A bill that would authorize the study of intrastate online poker in
California moved forward yesterday when the Assembly Governmental
Organization Committee (AGOC) unanimously sent the bill forward to the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.

AB 2026 calls for the California Gambling Control Commission and the
Department of Justice to perform a study on authorizing intrastate
online poker in California. If passed, the study is to be presented to
California Legislature by June 30, 2009.

Democrat Assemblyman Lloyd Levine is the bill’s author. The hearing for
the AGOC took place yesterday and featured testimony from bill
proponents Poker Voters of America President Jim Tabilio and Rod
Blonien, who represented the card rooms of Commerce Club, Hollywood
Park, the Lucky Derby, the Lucky Lady, Garden City and Lucky Chances.

“Many of the clubs that I mentioned are maxed out on Friday and
Saturday nights. We have more players than we have seats available,”
Blonien said. “Many of those people go home and play online.”

Blonien went on to describe the online poker industry as an unregulated and dangerous place for American consumers.

“There’s no place that a law abiding Californian can go (online) and
play a level game,” he said. “What Californians really need is a
government regulated and fair website where they could go to play
Internet poker.”

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Author Contact Info: Bob Pajich, CardPlayer