WPFH Recruits Gaming Law Expert Martin Owens
July 27, 2015 4:37 pmIn an effort to promote poker and help develop the industry as a whole, the World Poker Fund Holdings (WPFH) has now recruited Martin Owens to become the company’s chief adviser, a role he is more than qualified to undertake having specialized in online gaming law since 1998. Amongst his many duties, one of Owens’ main roles will be to form strong bonds with Native Indian tribes across the US, help them gain recognition by the government, and petition for various gambling laws allowing them to set-up casino and iPoker operations of their own.
Needless to say, the country’s wealthiest state, California with a population of 38 million people, would be considered the prize of any such venture with the state predicted to generate between $200m and $450m each year in gambling taxes. Ahead of regulation, the WPFH is therefore aiming to position itself to take advantage of such a lucrative opportunity, and commenting on his appointment to the company, Martin Owens said:
“This is a very exciting project. The players, the technology, the platforms are all coming together right here in California. It’s time to bring online poker up to its full potential, in the USA and all over the world.”
So far, California has failed to move ahead with legislation after the states various gaming interests, including Indian casinos, card rooms, and racing tracks, have been unable to agree on who should be allowed to participate in the industry. On August 17th When the state legislature reconvenes, however, California is expected to have its best chance yet to see movement on the issue, with Poker Players Alliance Executive Director, John Pappas, explaining:
“The stakeholders in California were too fractured for it to be realistic before. While there is still considerable tension between the varying interests, they have all agreed that regulation of iPoker is a good thing. Now they are just fighting over who gets what.”
The possibility of California iPoker also received a further boost recently, with PokerStars ‘Let California Play!’ campaign proving a great success, as its top sponsored pros including Daniel Negreanu, Jason Somerville, Vanessa Selbst, and Chris Moneymaker take on local players in a series of special tournaments.