Tribal casino operators want 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 either side at the moment are envisioning a formidable political force formed by joining the hundred-pus tribes within 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 will endanger the compacts in existence with California.

The Morongo tribe, a number of the richest within the US, is leading the rush for a united front. They indicate how casino revenues suffering recession effects might be given a lift by online poker receipts.

"You've got an enormous amount of gambling happening on the web at this time that could be a large measure unregulated," George Forman, an attorney for the Morongo tribe, said to the Sacramento Bee. "I FEEL it's fair to mention there's an interest on some people's part that this activity can and will be regulated to offer protection to consumers and convey a revenue source for the states."

California was mulling passing a law that might allow intrastate online poker. The UIGEA federal ban against online casino payments wouldn't affect Internet gambling so long as both operator and patron were inside state borders.

Published on August 12, 2009 by PrestonLewis

Read More... [Source: Poker News]