New California poker hearing scheduled

April 14, 2016

The wide range of interested parties in the legalisation of online poker in California (see previous reports) will be preparing for the next round of debate on Wednesday April 20, when the California Assembly Governmental Organization (GO) Committee has scheduled a hearing to discuss Assemblyman Adam Gray’s bill AB2863. Preparing the ground for their views, […]

888Poker positioning itself in the Russian poker market?

March 11, 2016

Hard on the heels of renewed speculation that the Russian government may soon legalise online poker as a skill game (see previous reports) comes the news that 888Poker has formed a strategic partnership with the Russian Poker Tour (RPT). The RPT hosts live poker tournaments in Eastern European cities in the absence of a welcoming […]

More tribes come forward in support of new California online poker bill

February 23, 2016

California Assemblyman Adam Gray’s new online poker legalisation bill AB2863 (see previous report) has received more tribal support, this time from the Pala Band of Mission Indians and the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. The tribal organisations join as early supporters the Rincon Band of Lusiteno Indians, who publicised their approval of the bill and […]

Washington State online poker bill runs out of time

February 19, 2016

Online poker supporters hoping for a “second time lucky” success for an online poker legalisation bill in Washington State were disappointed this week when the bill failed to gain traction and missed a mid-February legislative deadline, condemning it to failure for another year. HB1114, sponsored by state Representatives Sherry Appleton and Vincent Buys, sought to […]

Amendments to California online poker bill outlined

February 14, 2016

New details seem to be surfacing almost daily on the latest attempt to legalise online gambling in California – Assemblyman Adam Gray’s AB431. Over the weekend media reports started to emerge on the latest amendments to the bill, including amendment 4 which classified the measure as an urgent issue set for implementation immediately following a […]

California tribes discuss online poker legalisation

February 13, 2016

California’s Assemblyman Adam Gray continued to attempt to build consensus among the state’s powerful tribes this week on his proposal to legalise online poker, reportedly holding discussions in Sacramento last Thursday at which some tribes agreed in principle that any legalisation moves should be limited to licensing only tribes and cardrooms, and to paying a […]

Amendment to California bill raises hopes for legalised online poker

February 13, 2016

The week ended on a more optimistic note in California as news emerged (and was confirmed) that recent amendments to Assemblyman Adam Gray’s shell bill AB431 could clear one of the main current obstacles to online poker legalisation – the involvement of the racetracks. Gray’s solution is fairly straightforward – give the racing industry a […]

Is Russia about to legalise online poker?

January 22, 2016

The publication Business Insider published a speculative article this week suggesting that the Russian government is about to execute a volte face on its stand that online poker is unlawful. Written by academic and author Robert Carmona-Borjas, the article claims that the Russian government is seriously considering the legalisation of online poker in the near […]

California legalisation hopes for this year fading

August 18, 2015

More than seven years of striving to get an online poker legalisation bill to a floor vote in the California state legislature could again end in frustration and failure this year as a procedural deadline looms just three weeks away. Tribal, online poker, racetrack and card room alliances remain at odds on who should and […]

DFS could provide an opportunity for online poker

August 8, 2015

Gary Loveman, former CEO of Caesars Entertainment and a proponent of legalised online poker in the US, says that the current boom in daily fantasy sports and its legal status could provide a window of opportunity for efforts to federally legalise online poker. DSF is currently legal in all but five US states thanks to […]