Morongo Opposition Shocks California Poker Bill

Senator Louis Correa from California has put forward an intrastate poker bill; it aims to get State legislation implemented before the current federal bill is implemented by Harry Reid.

The bill is supported by The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians as well as the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, initially it’s a revised edition of the five page summary the Morongo botched to find a supporter for in September 2009, because of poor support from other tribes who opposed the bill backed by Senator Rod Wright it was delayed in Committee earlier this year.

American poker voters are the initiators of Wright’s bill; it will mention the new sponsor of its revised poker-only draft soon. Former supporter Wright has been indicted with eight charges of felony against him, he stated that he is innocent.

Amid disagreement Wright’s bill has been delayed from the Morongo and card clubs, together with the Commerce Casino and the Hollywood Park Casino, apparently because it tried to permit foreign internet poker operators and Las Vegas casinos to manage and operate internet gambling in California.

Lloyd Levine who wrote the state’s first intrastate bill said that the Morongo was to blame, because they opposed Wright’s bill; since they tried to impose their own version “it was a case of them owning a 100% or nothing.”

The Morongo failed to implement their own bill irrespective of accusations from other tribes, it tried to control internet poker by instigating a conglomerate with the card clubs and with Morongo in charge, it announced in September that 21 Indian tribes has joined it as well as a number of card clubs in the California Online Poker Association (COPA). In support of Morongo’s bill to be put forward is The San Manuel gaming tribe.

Daniel Tucker who is the chairman of the California Nations Indian Gaming Association said that Barney Frank’s aims to implement a federal licensing structure for gambling in the US, in effect it poses a serious threat to Indian casinos. The Morongo also sternly opposed a federal licensing system for the duration of the hearings for Frank’s bill.