The Proposal and Terms for California Poker Rooms

California poker rooms are soon to be all the rage, but lawmakers have been incredibly careful when it comes to determining what will or will not be allowed. A bill drafted by eight Californian Native American tribes wants to license and regulate the practice, though strict restrictions will be put into place.

The eight tribes have been incredibly fair in drafting their bill for legal California poker rooms, too. They've left the table open for still other tribes to chime in, stating that the overall goal is to ensure that everything is kept fair and pragmatic among them. The group states that they will give the California Gambling Control Commission 270 days after the enactment of the bill to issue their own regulations. These regulations will be upheld but the tribal authorities will still have the power to regulate their own sites.

What's more, the bill also wants the Commission to take the applications and issue licenses only after determining that a site is indeed eligible. They would like to see licenses issued or denied within 90 days of a completed application even though this means that they would have to provide a limited waiver of sovereignty for the purposes of licensing and enforcement. As it stands, should the bill pass, California poker rooms could be online by January 1 of 2015.

The public can also rest assured that licenses will not be given to just anyone. The tribes and the Commission will only provide licenses to sites that have been in operation under the same ownership for at least five years. The purpose of this is to prevent outside companies from capitalizing on or even entering into the market. All operations must be within the state, but eligible companies and proprietors can pair up to apply for single licenses, if they so choose. The only real concern is that the outright exclusion of horse betting may set up a political block from the outset, though this remains to be seen.