iGaming Business – A bill for the potential legalisation and regulation of online poker in the US state of California will not be considered until next year, according to the Poker Players Alliance lobby group.
The alliance posted a message on twitter that said that sources had confirmed that the Correa bill will not be brought up before the end of the current legislative session, which finishes on September 6.
Authorised by state senator Lou Correa, Senate Bill 678 is the ‘Authorisation and Regulation of Internet Poker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013’. It would authorise internet poker as a legal game in California, would provide a licensing framework for operators and would set out all rules and regulations for the game.
The bill would also be similar to those administered in fellow US states Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey, where players aged 21 or over in each state can access legal online gambling facilities.
The news of the bill being delayed comes shortly after senator Correa amended SB 678 to make it an urgency statute – meaning it must be ratified by two thirds of the combined legislature, but would become effective immediately when the Governor makes it legal.
Correa also made the bill severable, which meant if anything in it is considered to be “invalid” then that portion can be cut while the rest of it can be pushed forward unchanged.
Referring to the decision, Correa said in a statement: “In order to protect the interests of Californians who play internet, poker games and to ensure that people play fair games, that the state realises the revenues, and that suitable persons operate intrastate internet poker games, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.”
