COPA tribes vote to dissolve consortium
Decision follows yesterday's exit of two of its most influential members " San Manuel and Morongo.
Senior tribal members of the California Online Poker Association (COPA) have voted for the consortium to be dissolved following the decision of two of its largest members to leave with immediate effect.
Yesterday’s news that San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians, one of the five biggest tribes in California and the closest tribal casino to Los Angeles, was to leave COPA was swiftly followed by the revelation that Morongo Band of Mission Indians was to follow suit.
A ballot held by COPA’s board then saw its influential tribal members vote in favour to immediately dissolve the three year-old group. COPA’s website has since been taken down, although its proprietary online poker site Calshark.com remains active.
Between them, San Manuel and Morongo had provided much of the funding behind the launch of COPA’s own online free-play poker site, Calshark.com, totaling around US$1m.
The lack of regulation in California means they were still some way off from seeing a return on their investment, and it is thought both tribes believe they can be more profitable in online poker if they go it alone.
COPA, made up of 29 tribes and 31 card clubs, was formed in 2009 with the aim of securing the passage of online poker legislation in California and to ensure its members received their fair share of the ensuing revenues. However, a number of COPA’s members have recently questioned the viability of the organisation’s business model whereby each member would receive revenue based on how many players they direct to Calshark.com.
With competition in the state increasing “ not least from United Auburn Indian Community which has geared up for online poker via a strong partnership with bwin.party “ COPA’s members have realised that turning a profit under the organisation’s business model was going to be harder than first thought.
Rumours have also persisted that large California tribes that opted out of COPA, including Pechanga and Agua Caliente, are also close to announcing their own plans for online poker.
At present it is unclear what San Manuel and Morongo’s next move will be, or what the future might hold for the rest of COPA’s members.