June 23, 2010

California poker hearing set for 29 June

The hearing for California’s proposed intrastate online poker legislation has been set for Tuesday 29 June.

With Senate Bill 1485 given special order of business status, the California Senate Governmental Organization Committee, chaired by Senator Rod Wright, will hear the proposal authorising the creation of an intrastate poker system for state residents from 3:30pm.

The Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN) yesterday however came out against the measures in their current form, including intrastate gambling proponents the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, which also signed TASIN's letter to Wright, the state legislature, tribal governments and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Morongo spokesman Patrick Dorinson told the Desert Sun they could not support the bill in its present form, as the bill went beyond poker and would not prevent offshore companies from bidding for up to three five-year contracts to run online poker sites for state residents. “It would take money out of the state. We said this should be a game for Californians, run by Californians,” said Dorinson.

TASIN's letter argued that Wright's legislation would irrevocably alter the gaming landscape in California and undermine the basis upon which state and tribal government decisions, including financial commitments, have been made.

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