Another Gambling Company Grabs California Online Poker PartnershipThere's Still Some Chance For 2015, But Not Much |
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Efforts to legalize real-money online poker in California this year are likely dead, but that doesn’t mean stakeholders in a future industry there aren’t already gearing up for the long road ahead next year and possibly beyond.
The most recent firm to form a partnership for online poker in the Golden State was Louisville-based Churchill Downs, according to a Thursday report from The Courier-Journal. The deal is with Crystal Casino & Hotel in Los Angeles and Ocean’s 11 in Oceanside, which are under the same ownership. The partnership means the groups would work together to bring a poker site to the market and share in the profits. California is the largest potential I-poker market in the country.
“It is a huge market, a high population, a rich population, a gambling population,” as one high-stakes poker pro recently put it. It has been estimated that it could be worth more than $380 million a year.
Amaya Gaming Group, which owns PokerStars, has relationships with the likes of Commerce, The Bike and Hawaiian Gardens should California ever regulate the games.
PokerStars has been continuing to send its top pros to lobby in the state. Recently, poker pros Chris Moneymaker, Liv Boeree and Jason Somerville were at Stones Gambling Hall in Sacramento to advocate for the game, according to The Sacramento Bee.
In May, PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu was in the state’s capital to assist in the efforts.
Bwin.Party, which was recently acquired by 888 Holdings, at least for now, also has a deal with a brick-and-mortar gambling facility in the Golden State.
One of several online poker bills that were on the table in the state advanced out of a legislative committee in April. It was the first time any California lawmaker had ever voted on an online poker bill, so it was a huge milestone and provides some real hope.
It is possible a vote on a remaining online poker bill, Assembly Bill 167, will happen at a hearing later this month, according to OnlinePokerReport. But it’s unlikely.
The big problem with getting gaming interests in the state aligned on online poker is the question about who should be allowed to run games. Some don’t think racetracks should be able to offer online poker. The reasoning is that the market couldn’t support too many operators.
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