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 While it looks less and less likely that federal legislation to legalize online poker will pass, legislation in California is moving right along. California State Senator Louis Correa is pushing forward a piece of legislation which would legalize online poker so long as the services were being provided by state-sanctioned organizations, such as Native American tribes. Only those approved by the state would be able to legally operate in California and the state would of course tax all profits made by the online casinos. It is estimated that around two million Californians player poker online each year and that hundreds of millions of dollars is currently going untaxed.
"What we're trying to do is take a whole exploding industry that is illegal and make it legal and tax it to fund state services," explains Correa. "People play offshore now and all that money goes offshore." It is his hope that by offering players a legal alternative, the state will be able to keep an estimated $300 million inside the California economy where it could best serve the states citizens.
It appears that support for the legislation is growing as the state struggles to fix its budget. The only fear that industry leaders have is that in a frenzy to increase tax revenue lawmakers could draft a bill without a proper understanding of the industry. The Poker Players Alliance is already campaigning for a system that supports and upholds the rights of poker players and players can show their support for such measures by visiting theppa.org
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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