A revised version of California’s intrastate egaming bill could come up for a vote in an upcoming special legislative session aimed at healing the state’s vast and growing budget deficit.
Senator Rod Wright’s SB 1485 bill stalled in June amid opposition from several Indian gaming tribes and card clubs to several of its provisions, with Wright saying at the time he would “never get a consensus”.
But intrastate lobby group Poker Voters of America (PVA) is now poised to introduce amendments to the bill aimed at satisfying the concerns of stakeholders with the original framework, which broadened the scope of the initial draft beyond online poker. PVA said this followed months of consultations with tribal governments, card room operators, state agencies and elected officials.
As well as restoring the Wright bill to a poker only concern, the new measures include a “mitigation fund” aimed at guaranteeing revenue streams from intrastate online poker for all federally recognised tribes and licensed land-based operators in the state, and also requirements that tribes and card rooms would be part of any bid on poker hub contracts.
PVA president Melanie Brenner (pictured) said: “Swift passage of SB 1485 is important not only because of budget concerns but because of federal gambling legislation that could soon be passed by Congress. Without its own law in place, California’s ability to control its own policy on online gambling could be severely constrained by any federal mandate contained in legislation expected to be passed by Congress this year.”
Senator Rod Wright’s SB 1485 bill was introduced in late May as an urgency measure, meaning it would go into effect immediately upon legislative passage and signature by the Governor. Brenner also pledged that the group would continue to work with potential stakeholders, state agencies, and elected officials “to make sure we win passage of an intrastate online poker system by the end of 2010.”
According to data provided by gambling data specialists H2 Gambling Capital for the forthcoming issue of eGaming Review, California would account for US$2.3bn of regulated internet gross gaming yield within three years of regulation, more than twice that of the next largest states, Texas and New York, both on US$1.1bn. The state’s budget deficit is currently on course to top US$19bn by the end of this current financial year.
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Senator Rod Wright’s SB 1485 bill stalled in June amid opposition from several Indian gaming tribes and card clubs to several of its provisions, with Wright saying at the time he would “never get a consensus”.
But intrastate lobby group Poker Voters of America (PVA) is now poised to introduce amendments to the bill aimed at satisfying the concerns of stakeholders with the original framework, which broadened the scope of the initial draft beyond online poker. PVA said this followed months of consultations with tribal governments, card room operators, state agencies and elected officials.
As well as restoring the Wright bill to a poker only concern, the new measures include a “mitigation fund” aimed at guaranteeing revenue streams from intrastate online poker for all federally recognised tribes and licensed land-based operators in the state, and also requirements that tribes and card rooms would be part of any bid on poker hub contracts.
PVA president Melanie Brenner (pictured) said: “Swift passage of SB 1485 is important not only because of budget concerns but because of federal gambling legislation that could soon be passed by Congress. Without its own law in place, California’s ability to control its own policy on online gambling could be severely constrained by any federal mandate contained in legislation expected to be passed by Congress this year.”
Senator Rod Wright’s SB 1485 bill was introduced in late May as an urgency measure, meaning it would go into effect immediately upon legislative passage and signature by the Governor. Brenner also pledged that the group would continue to work with potential stakeholders, state agencies, and elected officials “to make sure we win passage of an intrastate online poker system by the end of 2010.”
According to data provided by gambling data specialists H2 Gambling Capital for the forthcoming issue of eGaming Review, California would account for US$2.3bn of regulated internet gross gaming yield within three years of regulation, more than twice that of the next largest states, Texas and New York, both on US$1.1bn. The state’s budget deficit is currently on course to top US$19bn by the end of this current financial year.
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