Cali poker bill pulled from Senate hearing
SB 1463's co-sponsors tell reporters the bill "needs more work".
Online poker bill SB 1463 was pulled from the California Senate Governmental Organisation Committee agenda at the last minute yesterday, despite recent amendments raising hopes of greater support for the legislation.
The bill was scheduled to be first on the agenda at the hearing in Sacramento, however its sponsor Senator Roderick Wright, who also chairs the committee, announced the bill would not be heard at all. According to reports, the announcement was followed by a max exodus with the majority of the crowd heading for the exit as a result.
Senator Wright told the LA Times that he and the bill’s co-sponsor Darrell Steinberg intend “to try and work some more and see what we can do. We will keep talking. But it’s a tough go.”
One Sacramento reporter claimed on Twitter that Steinberg had said the bill “needs more time and more work”, hinting at a potential lack of votes or last minute changes.
Since being introduced four months ago by Wright, the online poker bill has faced stiff opposition from stakeholders including the majority of the state’s influential tribal groups and card clubs.
An amended version of SB 1463 was introduced last week, however it seems opposition could still prove too strong for it to pass before the legislative deadline expires on 31 August.
Many tribes are concerned about the eligibility of state racetracks to apply for licences, as well as whether the bill violates tribal sovereignty and state revenue sharing agreements. Regarding the racetracks issue, Wright added that limiting the number of participants means “limiting the number of dollars that come into the state.”
California’s Assembly Governmental Organisation Committee is due to discuss a sports betting bill, SB 1390, on 20 June. The bill was approved by the Senate last month by a vote of 32-2 and although significant opposition is not expected, even if passed, sports betting would remain illegal due to federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (Paspa).