"Because of its huge potential market, California is in an unparalleled position. It could legalize intrastate online poker and be assured that there would be enough players — and enough players who would play for varying stakes — to establish multiple virtual poker rooms, nearly any time of day.

A coalition of card-room operators and Indian gaming tribes has lined up behind legislation that would legalize online poker in the state — and give them the exclusive ability to form corporations that would run the sites. The selling point is that this approach would ensure that the economic activity stays in California.

They are making an argument similar to that advanced last year in the debate about legalizing marijuana: Lots of people are willingly doing it already, so why not make it legal, regulate it and tax it?

That argument appeals to Californians, reports San Francisco pollster Ben Tulchin, who has surveyed residents about the idea at the request of the coalition.

In separate surveys, Tulchin has found that 7.5 percent of California adults say they would play online poker for money if it was legal and that 66 percent of voters would support legalization."

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Timm Herdt: A pair of options for legal online poker (The Ventura County Star 3/9)