The state of California has a second bill to consider when it comes to the subject of online poker thanks to Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer. The new bill created by Jones-Sawyer is titled the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2015 and is quite different from the recent bill proposed by Assemblyman Mike Gatto.
The AB 9 legislation by Gatto was not readily accepted by California groups interested in online poker due to restrictions listed in the bill. The new bill by Jones-Sawyer should be more accepted by those who wish to invest in the industry as it will allow racetracks to offer online poker as well as the card clubs and Indian tribes. However, portions of this bill may also not go over well with certain tribal interests.
The new bill, also known as AB 167, does not have a specific bad actor clause, according to information at ClavinAyre.com, so PokerStars would be open to operating in the state based on the language of this bill. With a bad actor clause, any company that had accepted wagers from residents of California after the 31st of December 2006 would not be allowed to gain licensing.
Instead of the bad actor clause, AB 167 deems companies or people to be ineligible if they ‘contemptuously defied a legislative investigative body’ in any state of the US, a foreign jurisdiction or federal government, when the company or person is engaged in investigation of crimes that are related to poker, the corruption to poker gaming or criminal profiteering activity or organized crime.
Also in the legislation, any who was convicted in a court of competent jurisdiction of a felony for accepting a wager online that was in violation of California law or have aided or abetted in this type of unlawful activity. This wording gives the most potential for Amaya Gaming to be able to offer PokerStars gaming within the state.
Also included in the legislation is that fact that any tribe that operates online gaming for players who are not located on tribal lands will not be eligible to offer the activity. This would include the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel and their online bingo site, Desert Rose Bingo. The bill also includes punishments for those who offer or play a gambling game online that is not authorized by the state. This would be a felony charge and would be subject to players as well as operators.
Jones-Sawyer has stated that the bill represents a new starting point after very thoughtful and collaborative discussions that included input from the Gambling Control Commission and the Department of Justice.
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