To the surprise of no one, the insider trading charges filed by Canadian regulators against former Amaya CEO David Baazov (Baazov has taken a voluntary leave of absence from his position as CEO and Chairman of the Board) are already having a negative impact on efforts to pass an online poker bill in California, and based on some of the comments coming out of the Golden State, it could lead to a major shakeup among the coalitions that have formed between certain stakeholders. The situation PokerStars is now facing has bolstered the company’s detractors, evidenced by tribal lobbyist David Quintana’s…

Over the weekend, the PokerStars Pro Tour concluded with its final four events. The last stop took place atTurlock Poker Room & Casino in Turlock, California, and another large turnout of support took place. Fans, poker players, and media members from around the Central Valley region flocked to the room, hoping to get the chance to meet with Daniel Negreanu and Vanessa Selbst. As previously mentioned, the PokerStars Pro Tour has been running since the middle of July, promoting awareness and support for legally, regulated online poker in the state. That’s something Mario Alvarez, Director of Casino Relations at Turlock…

iGaming Business – The Santa Ysabel Tribal Development Corporation has announced that it will launch its real-money online poker service in the US state of California next week, according to various reports. Dave Vialpando, chairman of the commission, said that the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel would be “flipping the switch on for real-money sometime between [August] 26 and 28”. The real-money service will be open to players over the age of 18 that are located within California’s borders. The launch will come despite online poker legislation having stalled in the state. Earlier this month, iGaming Business reported that a…

The Press Democrat – Rival attempts to legalize Internet poker in California are underway in the Capitol, setting the stage for a lobbying and political showdown over a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Two measures unveiled on Feb. 21, the deadline to introduce new bills for the year, would authorize online poker websites, letting gamblers participate from anywhere they can access the Internet. Similar efforts failed last year after heated negotiations between tribal interests and lawmakers ended without an agreement on the final form of the complex legislation. This year, again, there are divisions. “There are a…

Online Poker Report – On the day of the session deadline for the introduction of bills, two efforts to regulate online poker in California surfaced from the legislature. The first is effectively a re-introduction of SB 678, which was backed by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The bill number is listed as SB 1366. No sponsor is identified on the bill but I assume it’s State Sen. Lou Correa (D-34), who authored SB 678. AB 2291 is supported by a wide-ranging consortium of tribes, including the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians,…

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…