California iPoker: The Wait Continues

Sad news was confirmed today when the California state legislature closed its doors without any additional advancement for the legalization of online poker. This officially marks the seventh year that the state has debated but failed to pass legislation regarding legalization.

While the news is unfortunate, it has been the presumed outcome for more than a month now. At the beginning of the year, four different bills were sitting in the Houseor in committees and there was some hope that one might finally get through. Assemblyman Mike Gatto, leading man of AB9 the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act, had initially speculated that there was a 50% chance of passing legislature this year. However, in February, Gatto conceded that his expectations had been too optimistic.

Like Gatto, Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer saw little progress for AB167, the California Online Poker Bill. The only bill to see any forward motion this year was AB 431 also titled the California Online Poker Bill. The bill, championed by Adam Gray did manage to pass out of committee and onto the House floor. However, the bill is merely a shell with the most important parts yet to be written into it.

While the California legislature has only just closed its doors for the year, hopeful players and proponents of the aforementioned bills have already been expecting failure this year since July. In July, Mike Gatto cancelled further hearings for bill AB9 after accepting that both sides of the debate stalling California iPoker would not budge for the sake of the people. It seems that both the Coalition of the Willing and the Pechanga Coalition feel that there is no rush to push legislation through, so they will continue to wait.

Momentum does seem to be slowly moving in favor of legalization, though. We have seen at least one major update this year that may forecast success in 2016. That advancement comes in regard to the horse racing groups and whether or not they can become licensed to host iPoker. earlier this year, three of the thirteen tribes that wholly opposed cutting horse racing groups into the profits changed sides by proposing that the groups could become affiliates of licensed iPoker networks. They would not have the same powers as hosts and they would not receive the same dividends, but one could see this solution as the two sides meeting halfway. Sadly, the proposal has so far been rejected.

Although the doors are officially closed, there is no doubt that work will be done in the interim as we prepare for the legislature opening in January next year. While there is still a ways to go, perhaps California will see some success in 2016. I like to think the odds are in their favor.