Assemblyman proposes study into the legality of the American state offering its own services
Friday 29th February 2008
A state legislator in the American state of California has launched a bill calling for a study into the legality of the state launching its own online poker service.
Assemblyman Lloyd Levine has sponsored bill AB2026 calling on the California Gambling Control Commission (CGCC) to carry out the study into the pastime if it were controlled and operated by Californian entities.
The bill could be heard as early as next month and proposes a study that would seek answers to the position of the Federal Government regarding a Californian state decision to legalise the pastime. It would also look into ‘regulatory oversight and licensing, technological issues, underage and problem gambling matters, methods of play and types of games that may be legally offered, economic benefits to State and local governments and the means by which those games and forms of gambling may be conducted and operated’.
The Democrat’s bill proposes that the CGCC carry out this study by June 30, 2009, collaborating with the US Department of Justice and assess whether the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) applies to transactions within a state.
State autonomy is a sensitive issue in America when it comes to gambling legislative matters and Assemblyman Levine stated that as long as the player and the server were located in the same state, Federal law would probably not apply. However, he added that a definitive answer to the issue was needed and that his proposed study would provide these answers.
