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California state Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) — the legislator behind California\’s aggressive efforts for intrastate online gambling and opponent to Barney Frank\’s federal online gambling bills — is in some hot water. I couldn\’t tell on quickest glance if he\’s being hassled over some jurisdictional technicalities or if its indicative of some major shenanigans involving one of the biggest proponents for California\’s French-like vision for online poker. But either way, somebody seems pretty pissed off at Wright, as a Los Angeles County grand Jury unsealed an 8-count felony indictment against him yesterday.
Wright is the sponsor of California\’s SB 1485, a bill that would immediately kick off licensed and regulated online gambling for Californians in California. The bill has seemed on its last legs since this summer, but just won\’t die as California desperately digs into its couch cushions looking for any way possible to to make up for extreme budget deficits supposedly driving the state toward insta-bankruptcy.
California\’s legislative session ended weeks ago, but the Governor has called lawmakers, including Wright, back to work where SB 1485 is on a short-list of bills being given top attention because of its revenue-generating potential.
The Poker Players Alliance, the advocacy group championing a federal approach to licensed and regulated online gambling (and poker specifically), has publicly opposed Wright and SB 1485. They also, of course, have been spearheading an aggressive campaign against the Commerce and other California casinos for their opposition to their bills being considered in Washington DC.
The political advocacy group supporting Wright and Cali\’s protectionist intrastate ways to a more-legal online poker means is Poker Voters of America, who have stated high hopes that Wright\’s bill will indeed find its way into California law this year, which would set an intrastate precedent for other states to follow.
Wright faces up to 8.3 years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding elected office in California should he be convicted.