United Auburn join PokerStars California coalition

Move comes as the Stars coalition publicly backs Assemblyman Adam Gray’s latest online poker bill

PokerStars has strengthened its coalition in California after announcing the powerful United Auburn Indian Community had joined its ranks. [private]

PokerStars has already partnered with the San Manuel and Morongo Band of Mission Indians, plus three of the state’s largest card rooms, to lobby for legal online poker in the state.

PokerStars will also use the tribe’s interactive poker licenses – if and when the state legalizes and regulates the activity – to offer its sites to players in California.

The addition of the United Auburn tribe, which has joined a number of different coalitions in recent months, will certainly add weight behind the coalition and boost its lobbying power.

In 2014 the tribe was part of the Pechanga coalition opposing both PokerStars and horseracing operators being eligible online poker operators.

Then last year, United Auburn, the Pala Band of Mission Indians and the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians formed a splinter group, and adopted a similar stance to the PokerStars coalition.

United Auburn struck a 10-year partnership with bwin.party back in 2012 and a spokesman for the firm confirmed to EGR North America that its partnership remained in tact.

“The coalition is a lobbying effort, not an operating partnership. Our partnership [with United Auburn] remains in place,” the spokesman added.

News that United Auburn has joined the PokerStars coalition came at the bottom of a statement endorsing the new online poker bill introduced by Assemblyman Adam Gray last week.

Under the bill, the racetracks would be offered a $60m sweetener in return for stepping down as eligible online poker licensees and contained no ‘bad actor’ clause.

The coalition said the bill was a “breakthrough” in the legislative logjam that has held back process for almost a decade.