Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007

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Californian vote on state-run online poker?

By Lars Sundin

Californian citizen Anthony Sandstrom collects signatures for a suggestion to establish a state-run poker site in California. If he manages to collect 430,000 signatures, the initiative will be up for popular vote.

The idea of a government-run poker site is not new. For example, in March 2006 the Swedish government launched an online poker site open for Swedish players only.

The site instantly found recognition among players and constantly rates among the ten most visited poker sites globally. With proceeds in the $30 million (2006) it makes a healthy contribution to the public finances.

California's population outnumbering Sweden's by a factor 4, Sandstrom and others feel that this model would be a promising way to take back the gambling rights after the passing of UIGEA, while bringing home California's fair share of the online poker economy.

In Sandstrom's proposition, 90 percent of the Californian poker site revenues would be used for local road repair, the rest to sponsor programs for problem gamblers.

Soon, the road to L.A. could be paved with bad beats.

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