California Online Poker Hearing April 27

Tuesday, April 19, 2016 : CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY HEARING ON ONLINE POKER NEXT WEEK
 
Adam Gray's 2016 legalization bill to be further debated.
 
Hopes for a regulated and licensed online poker industry in California have surged again on the news that Assemblyman Adam Gray's legalization bill will be debated before the state Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization next Wednesday (27 April).
 
Gray, as chair of the Committee, has shown remarkable tenacity and patience in trying to obtain agreement on the issue from a diverse range of interested parties who have failed to agree in almost a decade of failed prior attempts.
 
Gray's attempt last year ran out of time after managing (for the first time ever) to clear committee stage in the Assembly, obliging him to re-introduce the measure earlier this year
 
The main obstacles appear to remain opposition by the tribes to the involvement of the equally interested racing industry, and the threat tribes perceive from Pokerstars, which has allied itself with several tribes and major state card rooms.
 
Gray is proposing a solution to the former in the shape of a subsidy to the racing industry of up to $60 million in return for their cooperation, but the ‘bad actor' objections against Pokerstars will be a more difficult to solve, especially following the ‘insider trading' accusations which have surfaced in official charges against David Baazov, suspended CEO of Pokerstars parent Amaya.