It was just one week ago that Reggie Jones-Sawyer, an Assemblyman of California, decided to pull his online poker bill from a state hearing. The July 8th hearing was supposed to have included AB 167, but the Assemblyman removed the bill last minute. The bill has now been added to a hearing scheduled for next month to be heard by the Assembly Governmental Organization Committee.
The hearing date has yet to be announced but we do know the date will have to be after the 17th. This is when legislature will return from a summer break. The hearing will help to determine if online poker will be passed in the 2015 legislative session. Many feel as though the option will not be passing this year.
Summer recess begins on the 17th of July and will be on break until the 17th of August. From this day in August, legislation will only have until the 11th of September to move forward. Any legislation for online poker will need to pass by this date and will then be added to the desk of the governor for approval.
Online poker has basically been considered a no-go for California despite the fact that AB 431 by Adam Gray has been passed by the GO and Appropriations Committee and Jones-Sawyer’s bill has been added to the upcoming hearing. Little progress has taken place in the state especially considering the fact that Indian tribes, card rooms and race tracks cannot seem to come to an agreement on how online poker should be made available within the state.
There is only a small window of time before legislation will be null and void within the state. There is still hope for California to move forward with online poker bills but it does not seem as though there is enough time for legislation to come to fruition within the state.
