by Mario Alfonsi | Published on Dec 31, 2011 | Updated on Dec 31, 2011California is yet another state that has elected to vigorously pursue online poker for its residents. Being as liberal as they are, it is really no surprise that California is moving forward with this legislation. With medical marijuana having been legal for many years now, it is hard to imagine that internet poker will raise too much negative publicity, especially after residents see the revenue it can bring in. Revenue is key for California because they are a state dealing with a large amount of debt. The next major hurdle, which can come at literally any time, is whether or not the Federal Government will step in and put a stop to it or not. Since there has been no word from the feds, people are beginning to slowly grow optimistic.California is currently over $25 billion in debt and can benefit greatly from the taxes that will be levied on poker providers and players alike. The estimated revenue from an intra-state poker system is in the billions and on top of that it could create thousands of jobs, something Californians are in need of as well. Their unemployment rate is working on 12%, which is well above the national average. In addition to these obvious up-sides, many pros have already stated that they would not mind relocating to California in an effort to continue their poker playing careers. Massachusetts is another state who is in the preliminary stages of setting up legal US online poker for its residents, and as this trend gains more popularity you can bet that many more states will follow suit.It will take a lot of time to help America’s poker industry rise from the shadows, but an industry that was once prosperous is on its way to becoming stable again, if nothing else. As always we will keep you in tune with all of the latest developments with this bill and all the others moving around the United States’ legal system.
