California Casinos Push For Legalized Internet Poker Gambling

The Internet poker battle in the US is heating up again in California. A group of casinos are dangling a mighty large carrot in front of lawmakers in exchange for the right to operate Internet poker sites.

The idea is nothing new to California. Lawmakers have been kicking the tires on an idea of legalizing online poker gambling. They would be a pioneer in the industry in a country where Internet gambling may soon become regulated throughout the nation.

Since the federal law does not address online poker, many people believe that there is nothing illegal about offering the service. Even if that is true, the group of casinos in California want the blessing of legislators before they move along with their expansion plans.

The group is pointing to the fact that there are millions of people in the US who are currently playing poker at online sites. The casinos would like to bring that money back into the US, namely to California.

"About one million Californians are playing poker offshore now," said Patrick Dorinson, a spokesman for the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, one of the groups involved in the new proposal, as reported in the Los Angeles Times.

Another aspect that the group of casinos is focusing on is making sure that lawmakers protect the online poker players. Currently, there are no regulations in place that protects these players against any dangers that may arise from playing on these international sites.

Indian tribes would have to sign off on any new laws to the state's gambling industry. There are compacts in place that protect the tribes against expansion, but they may be willing to rework those compacts for a chance to offer Internet poker.

December 13, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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