SB1463 bill criticised by tribal casino owners

Monday, April 30,2012 : TRIBAL GROUP SPEAKS OUT AGAINST CALIFORNIA INTERNET POKER BILL
 
Wright bill criticised by tribal casino owners
 
California Sen. Rod Wright's online gambling legalization proposal SB1463 has been lambasted by the Tribal Alliance of Sovereign Indian Nations in a critique sent to state Senate president pro tempore Darrell Steinberg.
 
The Alliance, which represents nine federally acknowledged Southern Californian tribes, notes in its communication that it is "strongly opposed" to the measure in its present form.
 
A passage that appears to have particularly triggered the Alliance's ire is one that calls for a blanket waiver of tribal sovereign immunity, which the tribes want excluded in its entirety.
 
Another sticking point is the number of licenses proposed, which the tribes wish to confine to online poker only, and only for issue to existing licensed operators.
 
Amending the bill to solely embrace online poker would not in the short term create too much of an effect; the bill already makes provision for legalization to be confined to poker …but only for the first two years, after which further gaming genres may be considered.
 
Sen. Wright is pushing the bill under urgency procedural requirements, which would mean the bill could come into effect almost immediately if it garners two-thirds of the votes in the state Legislature.