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California legislators are gearing up for yet another Sisyphean effort at passing online poker legislation, because it’s not like the state has any other serious issues worth tackling, like collapsing dams, wildfires or Trumpian forces targeting its sanctuary cities.
Friday saw the debut of AB 1677, the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act, courtesy of longtime intrastate online poker proponent Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (pictured). Full text can be read here but suffice it to say that the bill is something of a ‘greatest hits’ of previous online poker bills that the state has failed to pass in recent years.
As with those earlier California bills, AB 1677’s list of eligible online poker licensees is limited to the state’s cardrooms and tribal gaming operators. They’ll pay a $12.5m upfront license fee good for seven years and which will be credited against future tax obligations.
The tax rate will escalate according to cumulative annual online poker revenue by all the state’s licensees. Should revenue total less than $150m, operators will pay 8.847% tax to the state. This rises to 10% if annual revenue goes above $150m but less than $250m, then rises again to 12.5% if revenue is under $350m, while a sum above $350m means operators will pay 15%.
BAD ACTORS
The bill requires service providers to undergo a suitability assessment but leaves it up to state gaming regulators to answer the controversial question of what qualifies a service provider as a so-called ‘bad actor’ – i.e. a gambling site that continued to serve California residents after some date by which the practice was arguably illegal.
SOURCE-FULL STORY
Friday saw the debut of AB 1677, the Internet Poker Consumer Protection Act, courtesy of longtime intrastate online poker proponent Assemblyman Reginald Jones-Sawyer (pictured). Full text can be read here but suffice it to say that the bill is something of a ‘greatest hits’ of previous online poker bills that the state has failed to pass in recent years.
As with those earlier California bills, AB 1677’s list of eligible online poker licensees is limited to the state’s cardrooms and tribal gaming operators. They’ll pay a $12.5m upfront license fee good for seven years and which will be credited against future tax obligations.
The tax rate will escalate according to cumulative annual online poker revenue by all the state’s licensees. Should revenue total less than $150m, operators will pay 8.847% tax to the state. This rises to 10% if annual revenue goes above $150m but less than $250m, then rises again to 12.5% if revenue is under $350m, while a sum above $350m means operators will pay 15%.
BAD ACTORS
The bill requires service providers to undergo a suitability assessment but leaves it up to state gaming regulators to answer the controversial question of what qualifies a service provider as a so-called ‘bad actor’ – i.e. a gambling site that continued to serve California residents after some date by which the practice was arguably illegal.
SOURCE-FULL STORY
