Only California could screw something like this up. Aside from the U.S. federal government, the California government is the most inept, wasteful and clueless governing body imaginable. This is the same state that decided to hand I.O.U’s to residents because they couldn’t afford to pay them.

What have they done now? The state of California has crafted an online gambling bill that has so little support that even proponents of gambling expansion are against it. Wow, now that’s an accomplishment.

The bill in question is Senate Bill 1485, which would authorize the creation of an intrastate online poker system. The bill proposes that the Department of Justice give out three five-year contracts to California operators to run online poker websites. The sites would be regulated by the state government and only residents of the state of California would be able to play.

So what’s the problem? As is often the case, the bill is reported to be poorly worded and too vague on the details. Opponents of the bill state that there is nothing preventing overseas companies from bidding for and winning the contracts. Therefore, a bill that was intended to bring money into the state could actually take money away from it.

The worries about the bill are so widespread that even the biggest proponents of online poker legislation seem to be against it. That includes the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations (TASIN), who sent a letter to Rod Wright, the chairman of California’s Senate Governmental Organization Committee, expressing their opposition to the bill. Even the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the biggest proponents of California online gambling, signed that letter.

The Morongo Indians have pushed hard for online gambling in the state, but even they can’t support this bill in its current form. If it is amended, they may change their mind. In the meantime, a hearing on the bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 29.

Tags: California gambling, California online poker, gambling legislation, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, online casino, online gambling, online poker, TASIN, Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations

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