Legalised Online Poker In California Back On The Cards

LEGALISED ONLINE POKER IN CALIFORNIA BACK ON THE CARDS

22nd December, 2025 at 01:57:30

Source: bluffed.net

Sen. Wright relaunches his proposal for intrastate legalised online poker in California

True to his word earlier this month (see previous reports), California Senator Rod Wright has shrugged off the failure of his online poker legalisation bill in the current session of the Californian Legislature, but has re-introduced the bill for consideration next year.

Groups with vested interests in cornering the lion's share of what promises to be a lucrative market, along with conflicting tribal perspectives on the prospect of legalised online poker, presented too strong an opposition for the bill to progress despite efforts at compromise in its drafting by Sen. Wright and Sen. Darren Steinberg.

This week he re-introduced SB51, with some observers noting that the dissolution two months back of the powereful Californian Online Poker Association (an alliance of tribal interests and a significant number of Californian card room operators) could smooth the road to passage for the measure.

It's still early days - thus far no hearings have been scheduled for the bill, and the Legislature only reconvenes in the first week in January.

That means that the bill, despite Wright registering it as an urgency measure, is unlikely to see much action until at least March 2025.

By designating SB51 as an urgency statute, Wright ensures that if it garners a two-thirds majority vote it will take effect but that could still be some way off.

Fully titled Internet Gambling Consumer Protection and Public-Private Partnership Act of 2025, SB51 has essentially the same content as Wright's former proposal SB1463.