Tribal Online Poker Coming to California

The Santa Ysabel Tribal Development Corporation is launching its real-money online poker site this week.

After months of debating whether to legalize internet gambling in California or not, local residents who have turned 18 will finally be able to play online poker in the US state. Santa Ysabel Tribal Gaming Commission chairman Dave Vialpando announced that the Iipay Nation would be “flipping the switch on for real-money sometime between August 26 and 28”.

The tribe decided to go ahead with their project despite the fact that online poker legislation has been stalled in the state. Senator Lou Correa withdrew the bill earlier in August, ending all hopes that the new law would be approved this year.

Full disclosure

In reply to concerns regarding all legal issues, the chairman of the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabelsaid that the tribe is legally entitled to offer online poker in California.

“Our authority to offer class II gaming from our reservation is not prohibited by any statute,” he told reporters.

“In fact, we believe it is covered by IGRA. We have been fully cooperative with all the government agencies that have asked us questions, in fact with anyone who has asked us questions. Most of our regulations are public documents, so it’s pretty much full disclosure for us.”

While American gambling laws forbid internet casino games in most states, activities that take place on Indian reservations or other tribal properties award Native American tribes sovereignty, as specified in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988.

Responsible gambling

The tribe is making efforts to uphold standards of responsible gambling, and Vialpando said it has even formed an alliance with the California Council on Problem Gambling to create an efficient program for companies providing online gambling services.

“As the chairman of the Santa Ysabel Gaming Commission my concern is to cross all the Ts and dot all the Is on the regulatory,” said Vialpando.

“It has been very labor intensive. Some tribes will want the state to create that framework and then they will fill in the blanks for their particular property.

“We are encouraging other tribes to follow us because we feel our product is solid and economically viable. Ultimately, it will benefit the tribe and we are looking forward to that,” he added.

California officials drop online casino bill

Lawmakers in the Golden State have been debating the issue of online gambling for months now. At the beginning of the year, American gambling news were reporting that California would most probably become the fourth US state to welcome some form of virtual gambling. But earlier in August Senator Lou Correa decided to withdraw the bill.

Considering that Correa is the author of the bill, as well as the chairman of the Senate Governmental Organization Committee, the sudden change of heart was surprising. But the politician explained that there was not enough time left in this legislative session to refine the draft law and to properly prepare for a vote.

“Internet poker is an important public policy,” Correa told reporters. “We need to make sure it’s done right.”

The California Legislature has been debating the issue for five years now, and Correa will not be able to re-submit the draft law, because his tenure as Senator is coming to an end.

One more chance

There is one last hope for Californian gamblers who have been waiting for years to be able to play poker online. Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer Sr. introduced another bill to legalize internet poker earlier this year, and that one is still pending.

A report by Capitol Matrix Consulting, which was released in May, said that online poker would generate an estimated $800 million for California. In addition, it suggested that more than 2,000 jobs could be created by the end of the decade, if local authorities welcomed this growing industry.