Online poker is described as being “as close as [it’s] ever been” to legalization in California. So says California Nations Indian Gaming Association Chairman Steve Stallings, as a bill by Assemblyman Adam Gray shows signs of advancing. The primary obstacle, as ever, is 
the insistence by several tribal power players on a “bad actor” clause that would keep PokerStars out of the Golden State. That faction’s hand was strengthened by recent insider-trading charges against CEO David Baazov for insider trading, seemingly to validate the argument that this particular leopard can’t change his spots. Stallings, whose private-sector allies include Bicycle Casino, acknowledges as much. “It does raise if not red flags, caution flags. It does raise issues of corporate governance,” he told CardPlayer.com. “The resurgence of poker as a viable online game depends on California,” Stallings said. “One more hurdle does make it more difficult.” If casino-owning tribes like the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians want i-poker, they may well have to cut PokerStars loose.
Besides, the inclusion or exclusion of PokerStars could be moot: Stallings estimates that only six, maybe 10 online casinos would be viable in the current economy. That’s going to leave a lot of tribes and card rooms out in the cold.
* Dodgy casino speculator Shawn Scott is going to the Maine Supreme Court after Secretary of State Matt Dunlap‘s invalidation of Scott’s petition drive was upheld by Judge Michaela Murphy. At the heart of Dunlap’s case is the fact that the signatures of 
alleged notaries on many of Scott’s petitions did not match the signatures of notaries on file with Dunlap’s office. (This wouldn’t the first time Scott has been caught playing fast and loose with a petition drive. Also, his petition leader and head notary, former lawmaker Stavros Mendros, pled guilty to petition irregularities in 2007.)
“Petitioners bear the burden of proof in the present action and cannot satisfy that burden by pointing to a number of alleged errors and asking the court to extrapolate from those errors that more must exist,” Murphy opined. Scott and his cronies are predicating their appeal on the grounds that Murphy acted inconsistently, overruling Dunlap (pictured) when he tossed out nearly 5,100 Mendros-gathered signatures in a campaign to legalize marijuana, although there were some fine distinctions between the two Murphy rulings. Still, with 35,000 validated signatures, Scott has until late 2017 to find 26,000 real people to get his casino drive over the top.
* Casino revenue stagnated in Detroit‘s late-winter months. March was flat with last year, with MGM Grand Detroit‘s 4% increase the market leader. MotorCity Casino Hotel was flat and Greektown Casino-Hotel slipped 4%. In terms of gross revenue, MGM’s $52 million also led the market, followed by MotorCity’s $44 million and, well to the rear, Greektown’s $29 million. The real loser in this scenario was the State of Michigan, whose tax collections for 1Q16 were also flat with the year previous.
