California moves ahead with DFS regulation, online poker flops again
Legislative sessions for 2015 comes to an end with the last surviving poker bill unable to progress beyond Committee stage, but bill tabled to license and regulate daily fantasy sports
California will not regulate online poker in 2015 after differences between various stakeholders meant legislation failed to get beyond the Committee stage in the final legislative session of the year, but a late bill to regulate daily fantasy sport was successfully tabled. [private]
Assemblyman Gray tabled a bill â AB 1437 â on the final day of the session seeking to license and regulate daily fantasy sports, requiring a person or entity to apply for and receive a license before offering online DFS games to players in the state.
While the timing of the bill came as a surprise, the daily fantasy sports sector is preparing itself for a number of states to look into whether they should license and regulate the activity, with Nevada also conducting its own investigation.
Any poker legislation will have to wait for another year, however, as the last bill failed to make it out of the starting gate.
While the session started with promise with four poker bills tabled in quick succession, three fell by the wayside as the tribes, card rooms, race tracks and other stakeholders argued over the role of the tracks and so called âbad actorsâ.
By the end of the session on Friday just one âskeletalâ bill remained â AB 431 tabled by Assemblyman Adam Gray â which made it out of Committee and onto the Assembly floor. But with the various stakeholders unable to come to agreement over specific language, the progress ground to a halt.
The on-going stalemate means that seven years have passed since California first tried to pass online poker legislation, and during that time Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey have all legalized and regulated the activity, with Pennsylvania likely the next in line.
California is potentially the most important market for operators, with PokerStars embarking on a major charm offensive in the state in a bid to educate lawmakers on the benefits of regulated online poker. Tribal operator Pala Interactive has also embarked on a grassroots campaign.