California Pushes The Envelope With Online Gambling Poker Bill

The online gambling debate may be a hotly contested one in the US government. The state of California, however, is taking a proactive approach to leading the country into the future of legalized Internet gambling.

The California Online Poker Law Enforcement Compliance and Consumer Protection Act has been devised in rough draft form and there is major support in the state legislature for the Bill.

The Bill would call for regulations and an intrastate online poker network. Many of the details of the Bill have to be worked out by lawmakers, but just the thought of open online gambling is exciting some members of the community.

"This could be the start to allowing us the freedom to do what we want with our free time and gamble online," said observer Hillary Schulman, "If California shows that online gambling can be successfully regulated, then other states may follow."

On a national level, there has been much debate over the controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The law was put in place back in 2006, but has been ineffective in deterring Internet gambling in the US.

Many analysts believe that the US is still the biggest online gaming market in the world, despite the ban. Poker groups have been lobbying hard to have poker exempted from the UIGEA, saying the game is one of skill and not luck.

Several judges across the US have agreed with these poker groups. Criminal cases have been dismissed in different court rooms by judges who agreed with testimony that poker is a game of skill. Other judges have ruled against that theory.

California and current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have been one of the leaders when it comes to the current casino boom that is taking place in the US. Many states have changed their laws and now are profiting from having casinos within their jurisdictions.

April 26, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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