One of the key factors that halted recent online poker bills in California is the proposed “bad actor” clause. Designed to keep out sites that operated in American post-UIGEA, PokerStars would definitely fall under this bad actor umbrella.
But according to Assembly Member Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer, future California legislative efforts may not be designed to ban PokerStars. This is quite a turnaround from previous months, where bills by Jones-Sawyer and state senator Lou Correa included bad actor language that would have barred the world’s largest poker site. So what’s changed? Let’s discuss the matter below by looking at recent developments.
New bill will probably alter bad actor language
According to Jones-Sawyer, he plans to resubmit a poker bill in the 2015/16 California legislative session. As some may know, he withdrew his previous bill (ABA 2291) because there wasn’t enough time left in the current government session for proper review. Jones-Sawyer wants the Department of Justice and the California Gaming Commission to look over his legislation before it becomes official.
When the assemblyman does reintroduce a new bill, it will likely be different. Through a press release, Jones-Sawyer states, “we must make sure that any Bad Actor Language is written so that it is applied fairly, and avoids any possible future legal challenges.” While he doesn’t come right out and say it, Jones-Sawyer’s new bad actor clause will probably be written so that PokerStars is not excluded from the iGaming market.
Recent Discussions on California Online Poker
There exists a big divide between 13 powerful Native-American tribes in California and a group led by PokerStars and the state’s three largest cardrooms. The big issue dividing them is Stars’ inclusion in the online poker market. However, Jones-Sawyer feels as if there’s some progress being made on this matter.
Admitting that more discussion is still needed, he hopes “that during the next few months we can continue the dialogue with all the interested principals so that there is a clear consensus and mutual agreement as to who will be able to participate in providing internet poker to our citizens.”
Of course, there’s still potential legislation to come from Correa, who also attached a bad actor clause that targeted PokerStars. But if all sides can come to an agreement on Jones-Sawyer’s bill, it would be a huge step towards finally having legal and regulated iPoker in California.