California has been mulling the idea of online poker for years. Indian tribes in the Golden State wield a an incredible amount of power, and they want to be the ones in control if online poker gets regulated. According to VegasInc, two bills have been drafted that would legalize online poker in California.

From VegasInc.com:

Sam Cohen, government affairs and legal officer for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and Pierre Wuu, director of the California Online Poker Association, described how two bills have been introduced in California to legalize Internet poker.

Panelists said the proposals, backed by tribes and poker room operators, are riding the momentum of the state’s dire need for tax revenue.

Wuu said a law enabling intrastate poker would be a boon for the state because an estimated 2 million Californians play online poker.

While some tribes have been reluctant to support an Internet poker bill, fearing online games would hurt brick-and-mortar poker operations, polls show broad support for permitting online games.