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…

Pennsylvania State Senator Sean Wiley announced in a memorandum that he will introduce a bill that covers multiple facets of the state’s gaming industry. The bill looks to make changes in policy at both land-based and Internet gaming laws. Wiley proposes legalizing online poker in Pennsylvania. Casino games would be excluded. The bill would direct gaming regulators to draft rules for online poker rooms no earlier than July 1, 2016. Games would go live no sooner than January 1, 2017. All regulated Pennsylvania online poker rooms would be operated by the state’s existing casino companies. Pennsylvania interactive gaming licenses would…

A California online poker bill will clear the Assembly Appropriations Committee Thursday but be held on the Assembly floor until after upcoming hearings on web poker are complete, according to sources. The one-page shell bill, AB431, is sponsored by Democrat Adam Gray. It states in part that any future Internet poker measure adopted by the legislature must protect consumers and comply with applicable state and federal law. The Assembly Governmental Organization Committee, which handles gaming issues, unanimously approved the bill last month. Its next stop is the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which has jurisdiction over fiscal matters. Sources said the Appropriations…

Two influential American Indian tribes are publicly asking a politically powerful tribal coalition to ease its opposition to extending eligibility for online poker website licenses to California race tracks, but skepticism remains that a bill will make it out of the legislature this year. Council member Laurie E. Gonzalez of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians in a May 20 press release urged that tribes reach consensus on online poker legislation “rather than digging their heels into the ground,” an obvious reference to steadfast opposition against licensing race tracks by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and six other coalition…

It’s been one year since Econsult Solutions presented its gambling study to Pennslyvania’s Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. That study concluded that the PA market for regulated online gambling (casino and poker) was worth some $184 million in first year revenue, and $307 million in ongoing revenues. Since, two of Pennsylvania’s neighbors – New Jersey and Delaware – have wrapped up their first year in the industry, and are deep enough into their second that meaningful year-over-year comparisons can be drawn. What follows are updated revenue projections for Pennsylvania’s iGaming market, utilizing data from Econsult and other reputable sources, and…

New York State Senator John Bonacic (R-42) has introduced a bill that would bring regulated online poker to the Empire State. Full text of the bill (S 5302) is available here. You can track the bill’s progress here. This marks the second consecutive year that Bonacic has introduced online poker legislation. HIs attempt in 2014 – matched by companion legislation in the Assembly –  failed to move beyond committee. The bill is largely similar to the one introduced by Bonacic in 2014. One key difference: this version lacks a so-called “bad actor clause” that would preclude companies, individuals or assets involved in…