PokerStars and Viejas Tribes Begin California iPoker Propaganda Campaigns

The price of online poker is going up in California, at least on the propaganda front. A few weeks back, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians started a propaganda campaign against PokerStars and supposed "bad actors," the first ad campaign of its kind since the issue of online poker started to be considered years ago.

Now PokerStars has gone on the offensive by launching their own website to lobby for online poker in the state and by starting their own ad campaign urging citizens to support online poker.

Viejas Campaign Attacks PokerStars - Calls them "Scam Artists"

The Viejas tribe threw down the propaganda gauntlet earlier in the month when they released a radio ad against PokerStars. Calling the company scam artists and con men, the tribe manipulated facts to create an ad that was clearly intended to scare the public.

Check out the transcript of the ad below:

The California Legislature should be trying to stop internet scam artists and con men. We deserve to be protected from corrupt companies like PokerStars, which was indicted by the U.S. Government for illegal gambling, bank fraud and money laundering. And paid $731 million to avoid criminal conviction.

PokerStars parent company recently had its headquarters raided as part of an investigation into violations of securities laws, but this hasn’t stopped PokerStars from lobbying out state legislature to allow them to participate in online poker here in California, gaining access to every computer, tablet and smartphone in the state.

This is not right, and we deserve better. Please go to findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov to contact your state legislator and tell them to keep bad actors like PokerStars out of AB431 and out of California.

Paid for by the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians

PokerStars Launches Website and Positive Ad Campaign

Following the Viejas ad, PokerStars and their California partners launched californians4ipoker.com. The site outlines the company's position on iPoker, why the state needs iPoker and how you can join in the fight.

After launching the site, PokerStars started airing their own ad. Their ad focuses more on regulation and preventing unregulated sites from taking advantage of California citizens.

The transcript of the PokerStars' ad is as follows:

• Woman: Hey honey, whatcha up to?
• Man: Just looking to play online poker.
• Woman: You’re not thinking of playing on one of those unregulated websites, though, right?
• Man: Well, there aren’t any sites based in California because the state hasn’t put any regulations in place. This one’s probably fine.

Because California does not have regulations in place for online poker, consumers are at risk of fraud. And California is losing out on millions in revenues.

Thankfully, California legislators have a plan to regulate it. This plan will protect consumers, enact strict safeguards to protect kids from gambling, and ensure only licensed, responsible companies operate here.

Online poker is safe and regulated in dozens of countries and several US states.

Go to Californians4iPoker.com and tell your legislators it’s time to regulate iPoker.

PokerStars Hoping to Shift Public Opinion in Their Favor

PokerStars wants to own the regulated list of online poker sites in California once the game is legalized. In order to do so, a compromise needs to be reached between tribes opposed to their prescience and lawmakers and stakeholders that want an open market.

PokerStars is hoping to control the propaganda machine with their recent site and ad but one has to wonder how much damage the Viejas has done with their scare tactics. As time is running out on the 2015 legislative session in California, we may not know the answer to this question until 2016.