PokerStars California Tour To Create Support For iPoker Legislation

Home » Poker News » PokerStars California Tour To Create Support For iPoker Legislation

Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 | Written by Charles Washington

Progress in California’s drive towards legalized online poker may be unlikely this year as the state’s disparate group of gaming interests continue to lack the necessary will and compromise to make the dream a reality. In the meantime, PokerStars has maintained its proactive approach on the issue and is preparing to create further awareness and support for internet poker across the state by organizing a tour of eight card clubs as part of a summer promotional campaign called ‘Let California Play!’ A number of top PokerStars sponsored pros will be taking part in the tour designed to demonstrate the benefits of regulated online poker to both players and brick-and-mortar casinos alike, and as Head of Corp Communications for Amaya Inc. and PokerStars, Eric Hollreiser, explains:

“Poker players can play an important role in shaping the debate around iPoker in California so we’re looking to spark conversations in poker rooms up and down the state. We have a simple message: Let California Play!”

Eight Stop Tour

The Let California Play! tour will feature a number of Team Poker Stars pros, including Canadian superstar Daniel Negreanu, twitch sensation Jason Somerville, the women’s ‘All-Time Money Winner’ Vanessa Selbst, and the man who helped create the 2003-2006 ‘Poker Boom’ Chris Moneymaker. These celebrity poker players will subsequently compete against local players and residents in a series of special tournaments and games at California’s various cardrooms, with the Pro Tour kicking-off on July 17th at the Palomar Card Club in San Diego. The full listing of cardrooms on the circuit are as follows:

Fri, July 17th: Palomar Card Club, San Diego
Sat, July 18th: Lake Elsinore Casino, Lake Elsinore
Sun, July 19th: Seven Mile Casino, Chula Vista
Sat, July 25th: Napa Valley Casino, American Canyon
Sun, Aug 2nd: Stones Gambling Hall, Citrus Heights
Thurs, Aug 6th: The Aviator Casino, Delano
Fri, Aug 7th: Diamond Jim’s Casino, Rosamond
Sun, Aug 9th: Turlock Poker Room, Turlock

Nevertheless, there may also be a number of additional stops announced over the coming weeks.

Raising Awareness

Various studies have shown that a thriving online poker industry that provides a regulated and safe gaming environment for its players subsequently helps create a greater interest in live poker at cardrooms and brick-and-mortar casinos. This is one of the major messages PokerStars is hoping to promote by its latest endeavor, and echoing this point, Palomar Card Club General Manager Nick Salem commented:

“We are thrilled to be the first stop of the PokerStars Pro Tour. We anticipate a packed cardroom and we’ve heard from our players who are excited to test their skills against Jason Somerville and Liv Boeree. Long term we want to see online poker authorized in California to raise the profile of poker and build a new generation of poker players that will help land based poker rooms thrive.”

Californians For Responsible iPoker

In addition to its other goals, PokerStars will also take the opportunity to increase awareness and support for the ‘Californians for Responsible iPoker’ website, which it launched last month along with a coalition of tribal-gaming groups and cardrooms who have agreed to use PokerStars software in the event of regulation. The website provides regular updates as to iPoker legislation developments taking place in California, as well as including an extensive “Statement of Principles” the coalition would like to see as part of a future regulated industry. Naturally, its key points include responsible gambling, an open market, and the inclusion of all gaming interests in the industry.

Furthermore, the ‘Californians for Responsible iPoker’ advocacy group has proved instrumental in countering attacks coming from a coalition of tribal gaming operators who want to see PokerStars completely excluded from a future California iPoker industry, as well as California’s racetracks.

Rewards Of Success

California is the country’s wealthiest and most populous state with more than 38 million residents, and would therefore represents a significant prize for the online poker industry. According to various studies, the potential windfall provided by regulated iPoker would be huge in terms of both job opportunities and revenues. One estimate suggests 1,300 new jobs could be created, whilst revenues could reach $263 million during year 1 of regulation, increasing to more than $384 million within ten years.

Nevertheless, anti-online poker groups are claiming that any initial economic benefits experienced would soon be offset by the negative social consequences associated with gambling, and that gambling in general does not create wealth but merely distribute it from one person to another. Such groups argue that the disposable income spent on gambling would instead be spent by people on other things more likely to stimulate the economy than gambling.