Online Casino Poker Still Waiting
Politicians in California have now decided to push off decisions on the internet
poker gambling study for another several months for no apparent reason. The
international online casino gambling industry eagerly awaited a decision from
the California regulators and lawmakers concerning the implementation of
in-state internet poker gambling. The bill in question that will now go up for
consideration in the beginning of 2009 started out as a bill requesting a
feasibility study of sorts, then morphed into legislation that would legalize
poker gambling at California facing online casinos, and then back again into a
bill that proposes that the state study the impact of implementing internet
poker legislation on both the federal and the state level.
The bill in question, AB 2026 has caused a whole lot of controversy in the state
one side is firmly against legalizing any further forms of gambling in the
state while the other side is eager to see internet poker gambling reintroduced
to the U.S. market rather than lumped in with the federal ban on offshore
gambling at the online casinos. The Poker Players Alliance has closely watched
the legislation unfold and morph throughout the year and supports the bill in
any form although fully legalizing poker gambling at the online casinos was
certainly more positive than merely authorizing a study of the pastime.
Supporters of the legislation encourage online casino poker gambling enthusiasts
to take heart at the announcement of a postponement Jim Tabilio comments,
It's a good sign that the legislators are taking this issue seriously,
understand the importance of the bill and are asking the right questions. There
is also some intense debate among politicians concerning whether legalizing
in-state online poker gambling would fall in conflict with the controversial
UIGEA or whether California is within its state rights. |