Californian Online Poker Doesn't Need Interstate Compacts

Despite being on the cards for some time now, online gambling in the US state of California is unlikely to come anytime soon on account of a state election which is expected to be carried out next year. As a result, the current government is not expected to undertake any major political reforms in the meantime.
Nevertheless, when it does eventually come there is widespread optimism that Californian online gaming will be a huge success, even without the need for interstate compacts, as the state’s large population could help ensure decent traffic numbers for any potential quality poker sites.
As California’s head of the state’s Gambling Control Commission, Richard Schuetz, explains: “We have 38 million people. We’re the eighth largest economy in the world. We’re bigger than Canada, so it’s not a case like Nevada that has 2.7 million people. We have more poker tables in the state of California than every other state in the nation..For a small state to try and develop a game that involves big numbers is a problem. So California is in a unique situation with its 38 million-plus people.”
Illustrating Schuetz’s argument, Nevada gambling sites Ultimate Poker and WSOP have a seven-day player average of just over 100 people, which is hardly enough to maintain a healthy player pool. In percentage terms, however, if those numbers were replicated in California it would likely be a major boon for the state’s poker rooms. That said, Richard Schuetz was keen to point out that the Commission had not ruled out the possibility of interstate online poker compacts in the future.
At present, even without online gambling it is estimated that legal land-based gaming in California, including tribal casinos, card rooms, racetracks, and the lottery, generate more than $10 billion in gross gambling revenue each year.