California poker bill to include horse racing concession

AB 431 would grant 95% of the first $60m collected from online poker each fiscal year to California racing, with the tracks then excluded from the state’s online poker market.

New language also means that AB 431 would become an urgency statute, meaning that once it had passed both chambers of the California Legislature with two-thirds of the vote in each it would immediately go into effect once signed into law by the governor.

California online poker would be taxed at 15% of gross revenue, while card clubs and state tribes with at least five years of gaming experience would qualify for licensing.

There is a deadline of 19 February for bills to be introduced in 2016.

OnlinePokerReport.com has reported that while California tribes have “agreed in principle” to limited licences to tribes and card rooms while providing the subsidy to racing, they have stopped short of fully supporting AB 431.

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Gareth Bracken

Journalist

Gareth Bracken is an experienced gaming journalist and editor who spent more than six years with Players Publishing, progressing through a range of senior editorial roles across its flagship titles, including Gambling Insider. He joined the company in 2010 as an Editorial Assistant before advancing to Staff Writer, Senior Staff Writer, Editor, and later Senior Features Writer.

Between 2011 and 2016, Gareth played a central role in shaping editorial output across print and digital platforms, producing in-depth features, news coverage and long-form analysis on the global gambling and iGaming industries. As Editor from September 2014 to October 2015, he oversaw content strategy, editorial standards and production workflows, helping guide the publication’s development as a leading B2B industry voice.

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