Hearing Concerning the Legalization of Poker in California

Different interests make it difficult for stakeholders to agree on the legalization of online poker in California.

Legislators in California continue to discuss the proposal for legalization of poker in the state but the differences in views between the stakeholders make the agreement difficult to reach. Positive as well as negative views on the legalization of online poker sites have been expressed continuously during the debate.

Anita Lee, a state bean-counter, expressed great skepticism concerning the legalization of poker in the state. According to her it is not clear how many players currently playing at illegal online gambling sites in the US would like to switch to state-regulated sites, especially if taxes and fees would be included.

The positive views

On the other hand Chris Krafcik, a Gambling Compliance scribe, exposed an estimation according to which the legalization should have a positive general economic impact, gambling news report. According to Krafcik the revenues that the state can expect from the online poker market are estimated to be around USD 217 million in its first year, and to rise to USD 366 million in its fourth year. 

The incomes from taxes that the state collects will also rise. If we take into consideration the numbers concerning the future revenue that Krafcik exposed, the state’s tax share is estimated to be between USD 14 million to USD 18 million in year one, rising to USD 24 million to USD 28 million by year four.