In what appears to be a well-timed sequel to a joint California Assembly-Senate legislative hearing on internet poker scheduled for May 20, Pokerstars has organised live internet poker demonstrations in the state capital Sacramento.
Pokerstars is keen to achieve licensing in any legalised online poker regime that may emerge in the state, where for the past seven years competing interests have managed to complicate and stymie repeated legalisation attempts.
The online poker giant is allied to major state cardrooms and tribal groups in its lobbying efforts to encourage legalisation (see previous reports).
Two top US online poker players, Daniel Negreanu and Jason Somerville, will take part in the demonstration, which will take place at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on May 21 between 10am and 12pm.
The presentation will be in conjunction with the Capitol Weekly California Gaming Conference, which should ensure a larger audience.
A statement from Pokerstars notes that this year’s efforts to authorise and regulate online poker have more momentum than ever before, and that Pokerstars’ goal is to give people a better idea of what exactly online poker looks like, and better understand the stringent consumer protections in place.
The company will be providing laptops for the use of those who are interested in play-money games, some of them against Negreanu and Somerville.
The statement gives brief biogs on the two players, observing that Negreanu is one of the most successful players globally and has won many major international tournaments in a two-decade career.
It characterises Somerville as “…one of poker’s rising stars and visionaries. At just 28, Somerville has won millions playing poker while broadcasting his efforts to internet viewers [via Twitch – ed.], including two million who logged on this spring to watch him play every day for 70 days”.