Online Poker Report – The public was given a bit of insight into the mechanics bringing regulated online poker to California yesterday via an informational hearing on the subject in front of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization. Video of the meeting can be viewed and downloaded from the CalChannel archives (direct link to video file here). An agenda of the meeting listing all of the speakers is available here. Much of the hearing, chaired by California Assemblymember Dr. Isadore Hall III, covered territory quite familiar for someone who follows the online poker industry. But among the dry recitations were…

iGaming Business – PokerStars and California’s Morongo Band of Mission Indians and the state’s three largest card rooms – the Commerce Club, the Hawaiian Gardens Casino and the Bicycle Casino, have confirmed their partnership that will see PokerStars supply and operate a California-licensed online poker site once regulation comes into force in the US’s most populous state. News of the agreement between the different parties first came out in late March, its official announcement was made yesterday (Wednesday) to coincide with the hearing organised by California’s Assembly Committee on Governmental Organisation on intra-state online poker regulation. The key issue in…

This Week in Gambling – Robert Smith, Treasurer of the CTBA Board and Chairman of the Pala Band of Luiseno Indians, will testify at the Assembly Committee on Governmental Organization, during their informational hearing on Internet poker. The iPoker hearing is set for Wednesday, April 23 at 1:30 pm, in State Capitol, Room 4202. The hearing, was called by AGO Chair Isadore Hall, III, to promote a better understanding of the iPoker issue.  Two bills, AB 2291 (Jones-Sawyer) and SB 1366 (Correa), have been introduced this year that would legalize Internet poker in California.  CTBA member tribes are part of…

Venture Beat – Gamblit Gaming is announcing today it has raised $12 million in funding for its real-money gambling platform. But rather than convert a social casino slots game into a gambling game, Gamblit is looking for something altogether new. Glendale-based Gamblit wants to make it easy for game developers to create games that can be easily adapted for real-money gambling in places such as the United Kingdom, where online gambling is legal. The money came from American Capital, a publicly traded private equity firm with $19 billion in assets under management. Gamblit handles tasks such as building regulated technology,…

Card Player – There are currently two bills on the table that could bring online poker to California and obviously, PokerStars wants in. California has a population of 38 million, roughly 14 times that of Nevada. With a state by state patchwork of online poker legislation in the works, the Golden State is one of the most sought after markets in the country. The site has reportedly entered negotiations with the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, who operate the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon. While the Morongos may be the best way to get PokerStars’ foot in the…

Sacramento Business Journal – State lawmakers have introduced competing legislation to legalize online poker. California has seen several attempts to legalize the game over the last five years, but the state’s powerful tribes opposed the legislation out of fear that online gaming would encroach on their brick-and-mortar casinos. The bills never made it out of committee. But in a development that is similar to the anti-marijuana lobby’s can’t-beat-them-then-join-them attitude, the tribes are coming around, said one Capitol staffer. It isn’t difficult to sign up for online poker today — the U.S. has seen a proliferation of illegal digital gaming from…