Dave Palermo: California tribes divided on Internet gaming

Amended Internet poker legislation sponsored by California Senator Lou Correa and backed by a coalition of American Indian tribes under the leadership of the San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians is igniting optimism there may soon be tribal consensus on bill language.

But tribal and legislative sources do not believe a bill will emerge from the legislative session which ends Sept. 13. They also doubt there will be a hearing before the Government Organization Committee before the state Legislature reconvenes in January.

San Manuel and the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians have leadership roles in tribal coalitions pressing to legalize intrastate online poker, a potentially lucrative market with 38m residents and anticipated annual wagers in excess of $450m.

The two groups are at odds, however, over proposed bill language and the process by which legislation should work its way through the state Legislature.

Without consensus among the state’s politically powerful Indian governments it is unlikely an Internet poker bill will make it out of the state Legislature.