poker would be authorized, and licenses would be awarded for 10 years.
If the bill becomes law, regulations for online poker would be adopted within 180 days.
The current language in the bill seems to exclude a return of PokerStars into the California market, but that isn’t certain yet. Revisions will surely be made in the coming months.
California has tried numerous times in the past to legalize online poker, but other lawmakers haven’t been successful. According to Gatto’s office, “AB 9 is different from previous proposals, in that it endeavors to address both the external criticisms of the industry, and expand the pie to obtain accord amongst competing gaming interests.” Could a compromise finally have been brokered?
Here’s some bad news for poker players:
This bill would require a registered player account to be established in person, and would also require that specified deposits into and withdrawals out of those accounts be made in person. In order to satisfy those in-person requirements, the bill would authorize a licensed operator to enter into an agreement for the operation of one or more satellite service centers, which would be authorized to act on behalf of, or in coordination with, the licensed operator in carrying out those in-person requirements.
Requiring that registration be done in-person could be a massive roadblock for the industry. The logic behind it is to prevent underage play and to help brick-and-mortar traffic as well.
“California has led the world in computer and internet innovation, and there is no good reason why we can’t continue to lead with a sensible online poker framework,” Gatto added.
“AB 9 borrows from time tested business practices that will improve our government finances and keep our money in our home state.”
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
