California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine has introduced bill to take advantage of an ambiguity in the federal law that could make online poker legal in California. The bill is pushing the California Gambling Control Commission and the Department of Justice to revise the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and to investigate if California-based online poker service might be legal.

"Our understanding of the law is that so long as the player and server (hosting the online game) are in California, it would be legal. But that's what we are trying to find out," said Levin.

The UIGEA has affected the online poker activities of many players and websites, even major tournaments such as the WSOP, which saw how the number of participants decreased in a matter of a year dropping the grand prize from $12 million to $8 million. But the UIGEA supporters assure that online gaming activities are also related to money laundering as a way to avoid paying taxes and that it is also a risk for children and players who have gambling problems. Before the UIGEA, more than 23 million Americans bet $6 billion per year playing online and the U.S represented almost 50% of the online gambling market.

Using Sweden and other government monopolies as examples, Levine expressed that if online gaming were managed by state-controlled interests, it would guarantee consumer protection.

"It would be regulated. We don't know what the state's piece will be, but it will be a regulated entity. If you're gambling in California with one of these offshore sites, and they just decide not to pay you, you're out of luck. If you play legally, then there is recourse." Levine said.

Levine and his group of collaborators are still trying to determine if there’s any legal issues with the proposal and the viability of the plan. Levine said that if everything goes right, the bill has chances to start a viability study and move forward to legalize online poker in the state of California.