No Regulated California Online Poker

Did we honestly expect to get online poker regulation approved in the state of California this year? Well, maybe, but it's not going happen and time has run out as Sen Lou Correa has shelved his bill (SB 1366) for the year and another bill that was introduced by Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer Sr failed to make any ground through committee. Senator Correa's bill held the most hope this time around however as California legislature closes, so do the hopes of anything happening.

Conflicting interests are, yet again, what has caused the problems and although Indian tribes agreed on almost everything, the usual arguments halted progress, and in a market that is so potentially valuable, with everyone wanting to carve out their own slice of it, these things are always bound to happen. One of the main issues was the bad actor clause that would in effect block PokerStars from operating in the state, and while things looked pretty rosy for a while as Stars made their deal with the Morongo Band of Indians, 13 other tribal groups with interest, were having none of it, meaning that wording on a bill with any realistic chances of passing could not be found.

This is the 5th straight year of attempting to pass online poker regulation in the Golden State and the 5th straight time it's failed, and there's sure to be another attempt next year, however as is law in the state, all existing bills that remained outstanding at the end of legislature are considered to have never existed, meaning everything starts from square one again.

It's not all bad new for residents of California as they have more than enough choice when it comes to enjoying their favorite game online and of course many online poker rooms accept players from California, with Bovada Poker being the largest of those. New players at Bovada will get a great $1,000 welcome bonus and heaps of large guaranteed tournament action and plenty of cash games at all stake levels.