Depleted tribal resources and a long, fruitless struggle for online poker legalisation persuade tribe to quit
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians – one of two powerful tribal groups in an influential California online poker legalisation coalition that includes cardrooms and online poker provider Pokerstars, has announced its withdrawal from the alliance.
Other members of the alliance included PokerStars, Morongo tribal interests and the Commerce Club, Hawaiian Gardens and Bicycle Club cardrooms
Describing the move as a seismic shift on the issue, a tribal source told Online Poker Report that the split took place in March, which San Manuel executive director Jacob Coin confirmed, noting that the tribe has struggled unsuccessfully for intrastate online poker legalisation for the past nine years in a drive that has depleted tribal resources.
“Because this effort has taken so long and required so much tribal effort and attention … San Manuel has decided to turn to other tribal issues at this time and has thus terminated its participation in the coalition,” Coin said.
“San Manuel wishes every success to the remaining coalition members and appreciates the fine and effective working relationship it has had with all of them. No inferences of any kind should be drawn from its decision to withdraw from the coalition.”
InfoPowa readers will recall that earlier this week California Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, one of the most tenacious protagonists of online poker legalisation, said that he would not be taking part in the decade long annual pursuit of California legalisation this year, explaining that he would spend 2017 re-building bridges and preparing for another initiative in 2018.
Tribal industry observers have noted that the San Manuel withdrawal weakens an alliance that is already beset with legal issues. One tribal source told OPR:
“Three-fifths of that coalition has had serious legal issues. It’s good to see San Manuel extricate itself from that disaster.”
Pokerstars has yet to comment on the withdrawal.
Online Casino News Courtesy of Infopowa
