Third California Online Poker Bill offers Little, but is Still Significant

In California, the motto right now appears to be ‘the more the better’ regarding online poker bills. A third piece of iPoker legislation has made its way on to the table, and it’s authored by Assemblyman Adam Gray and State Sen. Isadore Hall.

Oddly enough, though, the three-page document doesn’t really explain anything on what this iPoker bill proposes. But perhaps it’s not so weird when you consider that the deadline for submitting 2015 legislation in California is February 27. So what’s so significant about an essentially meaningless online poker bill at this point?

Gray and Hall are the keys here

While these two politicians may not have had time to get anything significant down on paper before submitting their bill, it’s a fairly positive sign that they’re involved in any way. Gray and Hall lead their houses’ committees on gaming, meaning they wield significant influence on how discussions regarding California online poker will proceed.

As we’ve discussed in the past, Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer and Mike Gatto have both introduced their own separate iPoker legislation. Jones-Sawyer’s bill is especially popular among the PokerStars coalition because it softens the bad actor clause. However, given Gray and Hall’s positions, their bill is likely the one that’ll take control of this year’s iPoker push.

How will bad actor clause and racetracks be handled?

Now it’s up to Hall and Gray to try and work something out with the two main issues blocking online poker right now – the bad actor clause and racetracks’ inclusion. Previously, most state tribes wanted the bad actor language included since it essentially bars PokerStars from the market, and they wanted racetracks excluded too.

However, PokerStars has been gaining some momentum, with Caesars and more tribes joining their position. But the Pechanga and Agua Caliente tribes are still staunchly opposed to removing the bad actor clause and allowing racetracks.

Don’t expect decisions any time soon

While there’s been a flurry of activity on the California scene, Hall cautioned that this isn’t going to be a quick matter. “We intend to develop a framework in California that can be a national model,” he said. “This will not be a rushed process. We look forward to moderating an open, honest, and thorough debate.”

Assuming the process continues being drawn out, it won’t be any different than previous years, meaning that online poker becoming legal in California is a murky proposition.

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