Last push for California intrastate online poker legislation

SB40 exclusive online poker bill that was introduced in California by US State Senator Lou Correa is being pushed forward by Senator Correa who is urging is fellow legislators to approve the SB40 bill before the end of the year.

The sudden urgency for approval is due to proposals for federal legislation that will render the proposed SB40 bill redundant and will cause potential jobs and revenues to be gained in Nevada and New Jersey that seem as the front-runners to become the chosen states to become the regulatory authorities for the US online gaming industry.

Senator Correa is worried about the interstate poker bill HR2366 that was proposed by Congressman Joe Barton at the end of June and is quickly gaining popularity with legislators who seem eager to put an end to the regulatory limbo that US poker players and legislators have been experiencing since the events of both Black Fridays.

The first Black Friday was in 2006 when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) came into effect and followed by the events of Black Friday this April that saw the domain seizures and federal indictments brought against offshore poker companies providing services to US players in violation of the UIGEA.

The state of California is suffering from a huge deficit and is desperate to find new streams of revenue that can revamp the state’s declining economic state and pull it out of debt. Senator Correa spoke on Tuesday to a Senate Committee on Governmental Organization and stated that the SB40 bill will allow California to raise $250 million in the upcoming fiscal year and help “avoid the triggers that will result in deeper cuts to education and other public services.