It appears that Churchill Downs is well advanced in getting its ducks in a row should Californian politicians ever approve the licensing and regulation of online poker.
The publication Courier-Journal reported Thursday that the Louisville-based racing company has been developing an online poker platform at its interactive division at corporate headquarters, and on Wednesday this week filed an SEC advisory that it has secured a ten-year partnership deal with the cardroom divisions of Crystal Casino & Hotel in Los Angeles and Ocean’s 11 in Oceanside, both of which are owned by Haig Kelegian Sr.
The partnership calls for Churchill to provide the platform jointly with the cardrooms, operating and marketing a real-money online poker site once it is permitted by law.
However, it is by no means certain that legalisation will be achieved in the immediate future as a diversity of interested parties wrangle over who should be allowed into the market (see previous reports).