California
Regulators Haven't Addressed Unlimited Wager
Issue
As reported by the San
Diego Union-Tribune: "Seven years ago,
opponents of a new card club in the San Francisco
suburb of Colma filed a formal complaint with
state regulators, alleging that the casino was
preparing to offer unlimited betting in violation
of state law.
"Former Attorney General Dan
Lungren's office approved a provisional license
for the club anyway. The director of Lungren's
Division of Gambling Control reasoned that the
legal question could wait until the club, Lucky
Chances, went through a more thorough review
for a full state license.
"Lucky Chances thrived and quickly became
a campaign contributor to Lungren, a Republican;
his successor, Democrat Bill Lockyer; and many
others from both parties.
"In January, Lockyer's gambling control
division finally finished a lengthy review and
recommended a standard license for the club,
according to the card room's attorney. But the
Attorney General's Office had failed to resolve
the original complaint, which questioned the
legality of late changes that Colma made in
its ordinance to permit no-limits wagering.
"Robert Lytle, the current director of
the gambling control division, was told of the
oversight, apparently for the first time, in
July. After conferring with state attorneys,
he quickly concluded that the 7-year-old complaint
was dead-on.
"…With as much as one-third of its
annual revenue at stake, Lucky Chances is scrambling
to preserve its no-limits betting, which is
essential to the wildly popular game of Texas
Hold 'em…"
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