A new coalition of 21 California tribes, card rooms, racetracks and unions may prove instrumental in moving the needle forward on the authorization of a new online poker bill in the state.
AB 2863, introduced by Assembly member Adam Gray though updated with numerous new amendments, is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow, June 15, in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
The coalition sent a letter to Lorena Gonzalez, the chair of the Appropriations Committee, on Friday supporting AB 2863. Straight-forward and brief, it stated:
The undersigned are in support of moving AB 2863 and look forward to continuing the dialogue.
We have been working with the Legislature for many years to create a regulatory structure for iPoker, an online version of a game that is already authorized in the California Penal Code.
We look forward to your support of moving AB 2863.
Still, without a united front of tribes, namely the Pechanga coalition, the future of online poker in California remains uncertain, said uspoker.com.