The online poker debate in California is beginning to resemble the well-known scene from the Peanuts comics where Lucy holds the football for Charlie Brown. The state of California (playing the role of Lucy in this production) continues to hold the football while the poker world runs up to kick out – with predictable results.
It appeared that progress was being made when California’s online poker bill AB 431 cleared another important hurdle as it continues to navigate unchartered waters.
But on the flip side, two California Gaming Control Commissioners left their positions, and the debate over bad actors went from cordial to negative. And not Dukakis in a tank negative – Willie Horton negative. Or as we like to say around here, California gonna California.
In a disheartening move, the Viejas Tribe has decided to launch an ugly ad campaign against PokerStars, in which it refers to the company as a “corrupt company… con men and scam artists,” in radio and internet ads that began appearing this week. The Viejas ads certainly omit a lot of the PokerStars back story and have not been well-received.
