IGN Publishes Details Of California Online Poker Proposal

Proposal requires state authorities, in collaboration with DoJ, to draft intrastate regulations With the Californian push for the regulation, licensing and taxing of intrastate online poker gaining momentum (see previous InfoPowa reports), the details of an initial proposal to the California Legislative Analyst were outlined by IGN this week. The California Online Poker Law Enforcement Compliance and Consumer Protection Act still has a way to go in the state legislative process, but constitutes an important initiative in US online gambling that is being watched closely by operators, players and observers alike. IGN's report advises that the California State Gambling Commission, in conjunction with the state Department of Justice, is tasked with drafting appropriate regulations for the implementation of an online intrastate poker network. IGN notes that key points in the proposal are that any legislation: * Ensures that Internet poker is only offered for play in a manner that is lawful under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act 2006. * Limits licenses to current gaming establishments, licensed by California, as well as to California tribes with compacts * Mandates wagering hub/s are to be located within the state * Specifies only poker games already approved for play at land-based, licensed gambling establishments may be offered online * Recommends a gross receipts tax structure that mirrors the structure currently imposed on land-based card rooms in California * Requires each Internet Web site to have an individual, when opening an account, place a limitation on the amount of funds that may be transferred into that account within a 24-hour period * Requires that each Internet Web site provide for withdrawals from the wagering account only by check, made payable to the account holder and sent to the address of the accountholder, or by an electronic transfer to the same financial account from which the verified accountholder is authorized make deposits into a wagering account. IGN has made a full copy of the proposal available to readers here: http://www.igamingnews.com/articles/files/CaliforniaDraftLaw.pdf The proposals have triggered interesting debate for and against legalisation on leading online poker forums such as 2+2.