PokerStars California Pro Tour Promotes iPoker Regulation

8 years ago
Summer tour touts theme of
18:51
03 Jul

As the bickering continues among gaming interests in California over whom to include and exclude in online poker legislation, PokerStars and their coalition pals have announced a summer tour in which Team PokerStars Pros will make the rounds at various card clubs in the state, spreading goodwill and promoting ipoker regulation.

Cardroom regulars will get an opportunity to rub elbows at the poker tables with Chris Moneymaker, Liv Boeree, Jason Somerville, Vanessa Selbst and Daniel Negreanu at any one of eight announced tour stops that begin on Friday July 17 at the Palomar Card Club in San Diego. The tour continues the following two days at Lake Elsinore Casino on the 18th, and the Seven Mile Casino in Chula Vista on the 19th.

The tour follows the launch of a new website a couple weeks ago by the PokerStars coalition that includes the state's three top card clubs and two influential Indian tribes. The website, californians4ipoker.com, is an attempt to spread the word about the benefits of online poker regulation in the Golden State, and promote PokerStars at the same time.

PokerStars' aim is to get on the good side of California residents, as some of the state's tribes continue to harp on and on about the industry giant's status as an alleged bad actor for continuing to accept wagers from U.S. players post-UIGEA. Those competing tribes have also brought an insider trading investigation of parent company Amaya into the discussion, perhaps rather unfairly since those allegations have never been proven to be true.

For that matter, the bad actor claim may also be a bit unfair, as no court of law has found PokerStars guilty of any wrongdoing. For the most part, PokerStars is loved and applauded by players, and most would roundly welcome the poker room to be allowed entry into any state in the U.S. - whether it's California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or what have you.

Keep in mind that PokerStars bailed out thousands of players by acquiring Full Tilt and reimbursing the account balances of each - funds that would likely remain unpaid otherwise. The FTP remission process is nearly complete.

One more tour stop is scheduled for July, on the 25th at the Napa Valley Casino in American Canyon. Four more cardrooms will be visited by the PokerStars Team Pros in August. Those card clubs are: Stones Gambling Hall in Citrus Heights on the 2nd; Aviator Casino in Delano on the 6th; Diamond Jim's Casino in Rosamond on Aug. 7; and the Turlock Poker Room on Sunday, Aug. 9. More tour dates and locations are anticipated.

“It’s really important for poker players to make their voices heard among the decision makers in California and tell them ‘Let California Play’,” said Poker Hall of Famer and PokerStars Team Pro Daniel Negreanu.

In addition to creating awareness for regulation, the tour will raise money for charity. PokerStars has excelled at that in the past, matching donations from players while contributing over $500,000 in funds to recent calamities such as a massive earthquake in Nepal and a devastating typhoon in the Philippines.

California is the most populous state in the country, and one in which scores of online poker players continue to play on the Internet at unregulated sites without any safeguards in place. Regulation would provide protection and safety of funds.

“We have a simple message," said Amaya's Head of Corporate Communications, Eric Hollreiser, "Let California Play!”


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Charles is a Chicago native and long time poker player who dusted off his journalism degree and began writing about poker following the events of Black Friday in 2011. He has written for a number of leading poker websites, offering his insights and expertise on subjects ranging from online poker leg...Read more

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