Late Legislation To Legalize Online Gambling in California

A couple of bills in the California legislature are still hanging around even though there are only a few weeks left in this year's legislative session.  Stranger things have happened than having bills that haven't gone through the full legislative review process get passed in the mad rush to get the end of session work completed.

In this case, although it is possible one or both of these bills are approved, I am not overly enthusiastic about their chances.  Personally, I am in favor of online gambling, but I much prefer the bills to be fully vetted and edited, with all stakeholders and opinion-holders having their full say in the matter.

Here's an editorial from a local newspaper that shares the same sentiment.  I agree.  In California, the tribes have huge leverage and influence.  And the tribes are not monolithic in their perspectives.  The tribes do compete against each other, which extends to the political arena.  In general, if all the tribes are not in consensus, the likely and easiest answer is no.