California online poker bill shelved until 2009

California online poker players will have to wait until at least until next year to see if their favorite game will be taxed and regulated in their home state.

A bill titled the Gambling Control/California Intrastate Online Poker Act, A.B. 2026 was amended and passed by a vote of was 6 to 1 in June by the Senatee bill would "study the ability of the state to protect Californians by licensing and Governmental Organization Committee, but last week it was put on the inactive legislative file, meaning it will go no further in 2008.

The bill was requested to go on the inactive legislative file by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, the man who introduced it. Levine's office stated that the Poker Voters of America, which pushed for the law, wants to revise the bill and re-introduce it in 2009 with a group of new co-authors.

The bill was originally introduced in February. According to a June 24 press release from Levine's office in Sacramento, the bill would "study the ability of the state to protect Californians by licensing and regulating intrastate poker websites.

"Furthermore, AB 2026 would look at economic opportunities for the state. In the current fiscal condition the state is in, it is important to look at all possible sources of revenues including authorizing online poker in California."

Added Levine in the press release, "Right now millions of people in California are playing poker online for money. They are unprotected and unregulated. That lends itself to deception and potential fraud. The servers are in places like Bermuda and Isle of Mann. That means Californians have no protection if something goes wrong."