Opinion: Unnecessary delay on Internet gaming in California

Tuesday, August 30, 2011  

"On August 22, 2011, California State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg sent a letter announcing that the bills to legalize intra-state Internet poker would not be voted on this year. The letter was also signed by Sen. Roderick D. Wright, Chair of the Governmental Organization Committee, and author of one of the bills.

Both legislators made it clear they are in favor of Internet gaming; just not now.

Anyone receiving the letter knew it was going to be bad news from the start. It opens with “Dear Stakeholder;” not exactly the warm salutation you would expect from sophisticated politicians.

Sen. Steinberg told the Sacramento Bee that, although he personally “supports legalizing Internet gambling in California,” he “does not want any legislative action on the issue this year.”

Why the delay? After admitting that the issue has been studied for the past three years, including “numerous hearings” and “hours of testimony over the last several months,” Senators Steinberg and Wright declare:

“Despite these efforts, significant, unresolved issues remain, including tribal exclusivity and waiver of sovereign immunity, the types of games that would be authorized, who would be eligible to apply for gaming site licenses and potential federal constitutional questions.”"

Get the Story:
I. Nelson Rose: California’s Unnecessary Delay (Gambling and the Law 8/30)

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