After the introduction of AB 9, the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2015, by Democratic Assemblyman Mike Gatto for the state of California, many in the poker industry began to weigh their opinion. The Poker Players Alliance was one of the first to state their thoughts and PokerStars, plus their card room and tribal partners have now stated their opinion on the new legislation.
The new legislation takes cues from former bills that were introduced but never gained any traction. The bill includes bad actor clauses, which would basically keep PokerStars from entering the market, in which they have already made tribal and card room partnerships in preparation for online gaming. It took two days for PokerStars and their group of partners to make a statement on the proposed legislation after the introduction of the bill, which was reported by Bluff.com, but it was clear the online poker room would not be in favor of the new legislation.
In the response, PokerStars and their California partners stated that as a coalition, they are committed to working with legislators and their other partners in the gaming community to see online poker legislation passed in 2015, that ‘establishes a vibrant, competitive marketplace, provides superior consumer protections, and ensures that the state receives a reasonable return. The group believes that various interests must work together to see success in establishing a well-regulated online gaming environment for California.
However, the coalition states that AB 9, in their opinion, is a ‘rehash of previously unsuccessful proposals’ and ‘any bill that seeks to establish artificial competitive advantages for some while denying Californians the best online poker experiences, will only serve to divide the community and will be opposed by our coalition.’
The coalition as referred to in the statement consists of PokerStars, Amaya Gaming, The Morongo Band of Mission Indians, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Bicycle Casino, Commerce Casino and the Hawaiian Gardens Casino.
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