Mike Gatto, an assemblyman for the US state of California, has introduced a bill to legalise online poker for existing card rooms and Indian casinos in the state.
Under the proposals, known as bill AB 9, online poker licences would be issued with 10-year terms.
The bill also includes a “bad actor” clause, which could preclude companies indicted by the US for taking bets from American residents after 2006.
This could exclude PokerStars but a loophole is proposed for companies that are able to demonstrate that issuing them with a licence wouldn’t undermine the integrity of the state’s online poker operations.
