Tribes Hold the Cards in California Online Poker Effort: New Jersey Racing to be First
The odds of New Jersey legalizing online poker first is much greater than California doing so and the San Francisco Chronicle’s Demian Bulwa does a superb job of laying out the reason why.
Bulwa doesn’t draw comparisons between the two states but rather offers the various obstacles standing in the way of California's efforts.
Atop that list are the Tribal casinos, who have managed to quash past attempts. While some have come on board, others have not.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
There's hardly consensus in the group. Some tribes support online gambling, believing it reaches a unique clientele, while others fear customers will stay home rather than travel to pull the levers of lucrative casino slot machines.
The Tribes want in but at the expense of the horse tracks that they want out.
Other barriers standing in the way include greed. California is asking for $200 million in licensing fees according to Bulwa’s article. That amount is in place to supposedly limit the number of applicants, and $200 million should certainly accomplish this.
New Jersey wants to be first to legalize online poker along with other forms of gambling and there is every reason to believe they can get that jumpstart at the gate.
First off, New Jersey’s efforts appear way more organized and consistent, not to mention cost effective, thanks to those parties involved, primarily State Senator Raymond Lesniak and the Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association headed up by Joe Brennan, Jr.
Whereas Brennan, Jr.’s regular mode of transportation is Amtrak back and forth between his Virginia home and Trenton with the occasion coach seat on Southwest Airlines when traveling to other regions, lobbyists for California prefer the $1000 first class round trip tickets on Virgin America. They get to sit next to celebrities and eat free food while the rest of us common people get seated next to screaming kids.
New Jersey is a well oiled machine.
Bill Pascrell III, a lobbyist for IMEGA believes the state that establishes Internet gaming first is likely to become the technology hub for that portion of the industry as it becomes more common.
“We must be first,” Pascrell said. “We need to create the Silicon Valley of Internet gaming in New Jersey.”
And the Garden State has less standing in the way.
The only Indians they have are the one’s from my native Gujarat region in India. No Tribes, so to speak, in New Jersey.
They do have powerful horse racing interests who aren’t entirely thrilled over the latest revised bill. That said, Lesniak seems to be working hard to appease them.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
