A U.S. Senator from California has decided to check out to meddle together with her state’s legislative process by writing a letter opposing the regulation of online poker.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, an 82-year-old Democrat, penned a letter dated April 28 to the highest lawmakers in both the California Senate and Assembly asking them to forestall the web poker bill at the table from becoming law.

Perhaps her concern at the moment is excellent news because California lawmakers have tried to legalize and regulate online poker for the past nine years without success. However, 2016 may well be different as a result of a $60 million subsidy to the state horseracing industry that may be included within the latest version of the bill.

In 2014, Feinstein did join up to support the federal proposal to “restore” the 1961 Wire Act, so her opposition to the net card game has already been established. Long before that, she supported the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

A California Assembly committee held a hearing on AB 2863 on April 27, and the legislation was approved 18-0. It was excellent news for the proposal, but there's still some distance to visit get essentially the most politically powerful members of the state’s massive gambling industry on all board. The bill doesn’t currently have a tax rate or specific language to figure out suitability for licenses.

At the hearing, testimony from the Poker Players Alliance included discussion of the power of Californians to access off-shore poker sites that don’t pay taxes to California. California Assemblymember Adam Gray, a co-author of the I-poker bill, said that a million Californians play online poker for real money right now.

According to Feinstein’s letter, she not just wants the bill to be defeated, she also thinks “Internet poker need to be prohibited in California.” That comment would appear to signify she’s in favor of a brand new online poker bill coming forward, one to criminalize it and punish poker players. Legislation like that was passed years ago within the state of Washington, though nobody has ever been prosecuted for enjoying online poker from that state.

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]