While California is thinking about a law to permit Internet gambling, the politically powerful tribal casino operators are sharply split on whether supporting legal intrastate online casinos is sweet for them. While some tribes see online poker because the next step in increasing revenue, others worry it can be a loophole that costs them much of the benefits their casinos already enjoy.The Morongo tribe from Riverside County leads those Indians supporting the web poker bill. They want to enroll in with their old rivals, the poker site operators, to form a web-based poker network.
Tribal leaders say consumers, the state, and tribes could all enjoy the additional revenue source and the power to maintain players instate, in place of lose them to offshore, unregulated online casinos.
But the Viejas Band of Mission Indians, based near San Diego, leads several tribes staunchly against the web poker bill. They fear that a bill allowing online poker will soon allow all gambling anywhere throughout the state, destroying the exclusivity the tribes now exploit.
"There are serious constitutional, financial, legal, regulatory and other questions that have to be addressed carefully and deliberately before this scheme goes any further," said a Viejas spokesman.
"It just looks as if Morongo is willing to sacrifice the monopoly it has, that will be the operating entity of Internet gambling within the state to the detriment of the entire other tribes," added Cheryl Schmidt, director of an anti-gambling organization.
Published on August 20, 2009 by TomWeston
Read More... [Source: California Gambling News]
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