The article title and synopsis may be misleading, as they suggest all California tribes are on board, but only mentions "two tribal coalitions":

There was no mention of the Morongo tribe being involved in the discussions. The article mentions the "bad actor" divide, but does not say whether or not it was resolved.

At least the legislative process is progressing:

Willie Brown joins billionaire Adelson's team fighting online poker


Also:

Love how he's so vague about how gambling companies "lure" underage players. Any specific examples? Quoting the video from stopGamingCoalition and they say we are unsure if he's getting financial assistance from Shelly....give me a friggen break.

fyp



Respect for Willie Brown's political game & hustle, but lol at him being a public face to fight online gaming on "moral grounds."

The Willie Brown news actually makes me kind of nervous. The guy has a lot of influence in Sacramento and quite a few politicians are indebted to him. I don't think he will stop the inevitable but he could create some hurdles.

This 2001 five-part series tells you all you need to know about Mr. Brown...

Willie Brown Inc. / How S.F.'s mayor built a city based on 'juice' politics [sfgate.com]

Mayor's patronage army / Brown fattens payroll with loyalists, colleagues, friends [sfgate.com]

Time and again, Brown's allies win the bid / Many contractors have 'juice' with mayor -- critics say it's no coincidence [sfgate.com]

Gusher of 'soft money' a bonanza for S.F. mayor [sfgate.com]

Brown's City Hall is politics as usual despite election / New board has little effect, so far [sfgate.com]

I am going to have to check out that series but he has gotten his hands dirty plenty since 2001. He actually seems more powerful now that he is out of office and can operate behind the scenes. Funny thing is that he is now a columnist for the SFGate.com (The Chronicle). Ah, what a different newspaper it was in 01'.

The state legislature recently voted to name to the new span of the Bay Bridge after him with hardly any debate despite that fact that he is still alive and healthy, not that far removed from office, and really not that iconic or deserving. Pretty much a lot of them owe Willie for where they are at now.

California Indian Tribes Back Online Poker Regulation, As Long As They Do It

Note: I'm not sure, but this news article may be unreliable. Take it with several grains of salt (and maybe a baloney sandwich).

looks like the indians have reached an agreement

http://www.pokerupdate.com/news/law-...ker-agreement/

Old, misleading news.

Found it today on pokerscout. How is it misleading?

It was discussed ITT a few days ago. IMO the title is misleading because it suggests all tribes have come to an agreement. As I understand it the biggest stumbling block is the "bad actor" clause, which has not been resolved AFAIK. This article does a better job than the original (Gambling Compliance) of clearly stating that only some tribes have come to an agreement and recognizing the "bad actor" disagreement as an ongoing issue yet to be resolved.

I understand PokerStars is by far and away the best online poker brand there is, but there are other brands to partner with. PartyPoker has remained competitive for a long time, and although I think their software is much inferior to PokerStars, it's a name that rings out and would be a great partner for an indian casino. That partnership would certainly yield a better product than any of these indians would come up with on their own.

If allowing stars in the game is an absolute deal breaker for them, I feel like they're being way too nitty. Or there's stuff in motion I just don't understand. A market that's purely Pechanga/Party vs Morongo/Commerce/Stars would still be a great business for Pechanga, arguably better for them than a Pechanga vs. Morongo market with ****ty products.

tick tock tick tock

Looming Deadline Unlikely to Affect California Online Poker Bills

I have great respect for Steve, and we've discussed this at length. He does a fine job of showing all the optimistic possibilities that could keep these bills alive. But they aren't 'standard procedure' and it's just as, if not more, likely that these two bills die in committee as early as tomorrow. Neither bill has even been heard in committee so far, and I don't believe there is a hearing scheduled for tomorrow.

What I think is most overlooked is the fact that once a bill is passed, they have effectively shut off the tap of lobby money just before they actually need it. I can't imagine a single legislator who would do that.

I also think it's unreasonable to believe that we could go right to the last day of the session expecting a bill to pass both chambers and have any differences reconciled and voted on again. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.

It seems to me, and this may or may not be the case, clearly I am speculating, that in all likelihood, these two bills die in committee, the debate and negotiations continue thru the session and beyond, and new bill(s) introduced early next year.

Pessimist, cynic, pragmatist, realist. Label me as you will

ty for the explanation

curt, What do you think about pokerstars handing out all that merchandise? counterproductive?

Probably neutral, they're marketing their brand and trying to rally support. Their opponents are dug in and aren't going to budge. I don't think it swayed anyone either way.

A lot of optimism. Definitely a matter of 'when' not 'if'

Forbes also mentioned August but is there really anything to base these rumors on besides "In before Sheldon"

california why must you play with my heart?

To my understanding, the 'gut and amend' option would need to be exercised in the coming week. Yesterday was the committee deadline. They would need to gut and amend a bill that has passed the committee stage, and prior to the house of origin deadline this coming Friday.

After that would be the 'rule waivers' option. These bills already require 2/3 vote to pass, so if that support is there, getting a rule waiver should be possible.

saw a report on eGR that a new, streamlined poker bill 'could be introduced as early as next week'. Maybe Friday's deadline is meaningless. Glimmer of hope, maybe.