While several states in the United States are working on pushing out bills that permit and legislate online gambling for the players in their region, California seems to be hitting many roadblocks. As of now, there is only one more month left for the legislative session and it is highly unlikely that the state will pass a bill permitting online gambling within this brief period.
Even the President Pro Tem of the Senate made a statement to this effect claiming that no proposed bill that outlined the terms of regulating and licensing online poker would pass by the end of this term.
California is looking to pass a bill that will regulate online poker and online gambling within the perimeters of the state. Darrell Steinberg, the Democratic President Pro Tem of the Senate spoke about the proposed intrastate poker laws and said, “it’s possible, but I don’t see it” in regard to the bill possibly going to the floor.
Senator Steinberg may not have had much hope of the bill going to the floor this term but is still willing to wait for a break in the issue. “I’m not going to break a pick on this issue. But I am willing to see it through if there is a little more consensus.”
Although the Senators statement is in no way remarkable as it only echoes the sentiment of the general poker community in the state, it is in a way surprising to hear such views from Sen. Steinberg, as he is currently working on writing a bill to promote online gambling in the state. Steinberg is co-author along with another Senator Rod Wright and both of them are working to open the state to online gambling.
It is alleged that the state would earn as much as 200 million USD once the bill is passed permitting Californians to be able to play online poker and casino games, this influx of money would come from the licensing fees generated by poker rooms and online casinos who would apply for state licenses. This bill is being pushed in the hope that it will make a difference in the 16 billion USD deficit that the state is coping with.
Some of the problems that the state is facing in regards to this issue is that there are some sectors in California that although support the cause of online poker do not approve the current bill as framed by the two senators and Steinberg and Rod Wright.
