Not long ago legislation was contemplated in California that would legalize on-line poker by creating an intrastate site. Legislation that would make this concept reality was introduced recently by State Senator Roderick Wright, of Los Angeles suburb Ingelwood. What makes California a particularly interesting test ground is that it is the most populated state in the country, for years has had legalized brick-and-mortar poker, and is facing a critical, and growing, budget deficit.
The current bill has received mixed reviews, however, both in terms of concept and execution. Conceptually, even the California Indian tribes, many of which have brick-and-mortar casinos, are split. One faction of Indian tribes opposes the bill because it would violate the tribes’ exclusive right to control gambling in California (i.e., losing money) and out of fear that legalization would introduce children to gambling. Other tribes, such as the Morongo, support the bill because it will bring revenue to the state. (Each tribe’s annual license is approximately $365 million.) Regarding execution, experts, such as esteemed Professor Joseph Kelly, though he generally favors of many aspects of the bill, take issue with the provision of the bill that would make it a crime to play on a non-intrastate site.
My take is somewhat different, and perhaps controversial (especially to California-based poker players). Online poker should be legal and regulated. So, yes, generally, I favor legalization of online poker. BUT, I am against a piecemeal approach that would harm the federal effort to legalize poker across ALL states. California represents approximately 25% of the online player pool. Creation of a California intrastate site — and criminalizing play on other sites — would chop a leg out of the effort to legalize poker nationally. And this comes from someone that lives in another “major” state who would personally benefit from an intrastate site. Poker players should keep their eyes on the larger picture, and not settle for Pyrrhic wins that merely appease.
