Last week the Governmental Organization Committee passed a study bill concerning the regulations of online poker in California. Now the bill should be approved by the state’s Appropriations Committee ad than by the Legislature.
The Assembly Bill 2026 was presented to the committee by Lloyd Levine, a democrat assembly member, who wants to make the world of online poker transparent and accountable. To make this possible, the California Gambling Control Commission should work with the Department of Justice to make a study and present it than in June 30th 2009 to the Legislature.
Lloyd Levine is convinced that intrastate online poker could be allowed in California as intrastate and intratribal betting and interstate horseracing are exempt from the Act.
Intrastate transactions mean that there are bets made in a single state with the state laws. According to the right given to every state by the 10th amendment of U.S. Constitution, every state government decides what forms of legally gambling may be done within its borders.
Mr. Levine asserts that despite the fact that online poker playing is forbidden in California, many people continue to play, but the problem is that they aren’t protected by the state law if something should go wrong. So the study would focus on licensing, underage gambling, technological issues, games that would be on the market as well as on the economic benefits of the state.
The AB 2026 would allow the poker payers to be protected by the Californian state, but also to prevent frauds, underage gambling and identity theft. Besides Levine says also that authorising online poker in California would be another big economic opportunity for the state.
