California gambling online with the state’s blessing looks like all but a guaranteed thing for 2014. There are three major California Internet gambling proposals on the table currently. Two of them are already bills waiting to be voted on, and the third comes from a very influential Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians with physical casino connections who are also pushing for online gambling-friendly legislation.
And with a current population of more than 38 million, a number which is 50% bigger than the resident count of the next most populous state, Texas, California is in a unique position to financially profit more than any other state possibly could from offering a virtual Vegas slate of gambling options to its residents and visitors. It will be interesting to see what shape California legal online casinos take.
Many different groups of California legislators and residents have been pushing for online gambling in some form for quite some time. And it appears that early 2014 could finally see the delivery of at least Internet poker to the Golden State. This possibility came about when the usually grumpy and “no fun allowed” attitude of the United States Department of Justice seemed to change in 2011.
Just two days before Christmas, the DOJ presented a holiday gift to Internet gamblers in America. They claimed poker was a game of skill and not chance, declared Internet sales of lottery tickets to be legal across state lines, and also decided to allow each individual state to develop its own Internet gambling legislation and regulation.
As you probably know, Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey are all either currently offering Internet wagering, or will be launching some type of online gambling presence in the near future. New Jersey and Nevada have already legalized the signing of interstate gambling pacts with other states which have a positive attitude towards online gambling. But when California finally decides to give the go-ahead for Internet gambling in that state, it will be the crown jewel in the United States online gambling industry.
And between State Bill 51 (SB51), SB678 and the proposal made by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, there are three legitimate pieces of legislation proposing online gambling laws in California, all with influential and respected backers.
The reason why there are three different major proposals for California gambling online is because of the diverse cultures, political beliefs and attitudes at work in that state. And the differences in opinions can be fully appreciated simply by looking at the ideas about licensing fees discussed in these three different pieces of legislation. SB51 believes that $15 million is a reasonable licensing fee to charge anyone that wants to legally offer online gambling access in the Golden State.
However, SB678 proposes a lower fee of $10 million per applicant, and the influential Pechanga Indian tribe was the most generous of all, expecting a registration fee of just $5 million. If that were the only holdup in creating across the board agreement, we would have already seen the ability to gamble online in CA.
However, the argument over who should actually be able to apply for a license as a state-sponsored Internet gambling provider is really what is slowing things down. SB51, after many provisions and probably with the greatest chance of passing, believes that the state’s racetracks and advance deposit wagering companies should be allowed to apply for an Internet gambling license.
But SB678 and the Pechanga proposal agree in general that only Indian tribes and currently licensed card rooms should be able to obtain an interactive gaming license, even even though those two pieces of legislation cannot agree on the specifics.
The good news is that over the last couple of years the bigger anti-gambling voices in the state of California have become quieter over time, as the state struggles financially. And with three intelligent and major pieces of legislation screaming for passage, the celebratory voice that is California gambling online will probably finally be heard in 2014.