The Latest Gambling Legislation for California

The most recent iPoker Bill is being introduced in California, these efforts to bring online poker to California have in the past decade failed, and the last attempt ground to a halt during August 2016.

The Golden State’s 2017 initiative, has recently been launched after Assembly member, Reginald Jones-Sawyer, has introduced the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act (AB-1677) last week to the state legislature.

According to the iPoker bill, the Californian card rooms and the Indian tribes would be allowed to tender applications for an official license, also the state’s horse racing industry is to receive a $60 million per annum, provision for their exclusion from the regulated market.

If the Poker Bill is passed in California there will be plenty of benefits for online poker. It is estimated to be worth approximately $400 million annually, which is twice the amount that is currently being generated by the New Jersey’s entire online gambling market. The USA’s wealthiest and the most populous state has accounted for 16% of the country’s iPoker revenues between the years 2009 and 2010, and a 4% of the whole global market. It is estimated that about million Californians be playing with real money on online poker at unregulated sites.

California has the potential of turning the tide in their efforts of expanding online poker throughout the USA, and to encourage other states to do likewise. Numerous times there were disagreements between the different gaming interests in California which has brought the process to a halt.

One of the major issues has been whether or not to let PokerStars be part of the future California online poker market, because the rival tribes see that anyone who forms a partnership with the company that they are securing an unfair advantage ahead of their competitors.

It is thought that the policies of US President Donald Trump might hinder efforts to advance online poker legislation, due to disputes over immigration issues that threatens to spill out into other areas. A heavy-handed approach by Trump administration of imposing a federal online gambling ban is out of the question, as Mr Trump said recently:

Direct quote

“We give tremendous amounts of money to California. California in many ways is out of control, as you know.”