SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – A California lawmaker is folding his effort to legalize online poker.
Assemblyman Mike Gatto, a Democrat from Glendale, said Thursday that he’s cancelling the first hearing on his proposal, which was scheduled for next week.
Gatto says there’s no agreement among Internet-poker operators, racetracks, card rooms, Indian gaming tribes and other gambling interests. It’s the latest in a series of failed proposals to expand gambling in recent years.
Gatto’s bill, AB9, would establish state regulations for the popular Internet game. It would have allowed card rooms and tribal casino operators to operate online poker websites through licenses issued by the state Gambling Control Commission.
But tribes, card room owners and operators such as PokerStars opposed the bill.
Other proposals to regulate online poker are still pending in the Legislature.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
