California Poker Bill to Reach Committee this Month

One of the clauses of the UIGEA that has been both a point of confusion and hope for online poker players is the part that says that online poker rooms may be allowed if they are housed in an individual state and only patronized by residents of that state.  California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine is aiming to investigate that angle through a bill he drew up last month.

Bill AB2026 is a study bill, aimed at exploring whether or not a California-only online poker room would be legal.  “Our understanding of the law is that so long as the player and server are in California, it would be legal,” said Levine. “But that’s what we are trying to find out.”

The bill will be heard in Committee on March 20.

Should the study show that a California online poker room would be legal, Levine would then push for regulation and legalization.  He feels that this intra-state system is good because it allows the state government to control who gets to run the poker rooms, how licenses are acquired, and more.  There would be protections in place for the players.

Of course, a poker rooms restricted to residents of one state are less than ideal, as even in a state as large as California, they may have trouble seeing the traffic that current, international rooms do, but it's a start.  Then again, if casual players and people who are considering jumping into online poker see that it is legal and regulated and have reliable, easy ways to get their money in and out, you never know - the rooms could do brisk business.  In either case, any step closer to regulated online poker is a good thing.