California Assemblyman Adam Gray does not view the proposed $60 million horse racing subsidy in online poker bill AB 2863 as a figure up for negotiation.
In his first interview on the topic since joining Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer in introducing the state's latest attempt at online poker legislation on Feb. 19, Gray discussed with PokerNews.com how the subsidy figure was arrived upon, why the amount shouldn't be of concern to Indian tribes, the potential for player pooling, and the criminalization of playing on unlicensed sites.
The inclusion of an annual subsidy in exchange for the horse racing industry foregoing its right to operate Internet poker sites was the major development in this bill, sparking new hope for breaking a stalemate between the tribes and tracks that has kept legislation from moving forward.