The Pechanga coalition wants to put an end on California online poker, since online poker is a threat to the land-based venues. To do so, a survey was commissioned by the coalition, however, the survey was designed in a way that a particular response to the issue was elicited.
As a result, the survey showed that the majority of Californians (52%) are against the regulation of online poker.
The results of the pool was published last Monday, only two days before the vote on Adam Gray’s online poker bill (AB 2863), which will take place on Wednesday.
Also 74% of the participants believed that foreign websites that accepted users from the US, should not the able to receive a license in California, since they violated federal law by accepting those players.
The Coalition
The members of the coalition are from tribal gaming operators such as the Lytton Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, Barona Band of Mission Indians, Cahuilla Indians, Agua Caliente Band, Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. Those tribe are also against the participation of PokerStars in the gambling market of California.
Even though the Pechanga coalition has been accused of obstructionism, the members argue they are only protecting their interests against operators with an unfair advantage. They believe that operators would be rewarded for illegal behaviour if they would be accepted in the market after developing a customer base when it was still illegal for tribal operators to do so.
John Pappas
The chairman of Poker Players Alliance, John Pappas criticized the coalition: “What are iPoker obstructionists offering? More Years of Keeping our heads stuck in the sand, more losses for players and more years of leaving regulation up to complacent foreign governments. Surely even the obstructionists would agree that California regulators would do a better job. It’s time to do the right thing for California consumers and pass AB 2863.”
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