While the legal battle for online poker in California still rages on, a group of Californians had an opportunity to voice their opinions. According to a survey by the Coalition for Consumer & Online Protection (C4COP), 68% of California residents want their state to legalize online poker. On the other hand, just 27% of those polled oppose legalizing internet poker in the Golden State.
Online Poker Survey is a Huge Blow to Sheldon Adelson’s Cause
This poll was conducted by Tulcin Research, and they gathered data by calling 800 Californians. Thanks to the positive results, the C4COP have some steam in their quest to bring online poker to more states across the US. Along with the American Gaming Association and Poker Players Alliance, the C4COP are waging a war against Sheldon Adelson, who’s emerged as a villain to those who favor online gaming.
When discussing how 68% of Californians favor internet poker, the C4COP boasts that this is “further proof that Sheldon Adelson’s reckless legislation, which would institute a nationwide ban on all online gaming, is out of step with the public.”
As some will recall, Adelson commissioned a survey last year that claimed 70% of Americans “disapprove” of online gaming. However, the results were quickly called into question because the Las Vegas Sands Chairman was reluctant to release many details on his survey. The portion that was released seemed guilty of the “framing effect,” where one phrases questions in a certain way to produce desired results.
There’s Still Plenty of Work to be Done to get Online Poker Going in California
Moving away from Adelson, the California government recently held an online poker hearing to discuss some important topics, such as bringing the state’s Indian tribes to a consensus and what to do about the “bad actor” clause.
In regard to the latter, PokerStars and their ally, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, argue that a bad actor clause works to limit competition. Moreover, less competition means a smaller amount of tax revenue being raised for the state. Opposing tribes believe that PokerStars and other sites that operated in the US after the UIGEA should be punished.
So far, only Nevada have imposed a bad actor clause, which includes a 10-year lockout period. New Jersey suspended review of PokerStars’ application until 2015 in what many believe was a move to help Atlantic City operators start off well with online gaming. As for Delaware, Stars were unable to gain a gaming license here, presumably because they only offer poker in a state that’s running both poker and casino games.
Taking all of this into account, it’ll be interesting to see which way California goes with the bad actor clause. Stars and the Mission Indians also have the state’s three biggest cardrooms on their side – Commerce, Hawaiian Gardens and The Bike. Plus they’re getting some support within California’s House too. Some predict that online poker will be legalized in the state within a year, so we won’t have to wait too long to find out how everything turns out.