California Online Poker Bill Suffers Set Back

July 1 - Californian poker players' dreams of soon enjoying legalized and regulated online poker were shattered once more when a bill stalled in the Legislature on Tuesday.

The author of the bill, Senator Rod Wright admitted that the bill "still needs a great deal of work" and pulled it temporarily from consideration.

Wright's bill to legalize intrastate online poker in California was scheduled to come up for a vote at the Senate Governmental Organization Committee, however he felt that there was not enough support to get it through.

"For every issue, there were people who liked it and people who hated it," he said.

The bill, SB 1485, would have allowed Californian based poker operators to bid for the right to offer poker services to state residents aged 21 and older.

The legalization of poker would generate $2.1 billion annually for the state, which faces a growing $19 billion deficit.

The bill has faced major opposition since it was first proposed.

The California Nations Indian Gaming Association has claimed that by legalizing online poker, hundreds of jobs would be in danger.

Other poker groups, who traditionally support online poker networks, object to the clause in Wright's bill that would make it illegal for Californians to visit offshore poker and gambling sites.

"Criminalizing harmless recreational conduct that typically takes place in the privacy of one's home and cannot be practically enforced undermines public respect for all laws," said the Poker Players Alliance.