Tribal casino operators are looking to work with long-time foes in state poker rooms to lobby for intrastate online poker in California.

California poker rooms are teaming up with tribal casino operators to lobby for the bill proposing the licensing and regulation of interstate online poker. Usually rivals as tribes have fought the influx of poker rooms, leaders on both sides are now envisioning a powerful political force formed by joining the hundred-pus tribes in the state with the sixty or so poker venues.

Some tribes are dissenting, saying online casino poker may violate fedral restrictions regarding gambling off reservation land, and could endanger the compacts in existence with California.

The Morongo tribe, among the richest in the US, is leading the push for a united front. They point out how casino revenues suffering recession effects could be given a boost by online poker receipts.

"You've got a huge amount of gambling going on on the Internet right now that is a large measure unregulated," George Forman, an attorney for the Morongo tribe, said to the Sacramento Bee. "I think it is fair to say there is an interest on some people's part that this activity can and should be regulated to protect consumers and produce a revenue source for the states."

California has been mulling passing a law that would allow intrastate online poker. The UIGEA federal ban against online casino payments would not affect Internet gambling as long as both operator and patron were inside state borders.

Published on August 12, 2009 by PrestonLewis

Top 10 NO deposit Bonus offers @

Read More... [Source: Poker News]