Important CA Notes
Real Money Online Casinos FAQ. Below are some frequently asked questions that new gamblers have had in the past regarding real money online casinos. This Q&A style discussion is meant to answer the most basic and common questions gamblers have. These are particularly targeted towards real-money. Land Based Poker in California. Gambling in California report by Dunstan provides the background of gambling in the state. Poker has been played in California since the time of the gold rush. It continued to be played in card clubs after the state was founded in 1850. These card clubs were neither declared legal nor. Selecting a good online California poker room isn’t something that should just be done on a whim. After all, this is all to do with money. Online gambling shouldn’t be taken lightly by anyone. Find a site that you feel comfortable with. See what kind of licensing status it has. Find out about its various offers. Top Rated Casino List - Best Casinos Only. Not free, Real Money Only. Highrollers Welcome! California Casinos Where You Can Play The Best Video Slots For Real Money Las Vegas is a great place to play online slot machines for real money. Their online casino accepts El Dorado States residents. Use our links to sign up for Las Vegas. Legal California Online Casinos. California casino players are anxiously awaiting the pending SB1485 (California Online Poker Law Enforcement Compliance & Consumer Protection Act 2010). This bill will legalize intrastate gambling in California, which means that California casino players will finally be able to legally play casino games online.
- CA residents can play at offshore poker rooms legally
- Despite several recent pushes, iPoker has not passed yet
- Tribal casinos offer plenty of live cardrooms
- Commercial casinos are still currently banned
- Prospects for legalization are excellent in coming years
Unfortunately, it looks like no online poker bills will be introduced this year in California. AB 1677, a bill to legalize and regulate internet poker in California, was introduced last February by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer but it didn’t make any headway. In April of 2016, an online poker bill (AB 2863) passed the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee and the Assembly Appropriates Committee in June. The bills introduced the past few years would give the horse racing industry up to $60 million a year, but in return they can’t own or operate any poker sites. They require a $12.5 million license fee from potential poker website operators and charge a tax rate ranging from 8.847%-15% depending on the amount of revenue generated. Some industry insiders say the state could generate $380 million a year from poker over the internet in the near future if passed.
RECOMMENDED POKER WEBSITE FOR California
Continued tire kicking by the state has most players from California hitting the games at BetOnline, a legitimate poker site that has a solid player base with all things considered. It’s legal as a citizen/player, but not as an operator.
![Real Real](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125249637/167944838.jpg)
The UIGEA and Online Casinos Today. Even worse, and also in 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed as part of a larger bill and signed into law. This particular act made it increasingly difficult for players to play real money casino games online.
“Reviewed by Chuck Humphrey – 50 year Gaming Law Practitioner”
California is one of the American states actively pursuing the legalization of online poker. Since 2010, a number of bills attempting to legalize the activity have been introduced in the state legislature, but none have been successful thus far.
The state, however, has finally moved forward – at least, in the discussion sense. The state has scheduled several hearings in the coming months. Even with these hearings, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done for a passage of a bill in the Golden State. Despite several bills in the legislature, there has yet to be a consensus on a bill that will satisfy California’s many gaming interests.
Future Outlook of Online Poker in California – Estimated date of legalization: 2019-2020
The following graph tracks our expected legislation of online poker in California on a state law level. It is currently already legal on a Federal level. This graph monitors the current rise or fall of expected legalization.
The Hawaiian Gardens-based land-casino and poker room, The Gardens Casino,..
A Native American coalition has brought forward a proposal that has ignited the..
Recent Activity – A Work in Progress
Though California does not have any law in place that permits online poker at a website operated in California, California statutes do not expressly forbid online poker (see Penal Code Sec. 337a(a)(3) and (6), as well as 337j for more clarification), and it is still legal according to the US government’s 2011 Wire Act revision. But, under the given circumstances, it’s currently deemed illegal to own and/or operate an online poker site within the state. Despite the state not allowing for state-operated poker sites, the preamble to SB 1485 of 2010 stated the following about unregulated poker:
Though California does not have any law in place that permits online poker at a website operated in California, California statutes do not expressly forbid online poker (see Penal Code Sec. 337a(a)(3) and (6), as well as 337j for more clarification), and it is still legal according to the US government’s 2011 Wire Act revision. But, under the given circumstances, it’s currently deemed illegal to own and/or operate an online poker site within the state. Despite the state not allowing for state-operated poker sites, the preamble to SB 1485 of 2010 stated the following about unregulated poker:
“Over 1.5 million Californians participate at offshore poker websites, sports betting and casino sites on more than 600 unregulated gambling Internet Web sites every week.”
With such activity, it’s no surprise online poker legalization in California has been the subject of a perpetual list of bills – which is promising. A brief history of the bills introduced so far leading up to the present situation is given below.
The reason legalization has not occurred in California is a lack of consensus within the Indian tribes that control significant interests in land casino gambling. Work is being made towards a resolution of this issue, but there are also differing views between the Indian tribes and other interest groups.
An illustration of this lack of cohesiveness is the dissolution of the California Online Poker Association (COPA). COPA was formed in 2010 with members from 31 Indian tribes and 20 prominent card rooms and horse tracks. The objective was to push for legalization of online poker in California. For over a year, it gave hope to millions of online poker enthusiasts. Senator Wright introduced SB 1485 in the California senate in March 2010. A hearing set for June 29, 2010 was canceled by the author and the bill died when the senate session expired. Senator Correa introduced SB 40 and Senator Wright introduced SB 45 in December 2010. Both bills died in January 2012.
Senator Wright introduced an online poker bill for the third time in February 2012, SB 1463, but died without any hearing. In October 2012, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians and the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians, two of the strongest member groups, left COPA. A Los Angeles Times report[A] stated that Ryan Hightower, the spokesman for COPA, announced that the organization had disbanded because of, “insufficient progress within the legislature toward the passage of an online poker bill.” Senator Wright again introduced his online poker bill, SB 51[D], in December 2012. 2012 was a lost year for online poker legislation in the state, though it did garner plenty of momentum for legalization of online gambling.
In 2013, the state gathered even more steam, with California tribes banding together to draft a bill that was introduced that year[B]. The tribal bill was never fully introduced, but there were other bills that did get introduced in the state legislature. Senator Correa introduced bill SB 678[E] in February 2013. Both were not passed and new proposed bills SB 1366 by Senator Correa and AB 2291 by Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer, were introduced on February 21, 2014 that would regulate online poker if passed. Both these bills were shelved on August 5, 2014, but a new bill was introduced in December 2014 by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, AB 9.
All of these efforts died in the state legislature, a familiar theme for those who have been following online poker in the state since the Department of Justice reversed their decision on the Wire Act Casino militar campo marte bodas. [C]. The debates surround bad actor clauses, the inclusion of interstate compacts, tax rates, and which entities in the Golden State would be allowed to offer online gaming.
There were high hopes for passage within 2015 after Gatto’s bill was introduced the year before, along with another bill from Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer. In 2014, he introduced SB 678 with State Senator Lou Correa, who also worked with him on his 2015 introduction of AB 167[F]. Mike Gatto pulled his bill in July 2015, saying he would not move forward because “there was no consensus” on the issue just yet. Jones-Sawyer’s AB 167 was condemned to the same fate.
Although AB 431[G], a bill introduced by Assemblyman Adam Gray, did get to the Assembly Floor despite opposition – the bill offers no specifics on online poker regulations and is only two pages long. It’s noteworthy it made it the floor, but this was nothing more than a placeholder with no chance of passage.
In short, almost all potential bills through 2015 have been withdrawn or had no shot of passage. Bad actor clauses and tax rates remain a hotly debated topic, but there has been some compromise there. There was heavy division among the coalitions about giving California racetracks the ability to apply for licenses if online poker was legalized, but most of those discussions have been resolved in 2016. With the budget finalized on July 24, 2015[H], the door was shut on the chances of iPoker passing in 2015.
In February 2016, California Assemblymen Adam Gray and Reggie Jones-Sawyer introduced AB 2863 – a bill to legalize online poker. This bill received a hearing on April 27, 2016 and it passed the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee by a 18-0 vote. AB 2863 would give the horse racing industry up to $60 million a year and in return they cannot own or operate any state online poker websites; a move in the right direction and well received. On June 22, 2016, the state’s Assembly Appropriates Committee passed the bill. It then went to the full Assembly but did not receive a vote and was shelved. This legislation would require a $12.5 million license fee from potential poker website operators, charge a tax rate ranging from 8.847%-15% depending on the amount of revenue generated, and would not allow PokerStars to enter the market until 2021.
AB 1677, a bill to legalize and regulate online poker in California, was introduced on February 17, 2017 by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer. It’s pretty much the same bill as the previous year, and unfortunately, it didn’t make any headway.
Nevertheless, the future is still relatively bright long-term for online poker legalization in California. Though those who follow the situation must be getting sick of the same arguments and divisions between different coalitions, there is still a ton of interest going forward.
PrivateTable.com, Santa Ysabel Tribe
Santa Ysabel Interactive launched an online poker site in June 2014, despite California not yet regulating the activity. The site was located at PrivateTable.com, but appears to have shut down around May 1, 2015, which took residents of California who are 18 or older. As one would expect they were being sued by the state of California and there is no real money play.
The Tribe has stated that they support any efforts in the State to pass online gambling related legislation, but are relying on the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), along with their tribal sovereignty to state that they are within their rights. The site was scheduled to be available for real-money play in November of 2014, but nothing came to fruition. The Tribe has closed their only land-based casino after amassing a debt of $50 million.
Some speculate that this may speed up the process of a bill passing, but I think PrivateTable.com was more of sideshow. The barriers and issues that have stopped something from passing so far still remain the same.
Current Gambling Laws in California
In order to appreciate why California has been unable to pass laws permitting regulated online gambling, one has to understand the history and rights of Native Indians with respect to gambling.
In 1987, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the inherent right of Indian tribes to offer gaming on federally recognized tribal lands. In 1988, Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA)[I] through which tribal governments could conduct gaming as a means of promoting economic development and self-sufficiency. Under the IGRA Indian tribes (referred to as “nations”) had to negotiate with U.S. states concerning scope of gambling and level of regulation. But it was made clear that Indian nations would be the sole owners and primary beneficiaries of Indian gaming. Because compacts have to be made with states and because the tribal gaming is subject to Federal oversight, the process has never been totally smooth.
California has one of the largest and most powerful Native Indian lobbies. It also has a history of antagonism between the Indians and the settlers. According to the California Nations Indians Gaming Association (CNIGA), there are 61 tribes that have signed compacts with California. The compacts allow for the operation of video slot machines and casino banked card games in a competition free environment subject to the tribal casinos paying a share of the revenue to the state. CNIGA[J] has stated that the California Indian tribes feel they have been forced into accepting unfavorable terms in these compacts and are therefore now wary of every move that is being made with respect to online gambling. Because of the contributions they make to the Democrats and Republicans alike, the Indian tribes have sufficient backing in the legislature and are able to stall undesirable bills.
For the state in general, most gambling statutes are covered in Division 8 of the Business and Professions Code. Chapter 4 covers horse racing. Chapter 5 is The Gambling Control Act[K]. Clause 19801 (a) prohibits commercially operated lotteries, banked or a percentage games, and gambling machines, and strictly regulates pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing. Therefore, the forms of gambling permitted apart from the native tribal casinos are poker in card rooms, the California lottery and betting on horse races. The operators conducting such activities are required to obtain a license.
Section 330 of the California Penal Code[L] provides a partial list of the prohibited games and the penalties for violation. The section reads, “Every person who deals, plays, or carries on, opens, or causes to be opened, or who conducts, either as owner or employee, whether for hire or not, any game of faro, monte, roulette, lansquenet, rouge et noire, rondo, tan, fan-tan, seven-and-a-half, twenty-one, hokey-pokey, or any banking or percentage game played with cards, dice, or any device, for money, checks, credit, or other representative of value, and every person who plays or bets at or against any of those prohibited games, is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punishable by a fine not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.”
History of Gambling in California
California becomes a state. Poker in card rooms is prevalent since then.
Casino style banking games are banned.
Stud horse poker is banned.
Pari-mutuel betting on horse racing legalized through constitutional amendment.
California voters reject proposal for private firm operating a lottery.
California Lottery run by the state is constituted. Card clubs require registering with the Attorney General per the Gaming Registration Act.
U.S. Supreme Court rules that California cannot ban gambling on tribal land. All poker variants allowed in card rooms.
Congress passes Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. California Nations Indian Gaming Association founded.
Gambling Control Act is enacted.
Governor Gray Davis signs compact with 58 Indian tribes.
Proposition 1A passed, which allowed casino style games (Class III) on Indian land under compact between the tribe and the state.
UIGEA enacted, which rings a death knell for unregulated online poker and casino gambling across the United States.
SB 1485 for legalization of online poker introduced and failed.
SB 40, SB 45 & SB 1463 introduced earlier failed. SB 51 introduced but did not pass in the legislature.
SB 678 introduced but did not pass in the legislature.
SB 1366 by Senator Correa and AB 2291 by Assemblyman Jones-Sawyer were introduced on February 21st but both were shelved on August 5th.
Amaya Gaming sends Daniel Negreanu and other pros to Sacramento to advocate for regulation. Despite high hopes, online poker failed to pass in 2015.
California Assemblymen Adam Gray and Reggie Jones-Sawyer introduced AB 2863, a bill to legalize online poker, in February. It passed the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee in April and the state’s Assembly Appropriates Committee in June. Unfortunately, the bill didn’t receive a vote from the full Assembly.
Another bill (AB 1677) to legalize and regulate online poker in California was introduced on February 17th by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, but no headway was made.
Land Based Poker in California
Gambling in California[M] report by Dunstan provides the background of gambling in the state. Poker has been played in California since the time of the gold rush. It continued to be played in card clubs after the state was founded in 1850. These card clubs were neither declared legal nor illegal. They were also not regulated. However, a number of card games were explicitly banned and this list included stud horse poker. In the 1970s, Texas Hold’em poker became extremely popular in the neighboring state of Nevada. The California card clubs also began to offer this variant. After prolonged litigation, all forms of poker became permissible in card clubs from 1987. In 1984, under the Gaming Registration Act all existing card clubs had to obtain a license. New card clubs would have obtain a license before starting operations. Today, the Indian tribal casinos are also allowed to offer poker.
The rationale for allowing poker in card clubs is as follows: The card clubs only charge fees for providing services and do not take money from the players as a result of wagering. The amounts lost by some players are won by other players and therefore the money remains within the community. In comparison, in card games like blackjack players lose money to the house. Therefore, games in which players wager against the house are banned. Another reason is that poker involves a fair element of skill.
There are two other forms of land based poker allowed according to California gambling laws[N]. Players can wager on poker at homes provided no rake is taken. Nonprofit organizations are allowed to host poker games under restricted conditions for the purpose of fund raising. The material constraints are that no cash prizes are to be awarded to the winners and that at least 90% of the revenue collected should go to charity.
Non-Poker i-Gambling Laws in California
There are two sets of gambling laws in California. The compacts with the Nation Tribes govern gambling at the casinos on Indian lands. These casinos offer banked card games and slot machines, which are illegal in the rest of California. The other set of gambling laws stem from the constitution of California. Gambling is covered in the Business and Professions code of the constitution. The California Penal Code prescribes the punishments and other details. The major forms of gambling permissible are non-banked games like poker in card clubs, horse racing and lottery. Gambling at fund raisers and on cruise ships are also permissible, but are prevailing to a minimal extent.
Horse Racing
Section 19 (b) of Article IV of the constitution states “The Legislature may provide for the regulation of horse races and horse race meetings and wagering on the results.” The detailed laws are provided under Chapter 4 of Division 8 the Business and Professions code. Article 9 deals with the wagering. Only pari-mutuel wagering is allowed. All other forms of betting are illegal. Originally, the wagering had to take place at the racetrack. Now simulcast wagering is allowed. California residents can place wagers from authorized sites away from race tracks, including on intrastate and interstate horse races, under simulcast wagering.
Sections 19 (a) and (d) of Article IV of the constitution contain the directive principles with regards to lottery. The Legislature has no power to authorize lotteries in the state as such. However, the California State Lottery was established in 1984 through a constitution amendment. The functioning of the California State Lottery is governed by the California State Lottery Act of 1984[O], which is Chapter 12.5 of Title 2 the Government code.
The California Lottery is run by an autonomous five-member commission. The Lottery Act limits the types of games that can be used. The present list includes a number of Draw games, Super Lotto Plus and Powerball. In 2005, California Lottery joined Mega Millions. The lottery returns 50% of the revenues as prizes, 34% is allocated to educational institutions and the remainder covers administrative expenses.
Under Penal Code Section 322, “every person who aids or assists, either by printing, writing, advertising, publishing, or otherwise in setting up, managing, or drawing any lottery, or in selling or disposing of any ticket, chance, or share therein, is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Card Clubs
Card clubs have to be registered with the Attorney General under the Gaming Registration Act. The laws governing the operations of card clubs are included in the Gambling Control Act, which is Chapter 5 of Division 8 of the Business and Professions code. The California Gambling Control commission is the regulatory authority. The card clubs can offer games that are not expressly prohibited under law. The prohibited games include banked or percentage games and gambling machines. Players can wager on poker in card clubs.
Sections 330 and 337 of the California Penal Code deal with violations of the Gambling Control Act. Violations are mostly defined as misdemeanors, but punishments depend upon the nature of violation and the repeated the nature of the offense. Punishments range from fines to imprisonment, or both.
Article 17 of the Gambling Control Act deals with nonprofit organization fundraisers for charitable gambling. Clause 19885 (b) states, “The playing of controlled games for the purpose of raising funds by nonprofit organizations is in the public interest.” Section 337j (e) of the Penal Code includes in controlled games “any poker or Pai Gow game, and any other game played with cards or tiles, or both”. Though bingo does not fall under “controlled game”, Section 19 (c) of Article IV of the constitution specifically allows bingo only for charitable purposes.
Boat Laws
Owing to a recent change in federal law, cruise ships can call at consecutive California ports and allow gambling.
The state of California has entered into a separate compact with the each of the tribal nations. Hence, these compacts are not like uniform statutes covering all the casinos operated by the Indian tribes. The broad details are available at the CNIGA website[P]. Each compact with a tribe spells out the games that can be offered by that tribe, the maximum number of slot machines or tables that are allowed, the revenues that must be paid to the state, how much money has to be paid to tribes without casinos and what services like education, health and police the tribes have to provide on their own lands. Tribal casinos generated $7.8 billion to the economy in 2014, the latest numbers available, and support over 63,000 jobs per a report from the California Nations Indian Gaming Association.
Author:Joseph Falchetti (twitter)
(C) Copyright PokerWebsites.com, 2018
(C) Copyright PokerWebsites.com, 2018
References and Citations
CA is home to nearly 100 real money poker card rooms, 68 tribal casinos and a plethora of horseracing tracks and thanks to all those real cash gambling options, many people say California, and not Las Vegas, is the gambling capital of the United States. High stakes poker betting pros and rich businessmen alike flock to the state to play in some of the biggest real cash poker and casino games and tournaments in the world. Gigantic casinos like the Commerce attract millions of tourists to California each and every year, rivalling historic landmarks like the Hollywood Walk of Fame in popularity. Remember though, all these 2020 betting options are at land based casinos not poker websites or Internet casinos.
Due to its nearly 38 million residents, California is on the radar of just about every state that has already passed, or is in the process of passing, laws that legalize regulated Internet gambling and lawful real money Internet poker. Interstate compacts involving California would do wonders for the popularity of online poker websites in the United States.
However, although committees have been trying to hash out a plan that would bring legal Internet poker to California for some time, no new gambling legislation has actually been passed yet. But make no mistake; California is undoubtedly the state most likely to pass an iGaming bill in the very near future and open up casinos and poker websites to CA residents.
Avid poker players in The Golden State will have no trouble at all signing up for an account at any one of our real money US poker sites.
PokerStars Forges Historic Partnership With Morongo Tribe, California Cardrooms
Quick Jump
- 6 The Facts
California Online Gambling Real Money
In a display of impeccable timing, the release was issued during a hearing held by the State Assembly’s Committee on Governmental Organization to discuss the fiscal and public policy implications of legalizing online real money poker in California.
Currently in 2020, the bills up for consideration by legislatures both call for a “bad actor” clause, which would effectively eliminate the world’s biggest Internet poker gambling provider, PokerStars from the equation.
The bad actor issue may inevitably delay the passage of a regulatory gaming act in California and cause serious delays on bringing legit poker gambling on the Internet to long suffering players in CA.
Latest California Poker News
Adam Gray California Online Poker Bill Makeover Should Appeal to Legislators and TribesBy Daniel Ryder
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Online poker in California could be a big business, and that has motivated just about every gaming interest in the state to fight for the best deal possible before others…
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California online poker is the kind of idea that just about everyone agrees on in concept, but not when it comes down to the details.…
California online poker is the kind of idea that just about everyone agrees on in concept, but not when it comes down to the details.…
Online Poker Bill Introduced in PennsylvaniaBy Jon Pineda
Online poker in Pennsylvania has been gaining some momentum in the last year or two, enough that many see the state as second, perhaps only behind California, in terms of how…
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New Jersey Online Poker Revenue Skid Could Give Other States PauseBy Jon Pineda
New Jersey online poker has been struggling to find its footing in the Garden State. This isn’t breaking news, of course: ever since the state produced impressive Internet…
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Can Players from California Play Online Poker?
Yes. Although online Internet poker will likely not be regulated by the state of California for another year, players are free to sign up with over a dozen real-money poker websites offering real money poker gambling to United States citizens, which is great news for poker gambling fans. Compare this to other states, like New York and Washington that make it difficult for players to start betting on Internet poker anywhere.
Is Online Poker Legal in California?
Although we are not an authority on the legality of Internet poker in California, we have researched this issue extensively. Listed below are several points of interest concerning 2020‘s current California real cash gambling laws:
- Online poker is not regulated by the state of California.
- Commercial casinos are authorized by the state of CA, however games where the outcome of each bet is determined by dice alone, such as craps, cannot be operated by card rooms that offer games like real money poker.
- Tribal casinos are authorized by the state and can house non-card games like craps.
- Sports betting is not authorized by the state of California.
- Various forms of lotteries are authorized by the state
- All forms of real money poker gambling are authorized by the state, except online Internet poker.
- There is no California law directly prohibiting or criminalizing the act of placing a wager at a poker websites online.
- Internet horseracing is authorized.
For a more comprehensive look at California gambling laws, interested parties are encouraged to read the latest edition of the Gambling Law, Regulations, and Resource Information – 2020 edition [1].
Poker players in California are advised to research the CA state laws before concluding as to whether online Internet poker is legal or not. Remember, there is a distinct difference between something being ‘prohibited’ and ‘non-regulated.’ Brian Mickers wrote a great article on the topic of lawful poker websites; one that provides in-depth insight into the issue of Internet poker [2].
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Recent Developments
In 2013, three separate pieces of real cash Internet poker legislation were introduced in California. They were:
- SB 51 – Senator Roderick Wright’s “Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2013”
- SB 678 – Senator Lou Correa’s “Authorization and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013”
- The Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2013 – An online poker bill sponsored by eight California tribes.
The Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2015 was filed by Assemblyman Mark Gatto. The bill would legalize Internet poker but keep the ‘bad actor’ clause which bans poker operators who have violated the law before.
Besides Gatto’s 2015 Act, the he aforementioned lawful poker bills have all failed to generate much momentum in government, largely because of the influx of infighting among California State’s varied gambling interests at the time. Tribal casinos enjoy several tax advantages in the real money betting world, and may not be willing to give up a piece of revenue generated through real cash poker website profits. They’re also adamantly against interstate compacts and racetrack participation. Others feel that online Internet poker companies should only be allowed to operate through card rooms based in CA and bring betting fans a slice of the Internet Texas Hold’em action.
That, and there was little evidence from other states besides California as to the viability of a lawful Internet poker market.
Joe Correa made SB 678 severable. This means that if any portion of the gambling websites bill is deemed unacceptable it can be made invalid immediately. By taking this urgent measure, Correa hoped to get SB 678 enacted into law before the September 6, 2013 deadline. It didn’t work, and the issue of legit real money Internet poker was put off until 2014 [3].
Then, at the February 2014 legislative deadline, two new poker gambling website bills were introduced:
- SB 1366: Effectively a rehash of SB 678; backed by San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
- AB 2291: Introduced by Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, AB 2291 is essentially the assembly version of SB 1366.
Unfortunately, all parties could not reach an agreement about the terms of the new regulations before the end of the 2014 session, meaning the bills were dumped.
In December 2014, Assemblyman Mike Gatto took over the online poker cause and filed a new bill, AB9. Its full title is the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act of 2015 and it aims to bring regulated legal online poker to CA.
Notable aspects of the bills include:
- The real cash poker Internet bill would require provisions that would ensure the safety of player funds.
- The minimum age to play online Internet poker in the state of California would be 21.
- Players must be located within the State of California in order to start gambling on real money poker websites.
- Betting companies that violate federal law would not be permitted to set up poker gambling and casino operations.
- All online poker website software would have to include self-exclusion features such as loss limits and time-outs for real cash poker players to implement themselves.
- Licenses for real money Internet poker would be valid for 10 years, non-transferable and cost $5 million.
- Regulations would go into effect within 270 days of passage.
The Facts
The History of Gambling in California
18501850
Even before California became a state, card rooms have been up and running since 1850. These were also known as “California Casinos” or “Card Clubs”.
19331933
California’s gambling industry grew in 1933, with the introduction of horse race wagering. The California Constitution was amended for this to take place and 6 major horse racetracks were introduced to the state. In addition, over 30 off-track betting locations were spread throughout the state.
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19841984
Due to Proposition 37, State lottery was introduced to California, which has been incredibly successful to this day.
19881988
The ‘Indian Gaming Regulatory Act’ was the main reason why gambling became even more popular throughout the State in the late 90’s. As a result of this, negotiations began with tribes (more than 50) and Bingo type games were the premise of these negotiations.
20002000
A law was passed in this year which fully legalised casino gambling on tribal lands. This gave the tribes an opportunity to negotiate their compacts and come to an agreement of what machines and table games they can offer in their casinos.
20102010
With the rise of internet gambling , California joined the craze and introduced horse racing betting over the internet. Which ultimately led to other forms of internet gambling being introduced in the near future.
20122012
The Californian Senate had a busy year with various bills to legalize and regulate online poker being put forward. It wasn’t clear whether the tribes would be a part of regulating and licensing online poker operators, but the idea was definitely being pushed forward.
20142014
Due to other states in the country legalising online poker, California was beginning to look like the next one on the list as two more bills were introduced to the Senate. Online poker is still up in the air in this state, but it is showing signs of potential for the near future.
California’s gambling roots can be traced all the way back to the gold rush and the ever popular Texas Hold’em poker game. As early as 1850, the predominately male population of prospectors and miners in CA demanded a masculine form of entertainment. Within mere months, licensed and unsolicited card rooms offering real cash poker games began popping up everywhere. Throughout the next several decades gambling’s popularity died down in California, not re-emerging until the early 1930’s.
In 1907, the Santa Anita Park – one of the most prestigious horseracing tracks in the entire world – opened its doors. However, it wouldn’t be until 1933 that real money gambling on horseracing was legalized in CA. Its legalization caused the relatively dormant poker betting and casino gambling industry to thrive. With the passing of a proposition in 1984 that legalized a statewide lottery, gambling became somewhat of a leisurely, everyday activity for real cash poker fans in CA and for other betting fans.
Around this time countless casinos were constructed; many of them home to poker rooms featuring upwards of 100 to 200 tables and offering classic Texas Hold’em real money poker games and many other popular poker variants. At 240 tables strong, the Los Angeles Commerce Casino [4] houses one of the largest poker gambling rooms not only in California but in the entire world.
Native American owned casinos became popular in the early 2000s. Tribal casinos enjoy several distinct advantages over traditional real cash legit poker card rooms including tax regulation, governing lease arrangements and the ability to offer legal gambling games besides real money poker, such as craps and roulette.
Poker players in California have a good chance of eventually being able to play poker online at legal US poker rooms.
Regulated Gambling Options In California
California is home to more gambling facilities than every state in the US outside of Nevada. It features over 100 legal poker card rooms, 68 tribal casinos, six racetracks and over 21,000 retail outlets licensed to sell lottery tickets. All told, citizens of the Golden State can rarely walk a block without running into some sort of lawful gambling outlet.
![Gambling Gambling](/uploads/1/2/5/2/125249637/240574785.png)
The Future Of Regulated Online Gambling In California
Right now, residents of California are permitted to engage in Internet betting on horseracing. All other forms of gambling, including online Internet poker for real cash, are not regulated by the state in 2020. However, it does appear that most of the CA State’s gambling powers are finally on board with online Internet poker-only website legislation. Expect them to come to terms shortly.
The Bottom Line
Given its massive population, if California passes legislation legalizing online poker in The Golden State the Federal Government would be forced to notice – especially if it decides to hold firm on its stance regarding interstate compacts. In fact, some say that California could easily dominate the real money Internet poker website market.
California will undoubtedly enter the Internet poker and gambling arena at some point. The real question is when the legal poker and casino betting websites will start to hit the web. Before PokerStars re-entered the picture, it appeared as though CA State was on target for a mid-2015 launch of legit Internet poker. Now, whether legal online poker comes to California depends on how quickly rival factions can come to terms regarding the inclusion or exclusion of a bad actor clause.
References
[1] ↑ California – Gambling Law, Regulations, and Resource Information
[2] ↑California Online Poker Bill Filed Away Until Next Year
[3] ↑The Commerce Casino and Hotel
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