There has been plenty of talk as of late about states in the US regulating online poker. California is the latest place to be pushing the idea around about controlling poker within their state in order to create additional revenue. In fact, California is so serious about regulating online poker within their state that a bill has already been drafted and it seeks to control all of the Internet poker played by its residents. The bill even goes as far as to say the “2,300″ poker sites and rooms operating outside of the US are a serious threat to California’s gaming presence.
If this bill passes in California and works out then other states will no doubt be interested in getting their own plan in the works. This has me wondering what online poker will be like if states start regulating the game on their own. Obviously, poker rooms and their affiliate sites can’t be too happy about state regulation of online poker because it cuts directly into their business. Of course the Poker Players Alliance has lobbied for years to legalize online poker, but I highly doubt this is what they had in mind - especially since Full Tilt Poker has such a presence within the PPA.
Another thing I wonder about is if stuff like rake or bonuses will change drastically with states controlling online poker. I’m not really sure if things could be better or worse based on what’s current because we don’t know anything different. However, assuming some states run their own poker operation, the situation could change for the better or for the worse. This is all hypothetical though as no states have passed any bills to regulate online poker yet. But if they do, be prepared for some major changes to the game we’ve known for the last few years.