California Investigates Legalizing Online Gambling

California is busy investigation whether they should legalize online gambling and if they do decide to legalize online gambling what should be permitted in the state.  Assemblyman Lloyd Levin has navigated his bill to study the legislation of online gambling past one committee and now it is brought within one step of a vote in the legislature.

Levin's bill, the Gambling Control California Intrastate Online Poker Act was unanimously passed on Wednesday by the Committee of Governmental Organization.  Now the proposal is  on it's way to the state Appropriation Committee. 

The purpose of the bill is to determine whether the UIGEA law that was passed by the US Congress binds states or whether states may individually pass their own laws about legalizing and regulating online casinos and gambling.

Levin feels that the UIGEA allows for legalized online gambling as long as both the operator and players are located within the state.  Only interstate online play is ruled out by Levin's interpretation.  If the bill is passed and the investigation finds that the confusing language of the UIGEA does permit interstate play, California will likely authorize and tax legal online casinos.

Other states may soon follow suit by allowing poker play in some states and possibly full fledged online casino play in others.  But having to determine what is permitted the states is a Constitutional argument that goes back to the framing of the document.