U.S. Senator From California Writes Letter Opposing Online Poker RegulationFederal Lawmaker Tries To Influence Her Home State's Legislature |
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A U.S. Senator from California has decided to try to meddle with her state’s legislative process by writing a letter opposing the regulation of online poker.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, an 82-year-old Democrat, penned a letter dated April 28 to the top lawmakers in both the California Senate and Assembly asking them to prevent the online poker bill on the table from becoming law.
Perhaps her concern at this time is good news because California lawmakers have tried to legalize and regulate online poker for the past nine years without success. However, 2016 could be different because of a $60 million subsidy to the state horseracing industry that is included in the latest version of the bill.
In 2014, Feinstein did sign on to support the federal proposal to “restore” the 1961 Wire Act, so her opposition to the online card game has already been established. Long before that, she supported the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
A California Assembly committee held a hearing on AB 2863 on April 27, and the legislation was approved 18-0. It was good news for the proposal, but there is still a long way to go to get the most politically powerful members of the state’s massive gambling industry on all board. The bill doesn’t currently have a tax rate or specific language to determine suitability for licenses.
At the hearing, testimony from the Poker Players Alliance included discussion of the ability of Californians to access off-shore poker sites that don’t pay taxes to California. California Assemblymember Adam Gray, a co-author of the I-poker bill, said that one million Californians play online poker for real money right now.
According to Feinstein’s letter, she not only wants the bill to be defeated, she also thinks “Internet poker should be prohibited in California.” That comment would seem to indicate she’s in favor of a new online poker bill coming forward, one to criminalize it and punish poker players. Legislation like that was passed years ago in the state of Washington, though no one has ever been prosecuted for playing online poker from that state.
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