The California tribes blocking passage of the state’s latest online poker bill have proposed strict conditions for allowing PokerStars to get a license. In a letter to Assemblyman Adam Gray obtained by Gambling Compliance scribe Chris Krafcik (@CKrafcik), the seven-tribe coalition led by the Pechanga and Agua Caliente bands reiterate their longstanding opposition to Gray’s AB 2863 legislation but offer specific remedies to alleviate their concerns. The coalition has steadfastly objected to PokerStars participating in California’s online poker market due to the site having continued to serve US residents following the 2006 passage of the federal Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement…

As members of the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee debated and voted (May 28th) on AB 431, one of several California online-poker bills currently being considered, news surfaced that the hardline “Cali 7″ coalition which has roadblocked the process in recent years has retracted its neutrality on the shell bill. AB 431, only the second online-poker bill ever to advance from California’s requisite “GO Committee” initial hearing process, faces difficult sledding in the face of the renewed opposition.  That opposition came in the form of a return to a “no” position on the bill from the hardline tribal group, which is…

Card Player – As a tribe moved to open a poker room in Idaho despite a state ban on poker, the governor and the attorney general filed a lawsuit to try to put a stop to it all. Idaho Governor “Butch” Otter and Attorney General Lawrence Wasden filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Friday, according to JRN.com. “Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Indian tribes are authorized only to offer those types of games that are legal within the state where they are operating,” said Otter spokesman Jon Hanian. “The Idaho Constitution prohibits poker, classified under IGRA…

Poker News – As online poker conversations continue to expand, Indian tribes are being thrust into the forefront, especially in California where legislators have introduced two bills. That state is home to dozens of federally recognized tribes, almost all of which want a piece of the iGaming pie. “At the heart of the Internet gaming debate, tribes are simply asking to be able to compete on an equal footing,” said Ernie Stevens Jr., chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) in the latest issue of Casino Enterprise Magazine. “To protect tribal sovereignty and ensure equal access to the market,…