Oh what a difference a few months has made in the iPoker regulation saga in California.
Prior to 2016 it seemed that the Pechanga tribe was dead set against PokerStars ever becoming a part of the regulated market.
Now, an insider with the Pechanga is claiming that PokerStars could help lawmakers refocus on iPoker.
Daily Fantasy Sports Has Stolen Focus from iPoker
Victor Rocha, owner and editor at Pechanga.net, recently spoke with Gambling Insider about the direction of California online poker.
He believes that the recent developments around Daily Fantasy Sports have taken focus away from iPoker. He called the current process a "comedy where five people all head to the exit and get stuck in the doorway."
Rocha believes that we're watching politics play out and DFS has become the new 'Belle of the Ball.'
"DFS seems to have come and taken the wind out of the sails of iPoker," Rocha said.
He continued, "It's still moving but DFS is now opening up questions that iGaming was asking, such as whether this a violation of the compact. You see them being tied together there, even though people don’t want that to happen."
PokerStars Launch in New Jersey Could Shift Focus Back to Online Poker
Rocha made an interesting statement towards the end of the interview. He believes that the launch of PokerStars in New Jersey will change lawmaker focus and return it to iGaming.
Presently he believes that DFS is a roadblock to iPoker regulation but he said that the PokerStars NJ launch "changes the playing field a little bit," but he isn't sure whether the shift will be enough to carry a bill over the finish line in 2016.
PokerStars NJ is estimated to launch sometime during the first half of 2016. The NJ Division of Gaming enforcement awarded a license to Amaya, Inc in September after an investigation that took over a year to complete.
Rocha's opinion regarding PokerStars is not completely surprising. Recent reports indicate that the bad actor issue is all but dead in California.
The licensing of PokerStars in NJ has taken the wind out of the sails of the anti-PokerStars tribes. Rocha's opinion could be a reflection of this new belief or merely a logical conclusion based on shifting tides in the regulatory process.